Further Details on AT-AT Fighting, Choosing A Side, And Space Battles For Disney Infinity 3.0

Disney Infinity 3.0 is going to create an experience, that has up to this point, never been possible in a Star Wars game. AT-ATs can finally turn:

It may sound like an insignificant bullet point, but there’s a large system in place that allows the robotic creatures to move realistically, and not just in a straight line. Technical director Jim Callen explained the surprisingly in-depth process to us saying, “Broadly speaking, you actually physically model a character, making joints which have weight and a constraint around them on how far they can move. Then you work out how much force you would need to apply down a particular leg to make the body stand up.” This means AT-ATs and AT-STs can correct themselves and turn when walking over any terrain. If an AT-ST or AT-AT gets rocked and almost falls over, for example, it can adjust its balance and recover.

To defeat an AT-AT, you do have several options at your disposal:

Technical prowess is fantastic, but battling the AT-AT goes deeper than just marveling at its physics. While showing us how to defeat an AT-AT, game and art director Mike Thompson demonstrated a few different ways to take down the lumbering vehicles. You can tie them up with a tow rope in a Snowspeeder, take them out piece by piece by climbing their legs in a battle inspired by Shadow of the Colossus, or, take control of them yourself. Thompson landed a Snowspeeder on top of the AT-AT and broke apart its back to reveal a giant controller with buttons to stand on to direct its movement and fire its weapons. After pointing the AT-AT in a few different directions, Thompson surprised us by removing the controller from the AT-AT’s back and carrying it far enough away where he had full view of the walking tank. He dropped the controls on the ground and started controlling the AT-AT remotely by standing on the buttons, just as he had before.

Disney Infinity 3.0 will allow you to somewhat choose your own side and either keep peace or wreck havoc:

After riding the Bantha on the roofs, Luke (still on top of his Bantha) rode into the iconic Cantina and started knocking over tables and anything not bolted down. Thompson says these levels are designed to be open to allow players to do whatever they want in the context of a Star Wars world. You can approach the world seriously, tackling the missions and keeping the peace, but if you want to explore Luke’s Dark side (or anyone’s dark chaotic side, for that matter), you are more than welcome to do so.

Thankfully not all the space battles in Disney Infinity 3.0 will be ‘set on rails’, meaning you will have free range and control over your space vehicle:

Not all of the space battles will be on rails à la Star Fox, but the ones you would expect to be are, specifically the two Death Star battles. The other non-rail battles and flying around open space, feel like all-range-mode from Star Fox 64 – which is a compliment. Dedicated inputs make you do loop de loops and 180 degree turns and the bumpers on the controller let you lean tightly into turns.

Be sure to read the entire coverage over at Game Informer!

Remember to get your entries in to win a copy of Disney Infinity 3.0! You can enter each day in the month of May!

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