Kids Corner: Disney Playmation Mom Review Why it’s Changing the Game

If your kids are totally nagging you about this new toy from Disney chances are they are talking about the new Playmation. You might be hearing something like, “mom I want the Iron Man arm thing” or  “Mom there’s a new toy that lets you make-believe you’re an Avenger and you fight villains and there are superheroes….”. You know your kids want it but like most moms, you want to know if it’s worth the $120 price tag, or if it’s just going to be one of those things that pile up in your kid’s room. Well look no more. Disney was cool enough to send me a Playmation for my son (Kid Friendly) so we could do all the value testing for you. We tested the features and gameplay from a complete user experience covering its durability and even its popularity among friends. From this I’ve put together this ‘mom’s perspective’ Playmation review so you can really find the value of this new game.

So What is Playmation Anyway?

Glad you asked! In Disney Consumer Products’ words, Playmation is a system of connected toys and wearables that combines smart technology and Disney storytelling, allowing kids to run around and play while still enjoying the technology they’re used to. In mom words it’s an awesome new toy that unlocks indescribable imaginative play and allows your kids to get up and get moving, not just in the house, but anywhere. No wires. No gaming console. Just imaginative play with the help of awesome sound effects, target missions and your kid’s favorite Marvel characters for pure fun. What’s even more fun is Playmation will ultimately be a series of game systems with Star Wars and Frozen versions to come.

The Playmation Review (Mom’s Perspective)

It’s pretty obvious I’m on board with Playmation. I was sitting in a room of bloggers at the D23 Expo 2015 when I got to experience the gameplay for the first time. As the technology was revealed to me I couldn’t help but compare it to my own childhood. When I was a kid I had mud pies and cardboard boxes, but that didn’t stop me from making epic feasts and building castles. Now, my son is playing with Iron Man’s sleeve, fighting villains and saving the world to the sound of killer sound effects and in-game directionals. Here’s my favorite things about the Playmation:

• Amazing, amazing, amazing sound effects, like bluetooth speaker quality
• You can get different characters for 14.99 USD opening different missions and making gifting a breeze
• The game comes with 25 out-of-box missions so there’s lots of adventure to be had
• It gets my son off his butt, he’s dropping, rolling, hiding, running from bad guys and its all real to him
• The game can be taken anywhere, you don’t have to plug in to play
• Great for sleepovers, camping, picnics and just playing around the house
• It’s durable and stood the test of time being thrown into an overnight bag and going to another friend’s house

How it Works

The Playmation Marvel Avengers starter kit comes with the repulsor gear (the arm sleeve), two smart figures (Captain America and Iron Skull) and two power activators. The repulsor gear has different functions allowing you to control your experience. It’s where you find your mission, explore free play, attack, pause and operate your volume. The sound (J.A.R.V.I.S. and background sound of the mission environment) brings you into the mission and gives orders.

Note: The system supports two player multiplayer. If someone you know has repulsor gear, you can press the sync button on each repulsor to team up for a mission. You can also use the power activators as a multiplayer piece of Gear in “free play” mode.

The power activators flash different colors communicating with the player on what type move they should make to avoid being attacked. Different enemies require different strategies to take them down.

The smart figures play mode is separate from missions. Each figure can unlock new abilities, weapons and missions, directly to your repulsor gear. There are an additional ten smart figures available at launch, with more to come. Collect them all to add new abilities to your Gear.

Here’s a great video on how it works…

There’s also an app which you can download called the AvengersNet App. With this you can register your Avenger Gear to see progress, explore additional locations and characters, check out and test Avenger Gear upgrades, gain access to new missions and more. The AvengersNet App is available in the Apple App Store. An Android version of the app is currently in development.

Kid’s Perspective

From the moment my son opened the package he was stoked, but when he put on the repulsor gear I could see a whole new world open up for him. In a matter of moments he was a superhero. He played with it all afternoon and for the first time in EVER, he wanted to play the Playmation over watching Minecraft videos on YouTube! Let me repeat, OVER watching Minecraft!

He actually took the Playmation to a friend’s house and had a blast going back and forth doing missions. Now his friend is going to get one so they can play together. Playmation is his new favorite toy and he hasn’t put it down since getting it a little over a week ago.

What’s the Value

I find the Playmation to be a huge value because of its mobility and durability, but also because I can see how much my son loves it. It’s not one of those toys that just sits in his room, he really does get use out of it. It is battery operated which I hate, but from what I understand they are moving towards a chargeable system. I can totally, wholeheartedly recommend this product. It’s the game that’s changing the game and I can’t wait to see what comes for Star Wars and Frozen!

The Playmation Marvel’s Avengers Starter Pack has a suggested retail price of $119.99 and is available in the United States and Canada at mass and specialty retailers, such as Amazon.com, Best Buy, Game Stop, Target, Toys “R” Us, and Walmart, as well as select Disney Store locations and DisneyStore.com. Additional Playmation Marvel’s Avengers connected toys compatible with the Starter Pack, such as Smart Figures and the Prowler Bot are also sold separately.

Thank you to Disney Consumer Products for providing us with the product to write this Playmation review. It in no way shapes our views of this product.