Why on earth am I talking about amiibo on Skylanders Character List?

This is why…

Skylanders Amiibo

That's right. It was first announced via Nintendo's E3 Direct, but was quickly followed up by an official press release from Activision.

Turbo Charge Donkey Kong and Hammer Slam Bowser will be coming to the Skylands. DK will be rolling in his Barrel Blaster and Bowser flies in in his Clown Cruiser.

Nintendo Exclusives

The characters will be available exclusively in Skylanders SuperChargers Starter Packs for the Wii U, Wii and Nintendo 3DS family of systems, available now for pre-order.

Not only will these figures be exclusive to the Nintendo Starter Packs, but it seems that they can only be played with on Nintendo systems.

Skylanders SuperChargers gameplay is revved up on Nintendo platforms, as Portal Masters can also pilot and steer Turbo Charge Donkey Kong and Hammer Slam Bowser’s custom designed, never-before-seen vehicles, Barrel Blaster and Clown Cruiser. The special Skylanders guest stars and vehicles will be playable, cooperatively or alone, in Skylanders SuperChargers on the following Nintendo platforms: Wii U, Wii and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. Both characters and vehicles are playable in Skylanders SuperChargers across all three Nintendo systems.

UPDATE: I have had this confirmed multiple times now. Donkey Kong and Bowser will only work on the Wii U, Wii, and 3DS versions.

SuperChargers Racing

If you take a close look at the Wii and 3DS Starter Packs, you will see that the included game is actually called Skylanders SuperChargers Racing.

Skylanders SuperChargers - Wii Starter PackSkylanders SuperChargers - 3DS Starter Pack

Every year the 3DS version of Skylanders has been completely different from the console version of the game. However, this year, as the Wii is dying out it will join the ranks of the 3DS and get the alternate version of the game.

Skymiibo or Amiibolanders?

So back at the beginning of this article, I mention amiibo, but I still haven't really explained why.

As you might have expected, Donkey Kong and Bowser aren't your average Skylanders. These characters will have a special base that swivels.

When it's turned one way, it's a Skylander, when it's turned the other way, it's an amiibo.

Skymiibo Base

So not only will these two figures act as Skylanders SuperChargers (in the Wii U, Wii, and 3DS versions), but they will also work with certain amiibo-compatible games.

Wrap Up

There are a lot of new things going on this year, so I understand if it's a little confusing right now, but rest assured that I will do everything I can to help you sort it out.

Enjoy!