US Edition 
Disney Universe review
Disney Universe is a fun, charming co-op adventure, writes Chris Schilling.
Format: PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii
Developer: Eurocom
Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
Age rating: PEGI 7+/ESRB E10+
Released: 28 October 2011
It’s perhaps a little too early to declare this a ‘golden age’ for kids’ games, but following Once Upon A Monster and the splendid Skylanders, Disney Universe is another sign that developers are finally starting to figure out how to entertain gamers under the age of 10, without alienating the parents that are likely to be playing along.
Perhaps it’s time to recognise TT Games’ contribution to raising the bar, because this isn’t the first game to follow the template laid out by the Lego titles. Disney Universe offers a similar blend of simple puzzles, basic but satisfying combat, and lots of things to smash into little pieces for shiny rewards. It also has dialogue-free slapstick story sequences and a focus on co-operative play – though here four can play rather than just two.
There’s something of LittleBigPlanet, too, about the avatars; cute, block-headed characters dressed in outfits resembling famous Disney characters, from old favourites like Mickey and Donald to Jack Sparrow and WALL-E. The idea is that they’re your conduit to safe exploration of simulated takes on Disney’s favourite worlds, a conceit borrowed from James Cameron’s Avatar. Unfortunately – or, rather, luckily, as it wouldn’t be much of a game otherwise – the simulation is invaded by an evil artificial intelligence that regularly clashes with your friendly AI host, depositing enemies into the fray and generally creating mischief.
Even this idea has been done before, most recently in the last Kingdom Hearts game on DS, but this gaming magpie blends these ‘borrowed’ elements well. The three levels in each world are fairly short but not insubstantial, brisk enough to prevent young minds wandering, but packed with secrets and minigames for more patient players. Movement is chunky and satisfying, and if combat mostly descends into button-mashing, it’s enlivened by the ability to smack your team-mates about a bit.
Power-ups range from a Medusa head that freezes enemies to a beehive whose hosts are only too happy to sting nearby enemies. And while the puzzles rarely ask you to do more than hit switches, pull levers and drag objects from one place to another, they’re sometimes combined in ways that might briefly bamboozle kids – at least, were it not for the arrows constantly pointing the way forward. Thankfully, they can be turned off - although it’s worth noting that the optional puzzles on each stage don’t have their solutions spelled out so patronisingly.
It’s unlikely that youngsters will be too impressed at the rewards for finding the three collectables on each stage – concept art and music isn’t much of an incentive – though most will find it worth hunting down the keys that unlock treasure chests, as the stars within level up each character, handing them an improved weapon that’s all the better to beat their friends or parents with.
Each area ends with the chance to rescue a new character and thus add a fresh costume to the wardrobe – though it’s a shame the differences between characters are merely cosmetic. Perhaps this was to ensure the game remained balanced for co-operative play, but as such the later unlockables are only likely to appeal to big Disney-Pixar fans who are desperate to play as Stitch, Nemo or Sully from Monsters Inc. With some costumes only available once a stage has been played through twice, the repetitive nature of the core game is exacerbated.
Yet there are enough clever ideas here to mitigate for its shallowness. You can set up a playlist of favourite stages rather than having to sit through three in a row from the same film, while the brief arcade challenges are intense bursts of concentrated play that are particularly joyous with a friend or three in tow. Whether you’re asked to kill 60 evil chickens or dodge falling fireballs, they bring the competitive element to the fore, the winner rewarded with a cash bonus that can be enough to earn gold once the stage is over. Even the loading screens are fun, with friendly tips subverted by the malevolent AI who encourages the kind of mayhem that kids both big and small will be only too happy to indulge in.