Disney Infinity Review
![[Image: infinity_081613_1600.jpg]](http://oyster.ignimgs.com/wordpress/stg.ign.com/2013/08/infinity_081613_1600.jpg)
Full imagination and charm, Disney Infinity really brings your toys to life.
Disney Infinity attempts something really ambitious: translating the principles of the childlike way in which we play with toys into a video game. And so it lets you build whole new worlds where logic is an infrequent guest, and then gives you the power to knock them down and start again. It wants you to go on new adventures with the toys you own, but it also wants you to reenact the scenes that made you fall in love with them in the first place. It’s crammed with creativity and variety, and I think, above all, it just wants to make you smile. And it succeeds, time and time again.
Infinity is neatly divided into two complementary parts: the Play Sets and the Toy Box. Again, it’s all structured around how we think of toys as kids, or at least how I did. The Play Sets are mission-based adventures – the closest Infinity has to a straightforward campaign – and each take place exclusively within a single Disney movie setting. When inside a Monster’s University Play Set, don’t expect to see Jack Sparrow sauntering across the manicured campus lawns. Those kinds of lawless mash-ups are reserved for the Toy Box, a level-editor where you’re free to create your own adventures.
![[Image: packaging-en-gb-eff84b4c5c01ae60b6013ef089151954.png]](https://cdn.infinity.disneyis.com/infinitycdn/web/mr3/assets/images/buy/packaging-en-gb-eff84b4c5c01ae60b6013ef089151954.png)
And that’s the key to really appreciating the magic of Disney Infinity: you don’t play as Jack Sparrow; you play as the toy version of Jack Sparrow that comes in the box (he still has the boozy pirate’s wayward swagger, of course). And that toy comes to life and is transported into the game the moment you place it down on the Infinity Base, a peripheral that plugs directly into your console.
The toys themselves are well-made statues; they’re not poseable, but each one really captures the personality of that character with a charismatic stance. The toys have their own unique style that sparked desire in my inner Disney fan. It’s a good thing, too, because Disney Infinity is really all about celebrating the wonder of toys, and that concept is really sold through some lovely deft touches. For instance, Jack’s just a tad too short to see clearly over the helm of the Black Pearl; the robots you fight as Mr. Incredible have visible battery slots; and or when you “die” you break apart like a neglected plaything. These really are toys that have come to life.
The Starter Pack comes with three Play Sets, one for each of the three characters included: Jack Sparrow, Sully, and Mr. Incredible. Sadly, there’s no place for classics like Donald Duck, Snow White, or Peter Pan as a fully playable character. Classics still appear – Mickey welcomes you at the beginning (and has now been confirmed as an additional character) – but Infinity is definitely pitched more at a contemporary audience.
My biggest fear going into Infinity was that each of the Play Sets would be very similar, differing in largely superficial ways. I was very wrong. Each Play Set really embraces its unique setting in a way that shows not only an abundance of imagination but also a canny respect for its source material.
![[Image: images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSc9WrZDUfqODwPIQPZVbW...NP7eDN_W3A]](https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSc9WrZDUfqODwPIQPZVbWsgqKcI8ZIzsSMKKcxwEOrNP7eDN_W3A)
Full imagination and charm, Disney Infinity really brings your toys to life.
Disney Infinity attempts something really ambitious: translating the principles of the childlike way in which we play with toys into a video game. And so it lets you build whole new worlds where logic is an infrequent guest, and then gives you the power to knock them down and start again. It wants you to go on new adventures with the toys you own, but it also wants you to reenact the scenes that made you fall in love with them in the first place. It’s crammed with creativity and variety, and I think, above all, it just wants to make you smile. And it succeeds, time and time again.
Infinity is neatly divided into two complementary parts: the Play Sets and the Toy Box. Again, it’s all structured around how we think of toys as kids, or at least how I did. The Play Sets are mission-based adventures – the closest Infinity has to a straightforward campaign – and each take place exclusively within a single Disney movie setting. When inside a Monster’s University Play Set, don’t expect to see Jack Sparrow sauntering across the manicured campus lawns. Those kinds of lawless mash-ups are reserved for the Toy Box, a level-editor where you’re free to create your own adventures.
And that’s the key to really appreciating the magic of Disney Infinity: you don’t play as Jack Sparrow; you play as the toy version of Jack Sparrow that comes in the box (he still has the boozy pirate’s wayward swagger, of course). And that toy comes to life and is transported into the game the moment you place it down on the Infinity Base, a peripheral that plugs directly into your console.
The toys themselves are well-made statues; they’re not poseable, but each one really captures the personality of that character with a charismatic stance. The toys have their own unique style that sparked desire in my inner Disney fan. It’s a good thing, too, because Disney Infinity is really all about celebrating the wonder of toys, and that concept is really sold through some lovely deft touches. For instance, Jack’s just a tad too short to see clearly over the helm of the Black Pearl; the robots you fight as Mr. Incredible have visible battery slots; and or when you “die” you break apart like a neglected plaything. These really are toys that have come to life.
The Starter Pack comes with three Play Sets, one for each of the three characters included: Jack Sparrow, Sully, and Mr. Incredible. Sadly, there’s no place for classics like Donald Duck, Snow White, or Peter Pan as a fully playable character. Classics still appear – Mickey welcomes you at the beginning (and has now been confirmed as an additional character) – but Infinity is definitely pitched more at a contemporary audience.
My biggest fear going into Infinity was that each of the Play Sets would be very similar, differing in largely superficial ways. I was very wrong. Each Play Set really embraces its unique setting in a way that shows not only an abundance of imagination but also a canny respect for its source material.