Disney Infinity's foray into Star Wars catered largely to a younger demographic. Between its starter set delivering characters from the prequels and Clone Wars, and a full set of figures from the currently running Star Wars Rebels TV show, it only made sense that a game aimed at kids focused the bulk of its attention to match. As an older player who cut his teeth on the original trilogy, however, the Rise Against the Empire set is much more aligned with my interests. And fortunately, it also happens to be the better of the two Star Wars play sets so far.
This isn't the result of simple blind nostalgia. I won't deny that the characters and setting are immediately more appealing to me, but Empire holds an edge over Twilight of the Republic by virtue of variety. Thanks to the original filmmakers' eye for visual distinction, the main three settings (Tatooine, Hoth, and Endor) are extremely differentiated. The tasks in those stages have a greater variety too, and the major shifts in story are bookended by more in-depth space battles than we previously saw in the Republic set. That focus extends to the figures too--by including Luke and Leia as the starters, it avoids the problem of multiple lightsaber-wielders feeling too similar.
Even in some of Twilight of the Republic's open world settings, missions themselves were separate areas and the whole affair had a very gated feeling. Empire is more open by comparison, with its environments housing lots to do amid the familiar sights and sounds. I also enjoyed space battles much more in this set, especially with the addition of special sections focusing on tasks like evasion or protecting allies. It gives the whole battle a constantly-changing, frenetic feel.
It does come with some familiar open-world drawbacks, though, as the space between landmarks meant hoofing it between quest hubs. Plus, on two separate occasions it gates progress behind collecting in-game currency: first explicitly on Tatooine by locking travel to other worlds behind 2,000 credits, then more subtly on Hoth by making story mission progress reliant on constructing buildings. I had to hunt down a few extra sources of income, which slightly fractured the pacing. It didn't bother me overmuch, but it felt like deliberate padding.
As the set runs through the entirety of the original trilogy, it takes a few narrative shortcuts. Familiar scenes will take place in different settings, or with different characters, than they're portrayed in the films. It's severely abridged, but within that context does an excellent job of capturing the most iconic moments.
Rise Against the Empire is still very much a combat-oriented set. In my original review, I was critical of some legacy issues for these sets, and found myself having much more fun with the full-fledged platformer of the Inside Out set. Empire isn't showing off the engine's flexibility as much, and on the whole I still recommend Inside Out as the best set of the three. As Star Wars sets go, though, Empire is a wookie's head and shoulders above the Republic set. I'll be curious to see how the impending Force Awakens release builds on this groundwork.
This review is based on a retail PlayStation 4 retail playsets and figures provided by the publisher. Disney Infinity 3.0 is available in retail stores for $64.99. Extra figures are priced at $13.99, and Playset expansions are $34.99. The game is rated E-10+.
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