Anyone who knows me knows of my strong affinity for Phineas and Ferb. So when I heard that Disney would be releasing Phineas and Perry characters for the Disney Infinity game there was no question that I needed to add them to my collection! For those not familiar with the Phineas and Ferb franchise, it all began in 2008 during the Phineas and Ferb-uary month-long promotion. This was the first time Disney Channel watchers were introduced to the dynamic duo from Danville. The premise is rather simple but lends itself to lots of outlandish fun. Step brothers Phineas and Ferb Flynn-Fletcher are in pursuit of the best summer ever by making everyday count. The boys create fantastical, “bustable” inventions that drive their older sister Candace crazy. But who is Perry? Well… Perry is the boy’s mild mannered pet platypus who’s secret identity as an animal secret agent keeps him busy thwarting the evil plans of his arch nemesis Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz.
It wasn’t long until this break-out hit permeated all ares of Disney fandom and culture. Fans of all ages can meet Phineas and Ferb in Walt Disney World, defeat Dr. Doofenshmirtz as Perry in social media games, and now gamers can explore the hometown of Danville with Disney Infinity. The newest characters released for Disney Infinity can be purchased as a pack for $29.99. The pack includes Phineas, Perry, and two power-discs – Danville Skydome and Danville Texture Set. I do have to say that initially I was very disappointed that these characters did not have a play set. Given the circumstances in the cartoon series, there is so much rich content that could have been utilized to further the fun. I hope that eventually a play set is created for these characters so that we, the gamers, can interact with the many people who populate the world of Danville. But, this pack still has much to offer in fun and re-playability.
Before discussing Phineas and Perry, let’s set the proper Danville environment. By placing the two hexagonal power-discs on the Infinity power base, the toy box magically transforms into the Tri-State Area we all know and love from the cartoon series. I truly feel that the designers nailed the graphics; the colors are vibrant, the Flynn-Fletcher boy’s “Best Roller Coaster Ever” and Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s tall purple building grace the horizon, and the green grass is broken up by cartoon style triangles; a hallmark design element in the Phineas and Ferb series. However, my favorite aspect of the power-discs is the music! The background music is a wonderful compilation of popular Phineas and Ferb songs. After all, what would the series be without the jaunty, sometimes satirical musical numbers. (Love Handle anyone?) My only criticism in regards to the theme setting power-discs is that the Danville toy box looks so inviting that I wish I could explore!
Now that the mood is set, it’s onto the characters! As stated previously, the pack contains both Phineas and Perry. Both characters are equipped with their own unique gadgets and voices inside the gaming world. Phineas is ready for anything with his baseball launching baseball mit, an invention directly from Phineas and Ferb. As for Perry, his accurate flinging fedora prove effective against the toughest of villains. The animation of the characters and the inventiveness of their gadgets is a true success. Like the other characters for Disney Infinity, Phineas will often say a few of his better know phrases while Perry, true to character, entertains gamers with his signature platypus sound (would you describe it as a growl, crackling, or purr?).
I recommend taking the time to enjoy the Danville toy box and the characters before delving into their individual adventures. Take a moment to listen to the background music, designs some obstacles for your characters to interact with, and truly appreciate the intricate design work that led up to Disney Infinity’s newest additions.
Moving to the figures themselves, I’m glad to say that both Phineas and Perry have inspired, imaginative, and fun character adventures that will keep you coming back for more! Let’s first examine Phineas. Taking a cue from his favorite hobby, this particular adventure is all about using your imagination and building skills. The main mission is to not allow the maniacal machines (evil robots from The Incredibles) to pass a line. Sounds boring, right? Wrong! The way in which you are to achieve this is incredibly clever. The board is set up as a basic pinball platform, you are given about two minutes to build and improve upon the basic design! You can add extra flippers, bumpers, and a whole host of other goodies to make it more difficult for the robots to break the barrier. Once the clock has counted down, the robots strike and you are in charge of the pinballs. The goal is to utilize your strategic building skills and pinball directional ability to bash into the machines and destroy them.
At first, I wasn’t very sure what I was doing! But once all the pieces clicked into place, I had a blast! Phineas’ adventure has a very high level of re-playability, every time you play it will be a little different. It was easy to figure out how to select and place pin ball pieces and the gamer is given just enough time as not to feel rushed. Once the robots attack, directing the pinballs was rather fluid and easy. I did not feel like I was “fighting” with the game to get the pinballs where I wanted them to go. I found that this adventure was not overly challenging or frustrating. A nice feature as it offers a great opportunity to gain sparks and spins. For the Disney Infinity player who loves to build in the Toy Box, this adventure is right up your alley!
Phineas – DISNEY INFINITY Character on Disney Video
Perry’s adventure pits you against the evil Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz in a race to collect items. However, Perry’s been his with Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s Infinity-inator causing Perry (and the player) to be transported into a variety of video games. Like the other “collection” mini-games found throughout Disney Infinity, you are attempting to collect oversized red circles/balls with the Disney Infinity logo in the center. Sounds a bit repetitive? Again, just like Phineas’ game, things are not always what they seem! The element of Perry “switching” video games is truly imaginative and keeps the adventure from becoming boring and predictable. Perry is transported to four different style games, each with it’s own unique challenging aspect.
Perry’s adventure is by far my absolute favorite out of all the original Disney Infinity characters. There’s so much to love, besides the fact that it’s Perry – the plot, the clever 80’s video game references, length of challenge, and various terrains. Perry’s adventure is not very frustrating. It does take one or two play-throughs to figure out a good strategy for a few of the games Perry is transported into, but that is part of the fun! This adventure will test your strategic thinking, timing, sneakiness, and flying ability.
Taking into consideration all that these characters have to offer, I feel they are some of the best thought out and designed stand alone (not being connected to a playset) Disney Infinity characters. It’s exciting to see this level of consideration as we move towards the upcoming release of Disney Infinity 2.0!