Disney’s John Vignocchi took part in a Q&A with Game Informer and shed light on many new aspects of 3.0, as well as the characters. Disney Infinity 3.0 looks to retain the charm and sheer fun of the franchise while also mixing up the gameplay for those who thought 2.0 was a tad repetitive.
What Is Infinity?
I want to begin by explaining what exactly Disney Infinity is, because until recently I had no idea. Essentially, it is an action/adventure sandbox. The game features various modes, including a story mode based on the figures that come with the game and a sandbox creation suite. So, you buy the game and whatever figures you have are the characters you can use in-game, some have story missions and others are just for the Toy Box.
The first two iterations of Disney Infinity have been huge successes, largely due to the super cute figures that you can buy and insert into the game. This toys-to-life formula has also paid off for Skylanders and Nintendo Amiibo. However, Disney has the most interesting roster of characters and, unlike Nintendo with Amiibo, there is a well-built sandbox for you to play with.
Amiibo only work with certain games and their functionality is very limited, whereas Disney Infinity is itself a game with a campaign and, more importantly, the ability to create and share your own Toy Box. So, basically, you can have Donald Duck and Star Lord partake in a drag race through Sugar Rush from Wreck-It Ralph.
And that’s just one of the many scenarios you can invent, and the reason Disney Infinity has the most potential as a world of amazing characters. You can do whatever you want, with whoever you want. But what is different about 3.0?
The Importance of 3.0
As mentioned earlier, 3.0 introduces some of the most sought after Disney characters to date, including Mickey Mouse. However, with all due respect to Mickey and the other new characters, it’s the Star Wars characters that have gotten everyone excited.
For context, the original Infinity released in 2013 and featured characters from Disney/Pixar movies, including Jack Sparrow, The Incredibles, Sulley and Mike, Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater, Jack Skellington, Buzz and Woody, and many more.
2.0 then released in 2014, which focused on Marvel characters; Spider-Man and his rogue’s gallery, The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy and Big Hero 6. Other additions to the roster included characters from Brave, Lilo & Stitch, Aladdin, Fantasia, Sleeping Beauty, and Peter Pan as well as Donald Duck.
The Marvel playset for 2.0 saw a new campaign as well, which involved all of The Avengers. The core gameplay was very fun, especially just using Iron Man to fly around New York, however the missions were repetitive. But ultimately the additions of Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, etc., then Spider-Man, Venom, Green Goblin, Star-Lord, Drax, Groot and more, have made the Toy Box much more fun.
So now 3.0 is really rounding out the roster with the Star Wars characters, as well as more from Marvel and some other Disney properties. All of the characters from previous versions of Infinity will work with 3.0, and be unlocked as you play the game, however they won’t have any new missions to partake in. That’s why the Toy Box will be getting further expansions, available for separate purchase.
What’s New?
If you own the Disney Infinity 2.0 base, you won’t need to purchase the 3.0 base (unless you are jumping from last-gen to current). You can go online to PSN or the Xbox Marketplace and download the 3.0 software, and then just purchase the figures as you see fit.
There will be 2 playsets available at launch: the Twilight of the Republic set, which includes Anakin Skywalker, Obi Wan Kanobi, Darth Maul and Ahsoka Tano figures, and the Inside Out play set, which includes the 5 emotions from the movie; Joy, Anger, Disgust, Sadness, and Fear. Following that there will be additional play sets, including the 2nd and 3rd Star Wars sets, Rise Against the Empire and The Force Awakens.
As well as the 4 figures you get with the Twilight of the Republic set, the game will also feature iconic Star Wars characters Han Solo, Yoda, Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Chewbacca, and Leia Organa.
Following the Star Wars and Inside Out play sets, there will be another Marvel set. This 2nd set will include Ultron and the awesome Hulkbuster from Avengers: Age of Ultron. The other sets will release later.
The Game
As was the case with 2.0, 3.0 introduces new gameplay mechanics and a new campaign. One of the most exciting new gameplay additions is that of space flight, for the Star Wars missions. For example, you may get a mission on Tatooine, fly off in the Millenium Falcon, and go from planet to planet at will. That is the open-ended aspect of the game, however there are flight-based missions in which you take part in battles in specific locales.
Another new gameplay element is that of farming. In the first 2 versions of the game, the primary modes of gameplay were fighting and driving, however, developer Avalanche has added a new farming simulator to freshen things up. You can harvest crops with other players and feed them the food you grow, which in turn gives them more experience. There’s a method behind the madness.
One very interesting thing behind the campaign of 3.0 is the mindset of the developers. Infinity 2.0 received some criticism for being repetitive and dull with its missions but in a podcast with Game Informer, John Vignocchi stated the team’s desire to make the game better and less repetitive. Vignocchi said they made sure to increase the variety of enemies, as well as their attack patterns and animations. And you will also be able to spike the difficulty, which makes it more challenging to adults.
The updated 3.0 engine means that using 1.0 or 2.0 characters will change how they fight. Jack Sparrow, for example, will wield his sword like a lightsabre now. That being said, no specific new moves have been added for older characters and the level cap will remain at 20. However Vignocchi said they are open to upgrading characters, going as far as to ask the Infinity community to vote on potential new abilities for characters.
On top of the new characters, missions, locations and farming, the Toy Box has been further developed and polished. Expansions for the Toy Box will be coming in future, which open up more gameplay avenues, though details are sparse as of writing.
To Infinity and Beyond
Disney Infinity 3.0 looks like a return to form for the series and, potentially, the most exciting yet. As the roster continues to be fleshed out and the sandbox ever expanded, Infinity is going from just another figure-based game, to a genuinely great experience. There is literally nowhere else that you can have Darth Vader team-up with Thor and Jack Sparrow to fend off pirates in the Magical Kingdom.
The Star Wars characters and new gameplay elements looks very exciting and exactly what fans want. And I don’t mean just Infinity fans. Good Star Wars games are few and far between but Infinity 3.0 looks set to change that. Quite simply, it looks like a ton of fun and definitely worth checking out.
For more on Disney Infinity 3.0, stay tuned to GameSkinny.
