At a time when all manner of franchises are organized to tie their characters together through stories and characters from other universes, Disney’s own gallery of mythical figures faces competition, and all it takes is the will to die pulling strings to achieve this. In fact, they’ve been doing this for over 20 years now, and I fondly recall the days spent with Sora, Donald, Goofy, Aladdin, Peter Pan, and Jack Skellington (to name a few) in the fantastical worlds of the Kingdom Hearts series. After spending a few hours playing Mirrorverse, Disney’s latest mobile multiverse game, I’m lost in memories of Square Enix’s classic crossover, which leads me to conclude where the developers of Kabam studio come from. .
Entering the Disney Mirrorverse creates an oddly familiar experience, that nostalgic touch that comes from being a Kingdom Hearts fan for many years. The style could have come from Square Enix’s take on Disney’s legacy, albeit slightly modified to better fit the context of the multiverse, in which alternate versions of the more classic characters we encounter appear. This is where the Mirrorverse has its strength: in its characters. Because at its core, it’s little more than another half-assed RPG for iOS and Android that plays exactly like, say, Echoes of Mana. But the creativity that went into creating powerful warrior versions of my favorite childhood heroes and villains means that long after I’ve had enough of how the adventure actually unfolds, the Mirrorverse remains compelling once I get the hang of it have. and I understand the basic aspects of the game, there is not much more to discover in it.
Advertising:
In short, my champions are divided into four classes: Melee, ranged, tank and support. In addition, all champions, or “guardians” as they are also known, have personal abilities and special attacks that can be upgraded and modified by accumulating enough skill points. As far as combat goes, each comes equipped with a fast standard attack and a heavier counterattack, as well as a special ability that varies slightly by class. Your team of three Disney warriors of your choice engages in a short series of battles against the game’s main antagonist known as Fractured. Like I said, it’s a fairly basic build with fairly basic innovative qualities, but as I unlocked new Guardians, the Mirrorverse still held my attention, albeit not very much. Unfortunately, having the same type of fights over and over got boring very quickly, something the studios obviously knew back then when they included the option to put my champions on autopilot and allow me to do other things in the meantime to do. It’s very subtle and persists as the Mirrorverse’s difficulty increases.
The story also seems to have a lot in common with Kingdom Hearts, because as in Sora’s first adventure, the fairy Maleficent is seen as one of the main villains in the Mirroverse. The rival character, The Fractured, also shares a strong resemblance to the ‘heartless’ equivalent of Kingdom Hearts with his somber appearance, making it a bit nostalgic at times. The narrative itself also lacks identity, and aside from the usual “holes in the barriers between universes” montage, it once again draws heavily on the iconic cast of characters that the Mirrorverse offers. Though the game itself is built on a lackluster foundation, the kid in me still enjoys watching the winged Icarus rendition of Hercules go head-to-head with cowboy Woody and Baloo, their junk-wielding opponents of his beloved old seaplane of the series “Air Adventurers” from 1990.
Advertising:
From a technical point of view, Mirrorverse works quite well, even knowing that the frame rate dropped several times when there were many effects on the screen at the same time, but it was never an obstacle to play it. In addition, the loading time is very short and the menus are optimized to allow a quick session start. The sound is surprisingly good too, and the orchestra in particular does a great job of giving the sense of a grand adventure against those moments of darkness from the Mirrorverse. However, the music can become more and more tiring to play as the variation in the soundtrack is minimal, as is the case in the game’s action moments.
Personally, I’ve always been, and probably will continue to be, a fan of playing mobile games using their touchscreen, and I’ve developed a grudge against analogue digital joysticks for the same uncomfortable feeling I get when I drag my fingers across the screen. I get the same feeling when playing the Mirrorverse, but on a smaller scale because where I would move my characters with the built-in joystick, I have the ability to make a big movement with my finger, so my Guardian can move in any direction can run, which is something that’s also great for dodging during combat.
Faithful to the habit of playing for free, this time we can’t escape the long and crooked fangs of microtransactions either. In the Mirrorverse, I’m sometimes tempted to use my portfolio for deals on new heroes at a higher level than I normally get, along with a bunch of little gadgets that serve to speed up my development in one way or another. As the game’s difficulty catches up with me, I’m increasingly realizing that I’m wasting more time than I’d like grinding my way through one of the Mirrorverse’s least engaging sidequests. If I don’t want that, I can pay to shorten the process. However, if I choose the milling route, they suffer me there too, since a small lightning-shaped coin is required to start a quest. If I run out I have to wait for them to recharge or use fuel to top up my power bank, which of course can also be magically fixed with my wallet’s wondrous abilities.
Gameplay-wise, Mirrorverse didn’t leave a lasting impression on me. What I take away is the creative liberty Disney and Kabam took to reinterpret their most beloved characters to work in contexts where the action is a bit more difficult. Although the depth of the game and the need for real drive to want to keep fighting leave a lot to be desired as a title, the graphic style and character design raise hopes of being able to visit a similar multiverse in a more ambitious title with a well-written story and a worthwhile one Game. There’s a lot to be expected from a company as established as Disney, but at least a small part of the groundwork was laid in the Mirrorverse. We will see.