Developer: Avalanche Software |
Publisher: Disney Interactive
Players: 1 to 2 Player Game |
Genre: Action/RPG

Release Date: Fall 2015

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there was a Toys to Life game that was caught up in a war against the evil Sith and the Empire. This struggle spanned over several playsets and brought the entire cast of Star Wars characters together. Other characters from the Disney universe also join in the fun like Inside Out, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and more!

Last year, Disney Infinity 2.0 came out and featured the exciting world of Marvel characters. It was a good game but the combat was still a bit messy in the action portions of the game. Mainly, I found it messy because of the higher level of difficulty required.  Since there are younger kids in my house, difficulty level is often a concern.  This year, in Disney Infinity 3.0, several developers are involved–including Ninja Theory. They are making the Twilight of the Republic playset so the action is sure to be fast and furious. 

During my Demo, I had a chance to jump in Twilight of the Republic and I played as Anakin Skywalker. I purposely began playing poorly and jumped to my death a few times to see what would happen. I was excited to see that the game brought up the message to lower the difficulty. This will be something that will keep my six year old happy playing the game because it will make things easier if needed.

Disney Infinity 3.0 can be a bit confusing to understand when you try to play it with older characters from previous releases. Even my PR representative, during my appointment at E3, had it wrong. He told me, when I asked, that you can take any previous playset from Disney Infinity 1.0 or 2.0 and play it in 3.0. I was super stoked and excited because this has not been previously allowed in the franchise. The topic came up again with one of the Producers and he corrected the statement. Unfortunately, Disney Infinity 3.0 requires that you play an older game in order to use old playsets. While the Toys themselves are compatible in the Toybox mode of Disney Infinity 3.0, the playsets are not. This is a big bummer, in my opinion, and needs to be resolved in a future update. There aren’t that many playsets they would have to support.

One area that wasn’t being shown off this year was the Toybox mode. Last year, Disney Interactive made a big deal about all of the changes and improvements to it.  From my brief time with one of the Producers, the Toybox mode has undergone some upgrades and it will be easier than ever for kids, and adults, to create their own levels. Since it wasn’t shown, I can’t comment on how well it is implemented or if it is truly easier.

The focus, this year, for Disney Infinity 3.0 was Star Wars, Star Wars, and more Star Wars. Two Star Wars playsets were predominately featured with an Inside Out playset in the middle. One strange decision was made this year regarding the Star Wars characters. No matter the character, any Star Wars character can play in any Star Wars playset. This means young Anakin Skywalker can run through the original trilogy while Luke Skywalker can play in the new trilogy. Now I will have to teach my six year old “no, you can’t mix and match the trilogy characters!”

Disney Infinity 3.0 currently has a Fall 2015 release date. A more specific release will be announced later. With how crowded the Toys to Life genre is getting, Star Wars should help make Disney Infinity 3.0 stand out amongst amiibo, Lego Dimensions, and Skylanders SuperChargers. I know I am personally looking forward to collecting all the Star Wars figures and fighting my six year old for playtime!

By Kaleb Rutherford – 06/27/15

Screenshots for Disney Infinity 3.0 First Look