When Avalanche Software and Disney Interactive set out to create the ultimate Disney video game experience, it was clear that this was not an easy task. Avalanche had previously developed Toy Story 3: The Video Game and Cars 2 which were both reasonably well received by fans and critics but this time the studio was going after the big fish – Disney Infinity.
Disney Infinity is a game that combines the spark and creativity of Disney and that of the players. While the game features various pre-made Play Sets it also comes with an open world Toy Box in which players can create their own worlds, play with friends and use the various pieces they unlock from playing the campaigns and adventures.
The 3 Play Sets that come with the Starter Kit include Monsters University, Pirates of the Caribbean and The Incredibles. In the 75 Dollar package players will get Monsters’ Sully, Pirates’ Captain Jack Sparrow and The Incredibles’ Mr Incredible and the base. The figures will be placed on the base and the characters come to live within the game. Players can play cooperatively through one of the three campaigns included in the game but it will require the purchase of new characters as only Pirates characters can be used in the Pirates Play Set, while four players can mix and match from the various Play Sets to play in the Toy Box.
I want to touch on the Play Sets first as there are three full campaigns included with the game, all of which are about four hours long and provide plenty of stuff to do as well as challenges within each Play Set. Earning points in the game becomes important as they will be used in the Toy Box which we will get to later. The Pirates of the Caribbean Play Set is the strongest of the three as it not only features an open world and many of the movies characters but also full featured ship combat. Players can take down other ships, customize their vessels and upgrade attacks and guns.
The combat in the Pirates set is mostly based on sword and gun play as Jack Sparrow makes his way through the various side quests and story missions. Disney Infinity makes sure it stays true to the various franchises it features in each Play Set and it once again is best displayed in Pirates where music and voice actors as well as a great presentation make this the most fun Play Set in the game.
While the other two Play Sets are fun and feature the characters and worlds from Monsters University and The Incredibles, they just don’t quite match up to the Pirates world. In Monsters University players control Sully who sets up pranks and scares in a well crafted world and Mr Incredible will allow players to use his super powers to beat up on enemies which are both mechanically sound and fun worlds but become a bit too repetitive too quickly. It may be more fun to play in these two Play Sets with a friend but sadly requires another trip to the store.
There are two more Play Sets players can experience in Disney Infinity but the Lone Ranger and Cars campaigns are not included in the Starter Kit. The actual gameplay in each of the Play Sets is mostly based on shooting and melee combat as well as platforming traversal but players will also be able to commandeer ships and drive cars. Apart from the campaigns there are also adventures and combat arenas players can enjoy. Players will also be able to use Power Discs in the game which can add a vehicle to the world or a special ability. These discs can also be purchased separately and lend themselves to trading among friends.
The main draw to Disney Infinity however is the Toy Box which allows up to four players to not only hang out and play together but also build completely unique worlds and set up games or races with the sheer endless amount of items, buildings, cars and enemies. When I first played with the Toy Box mode, I was amazed at how much freedom players had to literally create anything they want with all of the different Disney and Pixar properties included in the game. While building platforms was a little finicky at times, it was only a small drawback to the super creative Toy Box mode.
Avalanche Software has done a very good job setting up a brand new universe and platform in Disney Infinity which the studio can build upon and keep adding Toy Sets to the game. One of the upcoming Play Sets is Toy Story which is obviously one of the most anticipated franchises to be added. Disney Infinity’s Starter Kit comes with tons of content and is beautifully crafted in game and also when it comes to the actual figures themselves. I loved playing in the various Play Sets and especially the Toy Box. Apart from some minor gripes and the fact that some extra money has to be invested to play coop, Disney Infinity strikes all the right cords with me and I cannot wait to experience the other Play Sets.
Score 8.5 / 10
Disney Infinity was developed by Avalanche Software and published by Disney Interactive for the Xbox 360, PS3 and WiiU on August 18th. A copy of the game was provided to us by Disney Interactive for reviewing purposes.
