Skylanders Battlecast – Free-to-play mobile title launches today

The latest Skylanders mobile game takes a different spin on the toys-to-life genre, bringing cards-to-life in Skylanders Battlecast.

Battlecast is a free-to-play mobile title available on iOS, Android and Kindle Fire devices.

Players will be able to purchase cards digitally or in-stores to build a deck capable of taking on fellow players online, or competing in the game’s single-player campaign, which will act as a comprehensive tutorial for the competitive online component.

There are two forms of battle packs: Skylanders Battlecast Booster Packs which contain eight cards and cost $4.99 (UK price to be confirmed) and Skylanders Battlecast Battle Packs which contain 22 cards and will cost $9.99.

There are three types of cards for players to use: Spell Cards, which enable players to cast spells on enemies, heal and more. Gear Cards provide a boost to a character’s stats or add an effect during battle. Finally there’s Relic Cards which help to change battle dynamics by adding a relic to the battleground.

A press release has provided the full details on the game:

– Cards-to-Life – Skylanders Battlecast is a mobile card battle game that takes physical cards and brings them to life.  Players transport their characters into the game using the camera on their mobile device.  Once the card is activated, the character can jump right into battle or participate in a mini game.
– The Magic behind Cards-to-Life – Skylanders Battlecast features augmented reality technology available on select mobile devices.  Once a card is scanned, the character jumps from the card into the game and can be seen in real-life via 3D graphics.  
– Gameplay Variety – Skylanders Battlecast is a game that can be played solo or in player vs. player (PvP) mode.  Players can battle the AI in a single player campaign or play another Battlecaster head-to- head.  Modes include:
– Casual PvP Play: This is where casual players test new decks and just play for fun. Battlecast have the ability to test decks here without losing rank points.
– Friends List: Players can add and send direct challenges to friends with this feature, as well as keep their game in tip-top shape by honing skills together.
– Card Collectibility – Portal Masters can build and upgrade their card collection through the purchase of Booster and Battle Packs:
– Card Groups – A full card set includes four main categories — character cards, spell cards, relic card and gear cards; additionally, there are five layers of collectability – Common, Rare, Epic, Ultimate and Foil versions.  
– Character Cards – Select three of the 24 character cards to create your ultimate team to take into battle. Characters are available from previous games in the franchise including Skylanders SuperChargers.
– Decks and Customization – Players choose three Skylanders from their collected cards to build a 30-card deck. The game can either automatically create a deck for players, or they can choose to customize their own decks.
– Strategic Card Combat – Battlecasters can build a team of three Skylanders – each providing different cards – to battle opponents of eight elementally aligned arenas. Enemies are attacked using a variety of powerful cards in turn-based combat gameplay. Multiple layers of strategy make it easy for both casual players and strategically deep for hardcore players.
– Favourite Characters and Attacks – The characters in Skylanders Battlecast will be familiar to fans as they are from the Skylanders universe. Yet, players will enjoy exploring the new twists, attacks and power-ups that these beloved characters will bring to the game. The first cards included in the Skylanders SuperChargers Starter Packs are fan favorites, Stealth Elf and Spit Fire.

Skylanders Battlecast is available to download now.