Few video game gambles have paid off like Skylander’s Giants . If the stars hadn’t aligned for the successful release of its 2011 predecessor, Activision would have suffered a blow far worse than THQ and its uDraw failure. Gamers have been snapping up these figures in the millions and the recently released sequel shows no signs of the momentum slowing anytime soon.
If you find yourself light on cash but dying to expand your Skylanders collection, you might want to take the time to find out what each champion is capable of. You can pick up a Skylander for between $8-$10 or a three pack for roughly $21. If you find yourself unsure of who to invest in, look no further. This time we’ll be taking a look at a Water Skylander. Does Gill Grunt sink or swim?
Gill Grunt
Owners of the original Skylanders are probably already familiar with this harpooning fish fighter, but everyone else has a curious Series 2 champion to consider. Gill Grunt doesn’t look very intimidating and his actual moveset isn’t by any means top tier. He’s easily outclassed by Slam Bam and Wham-Shell in his on faction, but Gill Grunt is an excellent beginner Skylander.
Gill Grunt’s forte is assault from long distance. He’s able to flee quickly with his Water Jetpack while repeatedly shooting enemies with harpoons. If an enemy should get too close, Gill Grunt can fall back on his Power Hose. The jet streams of water don’t deal a massive amount of damage, but they do keep foes at bay.
All this aside, if you find yourself in desperate need of a long range attacker with defensive skills, please direct your attention to Hex or Dino-Rang. Gill Grunt isn’t a failure as a Skylander, he’s just a difficult purchase to justify. If you don’t feel confident in your skills and require someone easy to pickup and play as, Gill Grunt might be just the thing for you. Unfortunately, this is an admittedly small demographic.
Gill Grunt doesn’t fare much better on the portable side of things where he’s a paltry ally in the 3DS version- at least combat-wise. Thankfully Gill Grunt is a great choice for the platforming sections thanks to his jetpack. The figure itself falls square in the middle ranks in terms of aesthetics and creativity. He’s a cute little fish-man and his gun looks fairly cool- especially the Series 2 version. Nonetheless, he still doesn’t really grab you with physical appeal.
Fans of this swimming gunner will likely get better use out of his defensive skills with some upgrades, but the effect is often minimal. If you happen to be a novice to the series you’ll get a lot out of him when paired with fellow beginner-friendly Skylanders like Wrecking Ball and Jet-Vac. His Water Weaver upgrade path is quite impressive- easily beating out Harpooner. If you outfit him with a either of the pirate hats he becomes seaworthy!
