blend gaming and toy
'Starlink' blends gaming and toys in a genuinely intriguing way
Following the likes of Amiibo, Skylanders and the rest, Ubisoft's latest take on the physical toy/video-game hybrid, Starlink: Battle for Atlas, already feels like an exciting proposition -- even if we didn't quite get to play the title itself. We saw a hands-off presentation of the spaceship-based gameplay (customizable load-outs, pilot-based superpowers and weird alien threats), as well as how easily the add-on guns and mods appear in-game. We then also got to handle the physical toys themselves. All told, it's clear Ubisoft has done a good job. To do this, the company apparently poached toy makers and designers from across the industry -- Hasbro, to name just one example -- and the result is toys that feel solid, fun and, well, nice.