Buy Disney Infinity: 3DS | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360 | Wii U | Wii
"Wreck-It Ralph" and Disney Infinity seem like a perfect match. For some, it feels like Disney Infinity was created with the sole purpose of expanding on the idea introduced in the film. While both Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope made it into the game, they don't have their own adventure world. Worse yet, instead of being packaged together as a Toy Box set like the characters of "Frozen," they were sold individually, and each one was exclusive to specific retailers for about a month. Now that both characters are available everywhere, it's time to see if their treatment in the game was worthy.
Like the rest of the figures released so far, both Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope look great and sport lots of details to look as accurate as possible. This is especially true of Vanellope, whose hair has lots of sprinkles and candy bits; her hoodie and socks also have all of the little flaws. There is an issue with figure size, though it'd only be noticeable for those who are sticklers about scale. Ralph is the largest figure to date with a height that matches Mr. Incredible and a width that can only be matched by Sulley. That's fine, but Vanellope is an average height as far as her physical figure is concerned, making her as tall as Rapunzel and Jack Sparrow. Again, it's nothing drastic since the bigger size is appreciated, but it is odd to see her at a decent size when compared to Ralph.
In the game, both Ralph and Vanellope share the same attacks, but each has a different spin. Their melee attack is a charge that sends them forward toward their enemies. Ralph does so while moving his fists like a jackhammer and Vanellope dashes forward in full glitch mode, which is rendered perfectly as she experiences blockiness and color switches. Their projectile attack is a cherry bomb and, again, there are a few differences between them. Ralph's bomb creates a 16-bit explosion when it detonates while Vanellope's bomb produces more cherry-colored smoke. What makes both characters stand out are their lines and delivery. Ralph may not be voiced by John C. Reilly this time around, but the sound-alike actor delivers the lines well and has the dry, observant wit to match. Vanellope is voiced by Sarah Silverman, whose lines and delivery really push forward the spunk and sassiness of the character without becoming annoying.
As far as the challenge levels are concerned, they fit the characters perfectly — and that can only be said for a few of the figures thus far. Wreck-It Ralph has a collection mission that uses a classic side-scrolling perspective. It also has a level that ascends similar to Donkey Kong, except you have to destroy obstacles in your way to uncover collectibles and open pathways to the next part of the level. Once you reach the top, it's a battle against Zergbots to get the rest of the collectibles. The stage is quite fun, and the basic mechanics of classic platforming are all there. The aesthetics are also spot-on, using the Wreck-It Ralph machine backdrop to full effect and including a full 8-bit soundtrack for the stage. It's a stage that you'll play over and over again.
Vanellope's challenge feels like it came from another game entirely. True to her game in the movie, her challenge level has you in a kart race against three other racers who, oddly enough, are racers from the "Cars" world. The race is three laps long, and medals are given out based on the time it takes you to complete the race. You can drift to build up turbo, and you have weapons at your disposal, though they are more conventional weapons, like rockets and machine guns, instead of ones with a candy theme. The racing is fast, the physics feel right, and the appearance matches a user-made version of Vanellope's game. The music sounds like a more epic version of the tune used in the movie's final race. Though there's only one track, the design is excellent, and it is something on which you'd want to base your own created tracks. The only flaw is that you have no idea that you have a weapon when you pick one up, and you have no idea which weapon you have, a strange omission when you consider that you have a turbo meter for your car.
Of all the Toy Box-specific figures for Disney Infinity thus far, Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope are the best ones yet. Their characterizations are spot-on, their lines are humorous, and their weaponry is perfect. Most importantly, in lieu of an actual play set, their challenge levels are fun and capture the spirit of the film. If you're looking to get any of the figures that don't have their own worlds, get these two first.
Score: 8.0/10
More articles about Disney Infinity