As much enjoyment as I got from the first Disney Infinity, there’s something it was always missing — Star Wars. It’s still missing that. Maybe the 3.0 Edition we’ll have that. But what’s almost as good as Star Wars? Marvel. And Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes (2.0 Edition) is rich in that.
Disney Infinity 2.0 is an improvement over the original in many ways. Sure, there’s the graphical upgrade in the jump to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, but that’s not all. There’s so much more you can do, combat is infinitely better, there’s skill trees for each character (even legacy), and Toy Box 2.0 makes creating your worlds and adventures simplified. Unlike the first edition, which shipped with three Play Sets — Monster’s University, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Incredibles — 2.0 only ships with The Avengers Play Set. One would say that it’s a dramatic drop off in the amount of content that comes with the game, and one would be right. If you’re an adult, it’s hard to ignore that there’s a lot less Play Set content in the Starter Pack. The Avengers Play Set takes place in New York City, and has you completing missions for Nick Fury and others as Frost Giants attack the city under Loki’s orders.
The combat is fantastic, with a mix of ranged and melee attacks, some iconic super hero moves, special attacks and some of the most satisfying super hero movement powers I’ve ever experienced. It makes it one of the best super hero games I’ve played. Every character gets a skill tree (with paths to level up your super power, melee, ranged, flight and health), including 1.0 figures. Combat difficulty is also adjustable, which is a good thing for younger gamers considering the difficulty of some waves of enemies. The problem is that the missions and enemies are very repetitive, and there’s not enough boss fights. Comics are all about epic clashes between heroes and villains. The Avengers Playset only involves a fight with Loki and huge monster. The rest are the same three or four enemies over and over. The variety of the original game’s Play Sets certainly doesn’t present itself here.
But Disney Infinity isn’t just about an action Play Set. Every other single aspect of the game is improved. The Treasure Hunt, which is essentially the new intro, moved me to the point of goosebumps as you play as Aladdin, Stitch, Merida and others, hunting down the glowing orb. It reminded me of Mickey’s Philharmagic at Disney World, where Donald Duck is chasing after the sorcerer’s hat. That leads into Toy Box, where you can learn how to do everything you’ll need to know through a tutorial and beginning quests. Through those quests, you’ll build the starter Toy Box, and it makes for a nice little place to play around in, with a lot of variety.
Everything about the Toy Box is bigger and better. There’s more tools and toys than ever, and it’s all easier to access than before. Say goodbye to the randomness of unlocking items in 1.0, and say hello to an organized system of unlocking toys, items, logic sets and building blocks through trees that let you purchase what you want in a way that makes sense. The best part of it, in my opinion, are the builders you can place in the Toy Box that will procedurally generate castles, cities, tree houses and environment. It’s great if you want something quick to play in. There’s also pre-made games for you to play with, like a Smash Bros.-style game.
Another big addition, that I’ve been asking for since day one, are interiors. Now you can build full-fledged interior rooms and hallways, theme them with tons of walls and floors, and then decorate them with hundreds of items and furniture pieces, both Marvel and Disney. I have a Tangled-themed room with arcade games from Wreck-it Ralph, Cinderella’s glass slipper, and some Spider-Man newspapers. Then in your Toy Box, you can place a door to your Interior so you can access it.
The Toy Box can be anything you want it to be — that’s what makes it so great. Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes (2.0 Edition) isn’t about the Play Set. That’s such a small part of it. The real joy comes from this:
That’s my five-year-old son. He wasn’t even playing the game yet and he was thrilled to just play with the cool figurines. Spending some time after he finished his homework or on a lazy weekend afternoon playing around with him in Toy Box is some of the most enjoyable time I get in my busy life. We both love Disney and Marvel. This game allows us to make our own adventures. It allows us to battle villains to together. It allows us to race against each other on the most elaborate race track we can imagine. It allows us to build a tunnel system underground and fill it with whatever we like. It allows us to team up Star-Lord with Mickey Mouse and explore Cinderella’s castle which got taken over by bad guys. We can play hide-and-seek, have a paintball gun fight, or do his favorite thing: he tells me to stand where I am so he can pick up my character and throw him off the world or into water. And then he laughs and wants to do it again.
Disney Infinity 2.0 allows us to spend time together with not only each other, but with our favorite Disney and Marvel characters. That’s what makes this game special for us. Adults and kids with a creative mind that want to build their own worlds can appreciate it. It’s a solid action game, as well, even though a lot of people will play it and feel that it’s too generic or the Play Sets are weak. But I can’t hold the mundaneness of the Play Set against it because of everything it is beyond that. Play it if you have kids. Play it if you love Marvel and Disney. Play it if you’re creative. Play it if you want to feel like a kid again. Play it and have fun. That’s what it is — fun.
You can follow Lance Liebl on Twitter @Lance_GZ.
Reviewed on PlayStation 4.
Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes (2.0 Edition) was reviewed using a provided review copy and figures.
