Disney Infinity 3.0- Two Weeks Later: A Review
Disney Infinity 3.0 launched two weeks ago now, and took the video game world by storm. If you try to find a bad review of this game, you would be hard pressed to find one. Most of the major gaming websites and larger fan sites have given glowing reviews of the game, with the exception being some of the lagging and glitches being experienced in some of the older consoles, and even the XBox One. I have been playing on PS4, so I have not experienced any issues. To me, the game is quite smooth.
However, due to my “real world” job and the craziness that is life, I was not able to play Disney Infinity 3.0 enough for what I would consider a proper review during launch weekend. It would be unfair to simply write a “fluff piece” without knowing more about the game. Now that I have had some time during evenings to delve into the game, I wanted to share with everyone my impressions on Disney Infinity 3.0… well, at least what I have played so far.
NOTE: For this review, I have not played the Rise of the Empire Play Set, as I do not currently own it (I did not buy the Saga bundle for PS4). I also have not worked much with the Toy Box logic for building Toy Boxes… mainly because I am not a good artist in that respect at all. Do I plan to dabble? Yes. However, there was so much other stuff to do with my limited time that I will hold off for that until later this fall when work slows down.
Twilight of the Republic Play Set
I have not gotten as far in this Play Set as I would have hoped, but I did play through the Geonosis planet with the first Grievous boss battle and completed all of the side missions before launching out into space. I will say that, while I played most of this level a few times while at different demos this summer, the final product is even more polished and I am loving the lightsaber combat. Each of the figures have slightly different handling, and I appreciate that (in comparison, sword combat in 1.0 all felt the same).
One of the highlights for this Play Set so far has to be the Mynock Challenge, where you will need to locate and kill 100 mynocks throughout the Play Set. I like little bonus things like this where they don’t tell you where they are… you need to find them. Makes for a lot of replayability for the levels/ planets.
I do find the challenges interesting in that you get more stars if you complete it with a certain character. Makes it so that, if you are a game completionist, you will need to buy most, if not all, of the Star Wars characters… at least all of the Twilight era figures.
The next time I log into the game, it will be time for space flight and combat, from what I remember. I know that one of the only cons I had when I demoed the game this summer was that flight needed to be tweaked, which they were working on. My friends have told me that they have tweaked it properly, so I am looking forward to experiencing it for myself.
Toy Box Takeover
The first thing on my checklist to try out was the Toy Box Takeover Expansion Game, as it was one of the things that intrigued me the most in demos this summer. Disney Infinity touted that these Expansion Games would be upgraded and retooled from 2.0’s Toy Box Game Discs which, though fun, did not live up to the hype Disney was hoping for. After spending quite a bit of time inside Takeover, I will say that this is as close to a Play Set as you can get within a Toy Box realm where all figures in Disney Infinity are compatible.
Inside Takeover, there are 5 levels as well as what Syndrome, the main Villain inside this game, calls the Hero Destroyer (which is akin to the Escape the Kyln co-op play in 2.0 in regards to randomization). Each level has for difficulty settings (Easy, Medium, Hard, and Expert), and each has a set number or treasure chest unlocks and three coins inside the level. When all three coins are found, the main toy unlock for that level is unlocked. In addition, completing the level unlocks toys for use inside the Toy Box, and random capsules are hidden throughout the game, unlocking more Sidekicks and other surprises. After beating the game, players can also enter the Hero Destroyer to try and unlock more Sidekicks as well.
For me, there is a lot of replayability inside this Expansion Game, which retails for $19.99. it took me roughly 4 hours or so to explore all of the levels and beat the game on Easy. I played through each level again on Medium, completing all of the main toy unlocks, and now working on the levels on Hard (I realized some of my characters need to have higher stats first). The game itself unlocks an untold number of toys, so for the builders out there who want to work with everything, getting and playing the game just for that reason alone is worth it.
One last thing… we have him inside Takeover… we need Merlin as a playable character!
Inside Out Play Set
I was only able to dabble inside the Inside Out Play Set for the first time last night, as I just got the set in the mail the other day. During the demoing this summer, this is the Play Set that I was most excited for, due to the platforming aspect of the Play Set and how it reminded me of a lot of the gaming that I grew up with as a child. Playing the first few levels last night, this Play Set did not disappoint.
What I appreciate about this Play Set is that each level has clear objectives and checkpoints for time and collectibles. Similar to the side missions within the Twilight of the Republic, these objectives span the entire level. I replayed levels 1 and 2 a few times trying to complete the objectives… and still have not found all of the balloons or manual pages. Designed for it or not, I sense a lot of replayability for this Play Set… and, if you aren’t into this type of gaming, a few headaches and head scratchers.
I also love that I have unlocked Bing Bong’s Wagon for use inside the Toy Box. So much rainbow fun!
Toy Box Hub
I probably have spent most of my time inside the Toy Box Hub, unlocking the different areas, leveling up characters in combat, getting addicted to Farming, and watching my Hub morph and expand with new unlocks in the game
… from seeing Jack Skellington’s house appear in the Combat Zone, Merlin’s Tower appear on Main Street once I beat Toy Box Takeover, and the Partner’s Statue appear in front of the castle once my MagicBand unlock was complete.
However, it’s not just the major additions that I find enthralling… it’s the little things: Duffy Bear Dapper Dans harmonizing while a Churro Cart appeared nearby… a Main Street parade with a band, balloons, and Disney characters happening from time to time, only to be replaced with Star Wars characters once I started playing the Twilight Play Set… finding and picking up the random Yeti (should be called Harold… as he is the Matterhorn resident, not the Everest resident) and unlocking the plain white skydome and terrain… earlier this week, I came back to my Hub to find a mountain has sprung up in my Enchanted Forest area, where you meet your Butler (Toy Box Interior’s Cogsworth). Just last night, the Enchanted Forest house expanded itself, including more buildings and a Nemo shaped swimming pool. Overall, you don’t know what to expect inside the Hub. Surprises abound.
Also great was seeing my friend Lauren’s (aka MightyGitis) Townsperson inside 3.0, after she won the Toy Box Summit last year. I was hoping she would serve me popcorn inside the El Capitan Theatre…. but instead she served me shade with a side of ignore.
Farming
Not gonna lie… I have spent a lot of unnecessary time Farming inside Disney Infinity 3.0. Originally starting inside the Farming section of the Hub (which is accessed through the green portal in the farm section of the Hub after talking with Woody), I ended up eventually creating a small Toy Box where I could babysit my Sidekicks farming while launching waves of villains to fight off so I could level up. That, I feel, is the biggest downside of Farming… no experience sparks for the figures.
Aside from that, Farming is quite a lot of fun. At this point in time, there are 20 crops, each with a corresponding hat to unlock, which will increase the chances that the Sidekick wearing that hat will plant that crop. Each hat requires a certain Luck rating from your Sidekick, which you can raise with the help of some of the crops you harvest. There are also watering cans and hoes of varying levels that you unlock throughout the game (either in the Treasure Hunt part of the Hub or inside Toy Box Takeover). While it might seem complicated, it’s really not.
I find it a lot of fun using a ranged attack (Han Solo’s blaster for example) to shoot down the weeds that pop up or harvest a fully grown crop… or if you have a lot of crops to harvest, mow them down with a running Hulk.
All in all, it might take time to get all 20 crops unlocked, but it you outfit a lot of Sidekicks with hoes and watering cans, you should be able to make quick work unlocking all. I actually hope new crops are patched in, because after the 20 were unlocked, I did find myself inside my farm a little bit less, as I wasn’t trying to scout for the newest crop to pop up.
Toy Box Interior
I am really appreciating the inclusion, and improvements made on, the Toy Box Interior in Disney Infinity 3.0. While I found the 2.0 version fun in the beginning, I ended up abandoning the Interior because there wasn’t a lot to do, imho. Once the missions were completed and the Garden Ballroom was all princess-ified, I felt there wasn’t much to do, so I moved on.
In the 3.0 Interior, there is so much more to do. I personally LOVE the Haunted Mansion set piece, and I still have not completed its’ challenge. I also love that the Garden Ballroom was brought forward with the Princess unlocks again and that there are SO MANY MORE room themes and new rooms to add to the Interior. My MY Interior is already much bigger than it was in 2.0 (mainly to do with all of the Fairy Godmother missions so far), and I don’t think there is any stop to its expansion in the near future.
My Top 5 Figures
Everyone has their favorites, right? Although I have been trying to play with all of my 3.0 equally so I can level them all up to 20, favorites do arise. Here are my random Top 5.
Olaf
He is such a fun character, and is actually a hidden powerhouse.
Mickey
I enjoy Mickey not necessarily for his combat, but his high jump is great.
Fear
I thought Anger was going to be my favorite from the Inside Out Play Set, but Fear is great. He is fast and his color commentary is hilarious.
Ezra
I love his combination lightsaber/ gun combination attacking. Best of the Rebels, for sure.
Yoda
Jedi Master and kick ass in combat. Can’t wait to level him up more to see how powerful he really is.
I do have a few honorable mentions…
Sabine
Probably the best of the ranged attack figures. If she had Force powers, that would have put her in the Top 5.
Han Solo
One of my favorite characters in the Original Trilogy is a fun addition to 3.0
Anger
He’s Anger… my Pixar doppelganger… yup.
Sadness
Sadness is so cute… I love her crying jump.
Well, there you have it… my two week review of Disney Infinity 3.0. I am so looking forward to what lies ahead in the rest of the Play Sets, inside the main part of the Toy Box, and beyond. Like Disney Infinity states… the possibilities are infinite.
Special thanks to John Vignocchi and the entire team at Disney Infinity for all of the great content not just inside Disney Infinity 3.0, but throughout the summer with the different events and giveaways. The hype for 3.0 was trumped up to the extreme, and the game does not disappoint.
I am so looking forward to seeing the upcoming Rise of the Empire Play Set coming out later this month, and then heading to New York Comic Con to see a first look Marvel Battlegrounds Play Set. Who will I see there?