Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition: Star Wars: The Force Awakens Play Set Review

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With Star Wars: The Force Awakens having now broken worldwide box office records to become the fastest movie to reach $1 billion (£672 million), Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition presents the only way that fans can relive the space opera in all its galactic glory. At least, until it’s out on Blu-ray.

The Star Wars: The Force Awakens Play Set is the third expansion to release for the latest iteration in Disney Interactive’s yearly toys-to-life escapade, and loosely traces the events penned for J.J. Abrams successful reinvigoration of what has always been a widely adored universe.

The birth of a new trilogy brings with it a new character ensemble, and each is treated to their own Disney Infinity figure. Finn, Rey, Poe Dameron and Kylo Ren easily amount to the Star Wars: The Force Awakens Play Set’s greatest success, with careful consideration having been taken in approaching how each character plays.

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Rey is equipped with her staff and the blaster pistol gifted to her by Han Solo, whereas Finn comes armed with a powerful blaster rifle and opts for fisticuffs in close combat. Meanwhile, Poe Dameron swaps his proficiency in aerial combat for blaster master gunplay, and Kylo Ren, as expected, unleashes his anger through furious lightsaber flourishes.

It is their special abilities that leverage more of their associated characters, Rey’s acrobatic talent being put to use by planting her staff in the ground and leap kicking a chosen target, while Finn’s is a little less inventive in drawing on his Storm Trooper training to unleash a hail of blaster rifle fire. Poe Dameron can summon BB-8, the spherical droid that deservedly steals the spotlight in the movie, acting as a decoy to distract enemies, and Kylo Ren’s special ability sees the First Order enforcer freeze his enemies in place before mercilessly cutting them down.

These new characters compliment Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition’s accumulated assortment well, and are compatible with the Rise Against The Empire Play Set, Twilight Of The Republic Play Set (as long as players collect their respective crossover Star Wars Champion Coin pieces) and Toy Box 3.0.

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As a companion piece to the movie, it is clear that the developer was largely left in the dark about key plot points. We start with Finn and Poe’s TIE Fighter escape, shift to Jakku and then end up on Han’s Freighter after a hair-raising escape in the Millennium Falcon. The action then moves to the Takodana System, before the Play Set comes to a somewhat flimsy finale on Starkiller Base.

The Star Wars: The Force Awakens Play Set’s new trick plays on Rey’s history as a scavenger, searching through junk piles for any valuable salvage. This can then be used to repair ledges and pipes, letting players search previously inaccessible areas. It also acts as currency, necessary to pay your way to escape Jakku but more as a method to encourage the player to delve into plentiful side quests.

Despite intricately recreated buildings and vehicles, Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition’s performance still suffers on Wii U. Textures look particularly low end and the frame rate can prove inconsistent, which are issues that similarly plagued past iterations. Whether it be multiplatform pressures, it’s a shame to see a game that sports such a minimalist style carry such a scruffy appearance.

The Star Wars: The Force Awakens Play Set retreads old ground, which won’t be a significant criticism for those that have enjoyed the hours spent in other accompanying Play Sets. But, in the rush to make sure that this was out to coincide with the movie, we’re left to wonder whether it would have been worth holding back to pad it out more. Character implementation is a resounding success, but the Play Set’s content disappoints in execution.

Version Tested: Wii U
Review copy provided by Disney Interactive

6/10
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