The Oracle is the thirteenth level in Skylanders: Giants. Here, the Skylanders meet the oracle, Octavius, to seek directions to the Lost City of Arkus. In exchange for the location of the lost city, however, Octavius tasks the Skylanders with completing a series of trials for his research. After the Skylanders finish these trials, Octavius gives Flynn the coordinates to the lost city, sends the Skylanders back to the ship, and grants them a unmanned Autogyro as a way of saying thanks.
Description
The Oracle takes place in a broad variety of environments, ranging from grassy islands to dark dungeons and elemental-themed areas. However, the Oracle's default setting is Octavius's Lair, which appears as a small, misty temple surrounded by pillars and two winged archways. This temple ripples with a wavelike effect, giving it the appearance of an illusion. Though each trial takes place in a different location, the level's sky remains the same: an ethereal starry dome with pure white clouds on the bottom and a dark blue color above.
Areas to Find
The Oracle's lair is structured in a unique way, so that each chosen path leads the player to entirely different areas. On account of this, at least four playthroughs are required to get the All Areas checkmark.
- Octavius's Lair
- Trial of Courage: Spiders (Undead)
- Trial of Courage: Chompies (Life)
- Trial of Heart: Little Fish (Air)
- Trial of Heart: Big Fish (Air)
- Trial of Element: Fire (Fire)
- Trial of Element: Water (Water)
- Trial of Knowledge: Reflection (Earth)
- Trial of Knowledge: Puzzle (Undead)
- Trial of Valour: Save (Life)
- Trial of Valour: Catch (Tech)
- Trial of Strength: Speed (Tech)
- Trial of Strength: Power (Earth)
- Titan's Digs
The level concludes with the Reward of Knowledge or Reward of Wealth, which do not count as areas.
New Enemies
Soul Gem
Legendary Treasure
- Dragon Roof
Hats
- Umbrella Hat
- Bowling Pin Hat
Story Scroll
- Arkeyans Before Dressers
Treasure Chests
- 4
The Store
- Crown of Light - 1,200 gold
- Tiki Hat - 800 gold
- Chompy Bot 9000 5 Skystone - 1,400 gold
- Lock Puzzle Key - 500 gold
- Skystone Cheat - 500 gold
- Fairy Dust - 50 gold
Trivia
- The Oracle is the only level in the series to have a clear starry sky. This is justified as The Oracle's lair is not in the same physical or temporal plane as the rest of Skylands.
- This is also currently the only level in the entire series not to include Elemental Gates, though it has heavily elemental-themed areas.
- When you get to the Trial of Knowledge, and pick Lock Master, you lose the key once you beat the puzzle.
- Octavius refers to the Trial of Heart's options as "Big Fish in a small pond" and "Little Fish in a big ocean," referencing the philosophical question of having room to improve with little influence or stagnation with much influence (also used as a metaphor for being in the same level as many with much to explore or having much power but over a small group of people).
- The music heard in Octavius' Lair was reused for the Teleport SWAP Force Zone in Skylanders: Swap Force.
- There is a minor glitch in the main area, where the pumpkin breakables can spawn in the reverse water stream near the edges; they will side off the level until they can be no longer seen behind the pillars.
- This is the only level in Giants to have two evil Skylanders (Evil Eruptor and Evil Water Dragon).
- On the Trial of Heart: Big Fish path, Giants can weigh down the crushers to prevent them from closing.
- In Giants's alpha, The Oracle was referred to as Choices.
- Concept art suggests that this level was originally going to be themed around a Roman stone temple, overhung with blue plants and possessing unique archways at each choice's entrance.[1]
- According to a level designer, one of the Oracle's trials recreates the graveyard chase from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. [2]
- In the early alpha builds of Giants, The Oracle was notably different from its final version.
- The level's regular music did not play.
- Octavius did not speak the Skylander's name at the beginning of the level.[3]
- Octavius originally mentioned "repairing your ship" (the Dread-Yacht) as one of the Skylander's wishes, in addition to seeking directions to the Lost City of Arkus.
- Octavius's choice-offering animation was longer, as he paused for a moment between highlighting the two path options.
- In the alpha, the pictures over each winged choice gate are blank.[4]
- Most of the enemies in the earliest alpha are missing, and the majority of the Battle Gates unlock automatically when the player runs toward them. Only a few of the foes in the Trial of Courage: Chompies are present; however, they can neither attack nor take damage from the player.
- Octavius's Lair was originally misspelled as "Ocatvius' Lair."[5]
- The Trial of Courage: Chompies was originally called "Courage: The Gauntlet."[6]
- The Trial of Heart: Little Fish area was originally called "Heart: Ancient Transept."[7]
- The Trial of Heart: Big Fish area was originally called "Heart: Ancient Nave."[8]
- A ghost's portrait was used as the placeholder image for Octavius's hologram during dialogue.[9]
- The crushers in both paths of the Trial of Heart were originally brown and mostly untextured. In Little Fish, they all closed in unison rather than moving in specific patterns, but in Big Fish they moved uniquely. The camera angle within Little Fish originally faced sideways as opposed to facing ahead of the Skylander, whereas the camera changed part of the way through the Big Fish trial to face away from the Skylander.[10]
- Almost all of the alpha's collectibles are missing.
- In the Trial of Element: Fire, one large black Evil Eruptor originally appeared instead of two.[11]
- The Trial of Element: Water originally took place in an arena with dark, lava-textured water and multiple background waterfalls, lending it a much different aesthetic from the final area.[12]
- The Trial of Knowledge: Reflection was originally called "Knowledge: Reflection Ridge." The island upon which this trial took place was originally a stony gray color, rather than the final's earthy brown.[13]
- The Trial of Knowledge: Puzzle was originally called "Knowledge: Puzzling Ruins." Like the Trial of Heart, it reused the music from Falling Forest.
- The Trial of Valor: Catch was originally called "Valor: Gearwrench Factory." Its rolling blades lacked the blue spikes and gems present in their final models, and most of the pathway's hazards are missing. The key cannot actually be caught in the alpha, therefore softlocking the player. In addition, a seadog Skystones challenger replaced Clam-Tron 4000.[14]
- The Trial of Valor: Save was originally called "Valor: Princess Island."[15]
- The Trial of Strength: Speed was originally called "Strength: Path of the Frog." Its blade traps appeared similarly to those in the Trial of Valor: Catch, with the addition of unique red-centered gear traps that would spring out to catch the player unawares. Clam-Tron was once again replaced by a seadog Skystones challenger.[16]
- The Trial of Strength: Power was originally called "Strength: Path of the Titan." Another seadog Skystones challenger appeared inside the optional cave next to Auric.[17]
- The Reward of Knowledge was originally called "the path of Food." Both Reward paths had anvils floating in place of their final teleporters.[18]
- During his final alpha dialogue, Octavius's model duplicates, causing two versions of himself to appear at the same time.[19]
References
- ↑ Skylanders Concepts. (Date Posted - June 28, 2018). Artstation.
- ↑ Giants Portfolio: The Oracle. WordPress.
- ↑ Skylanders Giants Alpha Build 1: Full Playthrough. (Date Posted: Jan. 28, 2024). YouTube.
- ↑ Skylanders Giants Alpha Build 1: Full Playthrough. (Date Posted: Jan. 28, 2024). YouTube.
- ↑ Skylanders Giants Alpha Build 1: Full Playthrough. (Date Posted: Jan. 28, 2024). YouTube.
- ↑ Skylanders Giants Alpha Build 1: Full Playthrough. (Date Posted: Jan. 28, 2024). YouTube.
- ↑ Skylanders Giants Alpha Build 1: Full Playthrough. (Date Posted: Jan. 28, 2024). YouTube.
- ↑ Skylanders Giants Alpha Build 1: Full Playthrough. (Date Posted: Jan. 28, 2024). YouTube.
- ↑ Skylanders Giants Alpha Build 1: Full Playthrough. (Date Posted: Jan. 28, 2024). YouTube.
- ↑ Skylanders Giants Alpha Build 1: Full Playthrough. (Date Posted: Jan. 28, 2024). YouTube.
- ↑ Skylanders Giants Alpha Build 1: Full Playthrough. (Date Posted: Jan. 28, 2024). YouTube.
- ↑ Skylanders Giants Alpha Build 1: Full Playthrough. (Date Posted: Jan. 28, 2024). YouTube.
- ↑ Skylanders Giants Alpha Build 1: Full Playthrough. (Date Posted: Jan. 28, 2024). YouTube.
- ↑ Skylanders Giants Alpha Build 1: Full Playthrough. (Date Posted: Jan. 28, 2024). YouTube.
- ↑ Skylanders Giants Alpha Build 1: Full Playthrough. (Date Posted: Jan. 28, 2024). YouTube.
- ↑ Skylanders Giants Alpha Build 1: Full Playthrough. (Date Posted: Jan. 28, 2024). YouTube.
- ↑ Skylanders Giants Alpha Build 1: Full Playthrough. (Date Posted: Jan. 28, 2024). YouTube.
- ↑ Skylanders Giants Alpha Build 1: Full Playthrough. (Date Posted: Jan. 28, 2024). YouTube.
- ↑ Skylanders Giants Alpha Build 1: Full Playthrough. (Date Posted: Jan. 28, 2024). YouTube.