Disney Infinity Explained

Disney Infinity is an ambitious project for Disney Interactive, the video game arm of the family friendly mega corporation has struggled for years in their respective arena. Producing creatively bankrupt tie-ins for their big hit films for the majority of their existance. But Disney Infinity hopes to turn things around with a fully realized digital toy box. Taking the initial premise of Activision's "Toys to Life" Skylanders, Disney Infinity fleshes out that core concept into a much more engaging and feature rich video game. An initial purchase will require the Starter Pack which includes the USB base that all of the figures will interact with, a Playset (property specific campaigns) featuring Monster's University, Pirates of the Caribbean and The Incredibles as well as 3 characters for each of the included campaigns: Sully, Jack Sparrow and Mr. Incredible being the chosen headliners. There is also a random Power Disc (which unlocks character buffs or world re-skins) included to get the obsessive collector juices following. For those who do not wish to read

With the Starter Pack (74.99 MSRP) you can enjoy the full Disney Infinity experience, no additional purchases necessary. Each of the included campaigns are long enough that you will have gotten more than your moneys worth upon their completion. There are a few limitations prospective purchasers should be aware of, such as the fact that additional characters are needed for local co-op, an egregious omission for a product ostensible aimed to children as playing with siblings, parents or friends requires a heftier investment. The reason for the additional purchase is because each campaign can only be accessed by characters from that property as designing a Pirates of the Caribbean world accessible to anthropomorphic cars would present a significant design challenge. And there is only one character per world in the Starter Pack. That said, each campaign is incredibly in-depth and feels as well produced as any full priced retail game on the market. All campaigns are open world games, dolling out missions and leveling up specific characters similarly to an MMO. It will take most people around 5-8 hours to complete each play set and the varied game play introduced in each means the experience never gets monotonous, an important facet in any children's game.

The secondary mode where all the characters can interact is the world editor dubbed Toy Box. A blank canvas in which players can shape the world however they see fit, with near limitless possibilities. Slap together a quick race track and challenge the AI or friends. Summon Pride Rock and reenact the opening to The Lion King it's an open ended mode that requires creativity but not extraneous skill. The Toy Box includes elements from each of the play sets along with tons of classic Disney monuments like Cinderella's castle and other recognizable imagery from the decades of Disney history for you to decorate your world with. The Toy Box combines simple to use creation tools with simplified logic routines to allow for elaborate player created arenas, that give the player complete freedom. I'm shocked at how quickly I was able to make a functioning albeit simplified football match and an elaborate loop heavy race track. It seems a little daunting for the younger audience but the ability to download other players created levels means you can simply sit back and enjoy other peoples creations.

Available for purchase along with the Starter Pack are individual character figures retailing for 12.99 MSRP, additional play sets for Cars and The Lone Ranger for 34.99 MSRP and Power Disc Packs for 5.99 MSRP. The Individual figures are largely unnecessary as any included character will allow you to complete their respective campaigns but the separate figures do have unique powers and can access certain areas of the game inaccessible by anyone else. Each play set includes an additional 5-8 hour open world campaign for the given property as well as two characters from that universe to use in said campaign and Toy Box. And finally the most insidious of all, the Power Disc Pack, a blind pack of two discs that can add buffs to any character or change the aesthetics of the world (sky box and stylings of the ground, trees, etc).

Disney Infinity has a hefty price, especially when you consider how many unnecessary toys every kid will undoubtedly want. But it should be thought of as more of an investment as Disney Interactive will likely support this game for as long as it receives its all but assured profitability. But real solace can be taken in the simple fact that the game itself is one of the most imaginative and polished video games geared to young children available. I hope this quick overview of Disney Infinity was helpful and/or informative, I intended to have a review up as soon as I can but expect it to be a few weeks as other games have my attention at the moment, but rest assured Disney Infinity has left a strong positive impression and one I will embellish upon at a later date.