With each new franchise that joins the universe of Disney Infinity, a brand new reason to play does as well. In Disney Infinity 3.0, Avalanche Software has created the greatest entry point into a world full of epic characters and adventures. Players who are new to either the Disney Infinity series, or the concept of NFC-based toys you can interact with, are treated to one of the most welcoming tutorials ever featured in a newer title. It’s called Story Mode. Simply by completing the story-based missions, players are introduced to concepts featured in the open-world Toybox mode that would otherwise confuse new adopters of the series. Returning player can dive right into the Toybox, though I’d still recommend they give Story Mode a go.
Each new Play Set in Infinity 3.0 contains a total of 4-6 hours of content. Although new sets must be purchased separately, the content inside the most basic version of the game still offers a rewarding experience to the average gamer. Heck, it probably features more content and rewarding gameplay than the average triple A title. Players can easily earn upgrades and other rewards for their heroes and worlds by just playing through content and discovering new things in the Toybox. The enhanced Toybox mode contains the bulk of repayable gameplay that the players will enjoy. Each new character has their own skill tree to upgrade during the game, and each new upgrade brings new levels of creative freedom to the Toybox experience. Players can create entire worlds to play in or even create their own side scrolling mini-games. The game essentially drops you into the central HUB and lets you do whatever you want. Even if the game can get overwhelming in the amount of fun to be had, you can figure out the basics by playing through the story.
The ‘complete” experience, however, is not only out of the price range for the average gamer, but it also doesn’t justify the total purchase, making this a game that is incredibly fun to play, but not completely worth investing more money into. This isn’t to say that Infinity 3.0 is completely lacking in new content for old players, as it does feature backwards compatibility with older iterations in the series. The hardware featured in 3.0 allows new players the chance to buy older figures and still take them on new adventures. While long time players can comfortably transfer their old toys to the new game, they still need to buy the new hardware. Simply put, new gamers will have more fun playing older adventures, whereas fans of the series will benefit the most from the continued adventures and new characters.
Included with the 3.0 starter pack is content from the Star Wars series known as Twilight of the Republic. The era spans elements of The Clone Wars, as well as the prequel trilogy, and allows players the opportunity to interact with various characters from the universe such as Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi as well as the malevolent General Grievous.
Other play sets detail the fall of the Empire within the original Star Wars trilogy and there’s a set that even includes content from the upcoming films. In addition, Disney has also released a wealth of characters and worlds that include Mickey Mouse, characters from Pixar’s Inside Out and other Disney animated films. The newest line-up of Marvel films are also available, which let players play alongside the Avengers as they take down Ultron. While the required purchases may not be ideal, there is always the possibility of new stories to experience and characters to explore with.
With each new iteration of the Disney Infinity series comes new innovations in gameplay. In 3.0, players can experience a completely revamped Toybox mode. now featuring companions who can help you defeat enemies, or even do quests of their own. With all of the fun that these Disney sidekicks give you, the only thing players have to worry about is what to feed them. Yes, these little folks have to eat, and the player needs to grow food especially for them, Farming is the biggest new mini-game featured in Infinity 3.0, where gamers engage in something very similar to FarmVille as they grow crops. After crops are grown, they become food for your companions. Feeding these little guys improves their stats, allowing them to be even more useful in combat.
One of the most innovative tools, however, is the new waypoint system for vehicles in the Toybox. By setting waypoints, players create tracks that vehicles can move through so that while adventuring around, X-wings can chase Tie-Fighters and shoot them down. Utilizing this same gameplay mechanic, players can also create special race tracks to compete in against either computers or friends online in the new Toybox Speedway.
Multiplayer makes an epic comeback in this entry by being one of the few games to continue to support local co-op in both the adventure and story. Players can also team up with friends and even make new ones by playing online, but the ultimate multiplayer experience will always be had with good friends on a couch.
Over the decades of Disney storytelling, the only thing more recognizable than Mickey Mouse himself is the intricate and beautifully animated Disney art style. Thanks to the years of experience in the video game world, the developers behind the Disney Infinity series have created a world so complete, that players will never really feel like they’ve left one world for another. Instead, what the player experiences, is a well crafted universe that can co-exist amongst all of the stories featured in the entire series.
Every character within the Infinity universe is fully voiced, feature their own storyline and all have their own personality. While leading to more diverse gameplay and encounters, the actual voice acting can be hit or miss. In instances where players are fighting along the likes of Obi-wan Kenobi or Anakin Skywalker, you will feel as though they are actually taking part in adventures with these iconic characters. However, when leaping around the map with Yoda, players will be reminded how much they miss the voice talents of Frank Oz as the green Jedi Master.
Despite the low points of some voice work and minor faults in gameplay, Disney Infinity 3.0 fulfills fan excitement of the incredible franchises it holds within it. The title comes with a wealth of content to explore, infinitely re-playable worlds, and is simply a fun game to play. Although the game is occasionally likely to lean towards the dark side of the force when it comes to your wallet, the combination of the best elements of iconic characters into one great experience is what makes Disney Infinity 3.0 well worth the price of admission.
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