E3 2015: We Use The Force And Get In Touch With Our Emotions In ‘Disney Infinity 3.0’

When I first played Disney Infinity in 2013, the idea that one game could contain so many different genres was far more ambitious than you would expect from a company that could sell games on name value alone. Each of its five Play Sets and the custom Toy Box mode that accompanied them went on to prove how vastly different characters, worlds and ideas could come together in one comprehensive package. Mechanics would only be improved upon in Disney Infinity 2.0, bringing Marvel’s finest super heroes into a more focused, much larger open world, with refinements made to the combat and creation modes. So where does 3.0 go from here? We sought to find out, so we took some time with the Star Wars and Inside Out sets to see what changes the new game has in store for all us toy collectors out there.

Starting with the Star Wars side of things, it’s clear that Disney is doing their best to create a compelling experience while taking a more lighthearted approach to a galaxy far, far away. While blaster combat with characters like Han and Leia is largely the same as past iterations, (essentially locking on and shooting with some character specific abilities thrown in,) Lightsaber combat is where the game looks to shine. Developed by Ninja Theory, the team behind such action titles as DmC: Devil May Cry, Enslaved, Odyssee to the West, and Heavenly Sword, some of the actions were instantly recognizable. Taking bits of what they included from their past works, melee combat was much more focused this time, allowing the Jedi to combo enemies, launch them in the air, or throw in Force Powers to manipulate the space around their enemies. When it came down to the boss fight against General Grievous, there was never a moment where I felt like I had too few options to take him down.

Considering the steps the combat is taking towards a more focused, refined standard, 3.0 still hopes to keep its playful side intact. Exploring Endor with Darth Vader riding a Speeder Bike looks as ridiculous as it sounds, and the Battle of Hoth is a whole new experience when you have to take down AT-AT’s with Han Solo’s fists. Speaking of Hoth, one of the more interesting aspects of the demo was how tying up their legs was handled. Unlike any Star Wars game I’ve played, speed and height played a role in whether or not tripping it was successful. Fly to fast or too slow, or become misaligned with its moving joints, and your cord will break off, adding more depth to a battle we’ve played many times in the past. Of course, this leads to climbing it and breaking its weak points with your fists, but it wouldn’t be a Toys to Life game if it wasn’t silly.

Moving over to the Inside Out Play Set, playing with our emotions takes a more puzzle/platform approach to the game as opposed to the aggressive nature of the Star Wars stages. Playing as Joy, Anger, Sadness, Disgust and Fear, each character has specific traits used to navigate the stages, presented as both 2D and 3D stages. For example, Joy can float a’la Princess Peach to reach farther away areas, while Anger can walk through fire without taking damange. Often being presented with light puzzle elements that required delivering orbs to the right doors, this set came off as what you would expect from your typical licensed game. Well designed, but nothing ground breaking, the switch between perspectives and the puzzles added some variety, but these sections are obviously designed with young kids in mind. And trust me, they’ll want all the merchandise they can get once these toys and games start hitting shelves. They just look too nice to resist!

With these two sets, I felt like I was getting a drastically different experience, moreso than in 2.0 and its Play Sets. From what we’ve seen so far, 3.0 is on track to advancing the original concept even further by bringing something for everyone with its final package. Promsing even more accessible Toy Box tools, stand alone Toy Box game modes, more unannounced Play Sets and more to experience in the stages we got to demo, and it’s safe to say that 3.0 will be bigger than ever, with the potential to be even better.