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Disney Universe Review: Should You Invest?

Disney Universe Review: Should You Invest?

Disney Universe was developed by Eurocom for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360. It is an action-adventure co-op video game based on Disney’s traditional and contemporary movies. Disney has a huge library of properties. I don’t care who you are; if you were born in this century, you’ve known and loved a Disney movie. However, despite all the amazing properties that Disney owns and the billions of lives they touch around the world, Disney hasn’t exactly leveraged this power in the world of video games.

Storyline of Disney Universe

Disney Universe
Dress at favored Disney characters.

Disney Universe has a simple premise. You play as little blue creatures who like to dress up as their favorite Disney characters and borrow their powers, which is a great way to literally step in the shoes of your favorite Disney character. What kid or adult alive hasn’t imagined themselves at one point as a character from a Disney movie. Whether it’s a free-spirited pirate from the Pirates of the Caribbean series or one of Disney’s signature villains.

And no matter what kind of character the player empathizes with, Disney Universe has a suit for them. There are characters from the aforementioned Pirates of the Caribbean, Aladdin, The Lion King, Monsters Inc., Wall-E, TRON and more. The game even features suits from “classic” Disney characters like Mickey, Donald and Goofy. And if that’s not enough, Disney has announced that there will be quite a bit of DLC support for this game in the future, which includes multiple character packs from even more Disney franchises.

Interactive Gaming in Disney Universe

Disney Universe screenshot
Have fun with friends as you solve problems.

Let’s talk about actual gameplay. Levels in the game are sorted by movie franchise, and players will have to complete a number of sequences within each level to move forward. The levels in the game correspond nicely with character suits, and players will be able to play through the worlds of Alice in Wonderland (2010), Monsters Inc., and Pirates of the Caribbean, just to name a few. Each level tasks players with solving puzzles, building items, and defeating as many enemies as possible. Actually, playing through the levels is fairly simple, as the game has a persistent arrow that shows you exactly what you need to do to proceed. In this way, Disney Universe is a little bit disappointing, as you don’t exactly have to think in order to solve the puzzles. 

Challenge Accepted

Disney universe
Stay alert some challenges may catch you off guard.

The game does give players some challenges in the form of smart enemies. As you build structures, pull switches and use items, enemies in the game will actively work against the character to try to trip them up. If the user is playing the game solo, this can be a huge issue, as running around after nefarious characters can make progress slow. But if the player is playing Disney Universe co-op, distributing the labor between dispatching enemies and solving puzzles makes the game much more enjoyable.

Although the base game only comes with six worlds, there is quite a bit of meat to each one, and users can bank on spending an hour or more within each game’s world. And the game puts several replay stipulations in place for unlocking all the characters. Even if gamers aren’t a big replay enthusiast, chances are they won’t mind going through these levels again, as the simplistic platforming really lends itself to playing and replaying with family and friends.

Last Thoughts

Visually, Disney Universe has some great style. Nothing is represented exactly from the movies, which gives the game a sense of freshness. The suit design is incredibly detailed for each character, and every costume from Jack Sparrow to Jafar is presented with meticulous detail. The worlds are also very detailed, with tons of enemies running at the player and plenty of things to interact with. Level design is impeccably done, and players will never get bored exploring the Disney Universe.

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