Disney Infinity 3.0? Isn't that the new Star Wars game? Well, no doubt that's a common misconception - but 3.0 will follow in the footsteps of its predecessors by delving deeply into the wider world of Disney characters, past and present, along with its Star Wars "main event".
Divided up into two sections, Disney Infinity 3.0 is a game of two halves - the construction focused, Minecraft style "toy boxes", and the more traditional "Play Set" co-op adventures. Launching alongside the game will be a number of such Play Sets as optional add-ons, taking in a wide variety of Disney properties beyond just Star Wars. In fact, one such set focuses on the recently released Pixar film, Inside Out.
The story of the movie focuses on the inner turmoil of a child as she is uprooted due to parental working commitments and placed in a new environment. It's a plot that tugs on the heart strings. Or at least it would if I had one. Following a similar sort of idea to the Beano classic comic strip the Numbskulls, just with a much higher budget, the film tells the tale of each of the main character's emotions, each represented by a humanoid character.
No prizes for guessing which emotion the guy on the right represents...
The play set, on the other hand, will set itself up slightly differently, still taking place take place inside the mind of the lead character, Riley Anderson, only this time focusing on Riley after she's accidentally seen a scary film just before bed - an event which, understandably, causes her nightmares. I remember 'accidentally' watching Poltergeist before bed as a young 'un, nightmares are almost inevitable. Her "emotions" then have to work together to gather the memories lost by the turmoil in her imagination before she wakes up!
As with all of the Disney Infinity Play Sets, the Inside Out set will play out in a familiar kind of way. Fully playable in two player co-op, it's a classic 3D style platforming experience, only set in the mind of a child. What that means in practice is clouds which vanish beneath the characters, ones that spit out lightning, musical platforms that need to be used to the beat, and gravity barriers capable of flipping over the whole game world. With plenty of bright colours, and an art style that actually meshes well with the film, it looks set to be the sort of big, colourful and above all familiar/approachable game you'd expect from Disney Interactive.
Two playable characters will come bundled with the Play Set - the energetic Joy, and the more relatable Anger, letting you play in co-op out of the box. As this is Disney Infinity, you'll also be able to buy figures for a whole range of other character, which when placed on the Disney Infinity base will become playable in the game, with each coming with their own unique move set to allow them to combat the nightmare beasts they encounter on their adventures through a child's mind:
- Joy can glide across gaps the others can't overcome.
- Fear is the fastest runner (due to adrenaline?). He can cross bridges and platforms before they collapse.
- Anger can cross beds of hot lava with ease. Because, you know, anger is all hot headed and red!
- Disgust bounces off clouds letting her jump higher than anyone.
- Sadness can travel on clouds without them fading beneath her.
All of course common abilities we all gain when feeling these emotions...
For now, there's just time to check out the debut trailer, and see which emotions you feel. Fear at how much your wallet will ache when the game comes out? Anger that they've bundled the rubbish trilogy in with the starter pack? Or perhaps Joy that another co-op adventure will be here soon. Why not let us know?
