Disney Infinity players will be able to stay connected to their characters through two new apps coming to mobile and tablet devices — Disney Infinity: Action! and Disney Infinity: Toy Box.
Both apps will function with the help of Disney ID, a unique login that uses cloud saves to make data easily accessible. Players will be able to log in from any device, whether it's console, mobile or tablet and play with their characters.
During a press event in San Francisco, we had the chance to go hands-on with both apps. Action! is a mobile app that lets players interact with their characters through touch controls. The app, free to download as of Aug. 15, will include Sully of Monsters, Inc. fame, The Incredibles' Mr. Incredible and Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean. More characters can be unlocked through their corresponding codes.
When we played with Sully, we could use different touch-based controls to make him play peek-a-boo or jump into a scary pose. Characters have different controls, too — a sideways swipe sends Jack Sparrow swaggering off to either side, while it has no effect on Sully. Users can also toss different props to their characters to play with, like a power disc from Tron, or purchase new actions for their characters with in-game coins.
The app's biggest feature, however, is the ability to record approximately 20-second clips with each character that incorporate them into our world. The demonstration included a short video from Disney Interactive, which featured Jack Sparrow, Sully and Mr. Incredible peeking around a real-life pillar. During our time with the app, we were able to record a clip from our table and then edit it to make Sully burst through a cartoon door. Once a video is completed, users will be able to save or upload their videos with YouTube, Facebook and email. Disney Infinity: Action! will be available through the iTunes and Windows app stores; an Android launch via Google Play is expected to follow.
"You're never truly far away from your Infinity experience."
The second app, Disney Infinity: Toy Box, will be released at a later date. This app is an extended version of the console-based mode — everything players do on a system, they can do on the iPad. That means creating worlds, dropping in monsters, adding characters and more with the help of more than 60 items. If the player wants to keep their new world, they need only save it to the cloud via their Disney ID. Toy Box data can then be passed from iPad to iPad, iPad to Xbox 360 and so on. The app functions through asynchronous play, meaning players will have to save their progress before jumping systems.
Players can dive into the Toy Box app without owning a console version of the game; it's also currently incompatible with the power discs used on consoles. While Disney Interactive hopes that players will try the free Toy Box app and get hooked, it has little doubt that players will want to experience the full version, executive producer John Vignocchi said.
"[The iPad has] a limited set of toys, but it's a satisfying set," Vignocchi said. "We've done a lot to pique interest in 'well let me turn the corner here and see what's over here on an Xbox or on a PlayStation or on a Wii U. We look at it as a potential window into the Infinity ecosystem the same way an Xbox or PlayStation 3 would be."
According to Vignocchi, Toy Box is simply a way for players to stay connected on the go.
"When you've got to jump in the car and take a car ride, you're never truly far away from your Infinity experience," Vignocchi said. "I think it's another opportunity with such a huge amount of people using iPads. It's a great new window for kids to get into the Infinity experience."
