Disney Infinity: Toy Box 2.0
Disney Infinity: Toy Box 2.0 gallery
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Disney Infinity: Toy Box 2.0 is an app tie-in with the popular console game Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes. There's some cartoon violence, including from characters you normally wouldn't see in fights, like Tinker Bell. It also has a heavy emphasis on in-app purchases. While it's aimed at kids, the app could end up costing parents money (or causing headaches) if their kids beg to be allowed to purchase characters and extras. A Disney account allows kids to communicate with friends and play with others.What kids can learn
The possibilities for exploration, the appealing visuals, and the opportunities for creativity will keep kids hooked.
Because kids can create, collaborate, and share, there are opportunities to strategize and work through a trial-and-error process. Kids will also use their imagination and analyze cause and effect when they build and use their creations.
On-screen prompts follow characters throughout the game, helping players maneuver and learn strategy.
What's it about?
In DISNEY INFINITY: TOY BOX 2, players are encouraged to build and create whatever they can imagine using a wide selection of materials (terrain blocks, castles, race cars and tracks, etc.). Kids can also play some modest pre-made games (such as fetching items across a level or fighting enemies to save a nondescript princess). The controls vary slightly depending on the character you choose as your avatar, but ultimately, this is a game that encourages kids to make their own fun rather than telling them how they should play. Basic controls involve swiping in various directions, tapping, and using on-screen icons to maneuver your character. Levels can be transferred across platforms and brought into the console game.
Is it any good?
Disney Infinity: Toy Box 2.0 is, above all else, a HUGE game. If you don't have 4.4GB of free space on your phone or tablet, you won't even be able to load it. It's also designed to make you spend money. Players can "test out" characters for a few days on a rotating basis but will then have to pay to keep playing with them (assuming you don't have handy the Web code from the figurine you bought for the console version of the game). Wonky controls also compromise the experience.
The upside is that this is still a fun sandbox tool when you look past the commercialism and size. Kids can create areas to explore and let their imagination run wild. And since the game is optimized for Apple's Metal graphics platform, it looks great. Ultimately, though, it's best suited for people who are already power players of the console game and have the existing character collection, the available memory, and the patience to really make the most of the game.
Families can talk about...
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Families can talk about the differences between cartoon violence and real-world violence: What are the consequences of violence in the game? What would the consequences be in real life?
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Discuss your family's rules about in-app purchases before your kids play the game to set clear expectations and stave off begging.
App details
| Devices: | iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad |
| Price: | Free |
| Pricing structure: | Free |
| Release date: | January 29, 2015 |
| Category: | Action Games |
| Topics: | Princesses and fairies, Superheroes |
| Size: | 3891.20 MB |
| Publisher: | Disney |
| Version: | 1.1 |
| Minimum software requirements: | iOS 7.0 or later |
