In October, ‘Disney Universe’ was brought out by Disney Interactive and gave a whole new meaning to the Disney world that we know. Playing as different characters from the much loved films, through different worlds you are able to take on the roles by “suiting up”. Be it playing these characters in their own worlds, or in others this is a fun and exciting game suitable for those of various ages.
There are 6 levels in total to play through, each having 3 sub levels and in those 3 more levels to complete. During these levels the main objective is to perform various task or complete “puzzles” (such as; fixing objects, finding items to place in set areas for paths to become available, fight enemies and much more) to progress to the portal which sends you to the next part of the sub-level. So for example, you may need to find the other part of the cannon to allow you to shoot targets which will open up a path for you. If however, you are finishing the sub world, the objective is to progress through in the same way but this time to save a friend by defeating a boss. There is an option to have hints on, which will help to guide you on your journey, showing you what needs to be completed before you can advance. If you feel that you would like a bit of a challenge these hints can be turned off in the settings menu.
As well as playing though the levels there are a variety of collectibles for you to find, this will help you on your way to unlock new items:
- Disney tokens (coins); these coins are golden as well as in the shape of Mickey Mouse’s head and are found right the way through the levels. Collecting said coins goes towards your level total and can be used to unlock new levels (only one world is available at the start after that you must unlock them) or unlock new character costumes. There are so many coins to be found be them laying in plain sight, hidden in the surrounding areas (be sure to try and hit everything you see) or by killing enemies.
- World collectables; depending on which world you are in depends upon what the collectable looks like, for example; Pirates of the Caribbean has bottled ships and Alice in Wonderland has ‘Drink Me’ bottles. Collecting these items unlocks new Disney art, characters or music. Some of these items are harder to find than most but all in all adds to the fun.
- Blue stars; these level up your current character and are found in chests throughout the levels, each time you level up your weapon changes and becomes more powerful against enemies.
Controls:
- X – Fight enemies
- A – Jump
- Double tap A – Double jump
- Y – Pick up/hold objects
- A+A+X – Smash ground
- Hold X – Slash up
- Analogue stick – move
During the game you are guided by VIC (Virtual Information Cube) he takes the form of a blue cube and at times provides you with power ups (small blue cubes), each hold special abilities such as freezing enemies, stunning them, throwing bees at them, etc. There is also an evil side to VIC called Hex, who is the cause of the worlds going wrong. As well as making you fight enemies he puts curses around the worlds to make things that little bit more difficult. As well as this he also gives you the option to play some small mini games called challenges, these are optional but help to build up your overall score. Some of the mini games include using the power ups to defeat a certain amount of enemies in a given time, or running through check-points, etc.
Playlists allow you to choose sections of levels to replay by sifting through each areas compilation and selecting the ones you wish to play. You can choose multiple levels and they don’t all have to be from the same area, e.g. you can choose some from Monsters Inc and some from Pirates of the Caribbean, etc.
One of the most enjoyable parts of the game is multiplayer, working with friends to complete levels in a much more fun environment. Not only can you work together but you can also fight each other and compete to be the number one player for the level. A little added extra in this mode are curses, these are red cubes that follow you around and once they catch you the only thing you can do is pass them onto fellow team mates, there is no other way of escaping them unless you can out run them or pass them on in time.At the end of each level you are graded on how well you do by number of kills, coins collected, deaths, number of stars collected, total number of challenges won, etc. The better you do throughout the level the higher grade you will achieve; gold, silver, bronze. This is a lot more interesting when playing with friends, as there are people to compete against.
Game play
It was really easy to grasp the game and navigate my way around. After the first level I was able to turn off the hints and give myself a bit more of a challenge which added to the fun. Playing as part of the Disney world was extremely amusing, being able to “suit up” only added to the pleasure of the game itself.
Graphics
The levels were colourful and I personally think that they were very appealing to the eye, defiantly attractive for the players.
Sound
The music and sounds were quite amusing to say the least; they fit the game extremely well keeping up the atmosphere of the game itself.
Comments
I really enjoyed playing this game; it was like LEGO meeting Little Big Planet, but so much more fun as I was able to play with friends. I am a huge Disney fan and when I heard about this game I was extremely excited and now having played it I am still excited to go and play more. I can see this game having a lot of downloadable content, there are so many more worlds that they could include.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
