James P. Sullivan, Captain Jack Sparrow, Mr. Incredible, and many others are among the characters that you can play in the new game Disney Infinity. Just like playing with your toys right out of the toybox, Disney Infinity allows you to place toys on the platform in real life and they appear in the game as characters you control. But this is more than just a platformer. Disney Infinity is designed to go beyond the levels and playsets to allow players to develop their own levels and share them with a wide online community.
From the start, floating through the world as a spark, then a shadow, and finally the outline of different characters, the landscapes are stunning. I got to meet characters from many of my favorite Disney films, including Jack Skellington, Sheriff Woody, and Rapunzel. All of this is just to introduce you to the amazing world of Disney Infinity. You get to sample some gameplay, check out some characters, and just enjoy as the scenes develop around you, eventually leading you to meet Mickey Mouse in full sorcerer robes and hat before moving into the Toybox to begin your own game.
Out of the box, as you can see in the image, you get three characters, Captain Jack Sparrow, James P. Sullivan, and Mr. Incredible, the game, the playset cube including three playsets; Monster University, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the city of the Incredibles. One other item in the box is a Power Disk, randomly insterted, that offers a special item or new power for your characters.
TOYBOX
The Toybox is the launching point for all gameplay as it allows you to view character achievements through the Hall of Heroes, get new items to play with from the Infinity Vault, add items to the blank world of your own Toybox, or play preconstructed games or playsets. The Hall of heroes evolves as you unlock more items and your choices expand as you play more and delve into other areas of the game.
The Toybox allows you to play the Tutorial sessions to learn the basics of navigating the worlds and building some of the cooler features like the action toys that move and generate enemies and items. This feature is one of the greatest additions to this game and makes it something that can be played over and over again. New items get unlocked as you play the playsets and these items can be used to enhance your custom world. build racetracks, obstacle courses, or paintball arenas, the world is your oyster.
I spent a couple of hours just playing the preconstructed games in the Toybox and exploring, but let’s move on to the Playsets. That is where the action happens right away, at least until you have unlocked some new items for building.
PLAYSETS
I tried to take some pics of each of the playsets and the Hall of Heroes, just because it looked so cool. Each playset has a collection of quests and a linear storyline girded with multiple other side quests that can keep you immersed for hours. The controls are very intuitive, except for tricks on the bike, that was very frustrating. There are also multiple challenges in each level and cool new areas to unlock that just add to the fun and, sometimes, to the frustration. But it is a good kind of frustration, the kind that pushes you to try again to win.
Another great option in this game is that you can interchange any of the characters in any of the playsets. I can play Monster University with Captain Jack Sparrow or, later, Lightning McQueen, Woody and Buzz, and many others. Now, there are certain items, like the treasure chests, that are designed to be opened by only one character. So, just swap out the character for that chest, open it and get the special item, then back to who you want to play with. It’s that easy.
SUMMARY
Overall, this is a great game. I had a ton fun playing it and would recommend it to anyone. There is racing, shooting, running, collecting, climbing, puzzles, secret locations, and just about anything else you could expect from a game based on these great Disney properties. Even the Kraken.
No language, no blood, but some animated violence, so ESRP gives it E 10+, good for everyone 10 and up. I would agree because of the complexity of some of the levels, but fun to watch for anyone.
