Game review: Disney Infinity 3.0 – Star Wars

Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi fight an army of clones in Disney Infinity 3.0: Star Wars. Disney Interactive via AP

Disney Infinity 3.0: Star Wars

Disney Interactive

PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U

Dh239

Four stars

If you don't know by now that a new Star Wars movie is coming out in December – and that it was partly filmed in Abu Dhabi last year – well, you must have been living in a galaxy far, far away for the past two years.

On Force Friday last week, stores around the world were invaded by more Lucasfilm-inspired action figures and toy spaceships than you can shake a lightsaber at.

Not surprisingly, there is also the obligatory videogame – Disney Infinity 3.0: Star Wars.

The Infinity franchise is Disney’s entry in the “toys-to-life” category, where you place little plastic figurines on a platform connected to your game console and the characters materialise on screen for you to control.

Infinity 3.0 includes two characters from The Clone Wars animated TV series – Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano – plus the Twilight of the Republic playset, an adventure that takes place between the prequel movies Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. If you're more a fan of the original trilogy – and who isn't – a Rise Against the Empire playset, featuring Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, is available separately for US$39.99 (Dh147).

Additional, individual Star Wars figurines, including Yoda and Han Solo, cost $13.99 each.

Infinity 3.0 is also the only video­game featuring characters and locations from the upcoming Episode VII: The Force Awakens. But if you are looking for plot spoilers, you are out of luck – The Episode VII playset will not be out until the movie is released.

Invest in the starter bundle, though, and you’ll find more than enough to keep you busy until then.

The Twilight campaign offers a lively tour of the universe, bouncing across familiar Star Wars planets, including Hoth and Tatooine, while providing some nerve-racking outer-­space dogfights in between.

The Infinity part of the title emerges in the Toy Box mode, which lets you create your own games and share them online.

Developer Avalanche Software has streamlined the once chaotic Toy Box, while opening up even more possibilities for the amateur game designer.

Disney has plenty of other franchises in the Infinity pipeline, including Pixar's Inside Out and less pricey Toy Box Expansion games that mix characters from Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm.

* Associated Press