Starlink is a great toys-to-life game, but its toys might be holding it back

The first time I played Ubisoft's StarLink: Battle for Atlas, I was impressed. It seemed to be something I did not play before: A toys-to-life game that did not suck.

This was an evolution I was not expecting. Using Skylanders, Disney Infinity, and Lego Dimensions had always been novel, but the games themselves were usually shallow, simple experiences aimed at younger gamers. As an adult, I liked the toys, but I was bored by the games.

Starlink: Battle for Atlas might have the opposite problem. It's an action-packed space adventure with open-world planets to explore and play with toy starships that control everything. Want to change weapons? Literally rip a cannon off the side of the ship on your gamepad and slap on a new weapon. Bam. I've ever played the best toys-to-life game. But it leaves me with the nagging feeling that it would be even better without the toys.

Do not get me wrong: Starlink's toys are actually kind of great. The modular starships are incredibly versatile. Want a faster ship? Put on a pair of high-performance wings – or remove them altogether for a lightweight but less agile build. Try a cannon on backwards to shoot at enemies behind you, or stacking a missile launcher on a tower of wings to fire over a rock. It's a satisfying, creative toy experience that feels deeply integrated into the gameplay.

If you do not like the toys-to-life gimmick, Starlink lets you do it without it: Every modular part, ship, weapon and pilot can be purchased digitally and accessed through the game's menu (going digital is a better value). Giving this option is one of the game's best features. It also makes it obvious how much the game's framework is designed with toys in mind.

Every weapon changes, wing modification and ship swap the action to a grinding halt. Halfway through a battle, you can find your way to a flamethrower to take a break at a fire-resistant enemy, and you might need to change back when an Ice Cyclops leads the next wave of opponents.

When you're actually using the toys, this makes sense. You have to break the game to be able to wrangle the model starship sitting on top of your gamepad. Reconfiguring your ship without the toys, however, is more of a cumbersome than a fun game, opening the load-out sub-menu, moving the cursor and selecting the weapon slot. Then you have to come back to the menu.

When you just need an ice-based weapon to solve a puzzle, this is not a big deal. But it can feel tedious in the heat of battle. DLC ship parts not only does it do not work but it does not work for me.

This feeling hits every day I died in-game. Your number of extra lives is dictated by how many spare parts or digital ships you have. In other words, the toy system does not decide the kind of spaceship you're flying, but how many lives your character has. It directly affects the difficulty of the game.

It made me thankful I was playing the $ 79 (£ 90, AU $ 120) digital deluxe version that came with all ships, parts and pilots. Players collecting the physical ships will need to be $ 25 per ship plus $ 10 for each weapon pack and $ 8 for extra pilots not included with ships.

The longer I play Starlink, the more the effects its physical DLC has the gameplay nag at me. Every time I have to change weapons, I wish there was a button I could press to quickly select one of four favorite loadouts. Every time my ship is exploded and I'm asked to select a new one.

Now playing:
Watch this:

Starlink could be 2018's must-have toy

1:04

I'm going through every day of the Atlas system – but I'm not going to stop. Misgivings aside, I genuinely like Starlink: Battle for Atlas, and my initial impressions still ring true. It may be the best toys-to-life game I ever played.

It's true that Starlink's digital-only package is hampered by the game's commitment to its physical component. But excepting that, it's a great open-world space shooter. It has a huge solar system of various planets to explore, a cast of fun and interesting characters and tones of side quests to take on. And if you're playing on the Nintendo Switch (like me), it can be briefly transformed into a Star Fox game.

Best of all, it's a complex enough game to hold my attention. I always liked Disney Infinity and Lego Dimensions, but I never forgot that they were "toy games" aimed at children. When I play Starlink, I'm playing Levi McCray, the annoying YouTuber character.

If you love toys-to-life games, Starlink's playthings will surpass your expectation. If you're hungry for a Star Fox game that Nintendo's is not making, it'll be tide you over. If you just want a break through an interesting solar system that lets you blow up aliens, fly through asteroid belts and explore lush planets, you'll probably be happy too. Just be ready to wrangle your way through some menus.

Starlink: Battle for Atlas is the best toys-to-life game I've ever played. It will not let me forget it.

Starlink wants to be the first truly great toys-to-life experience: We talk to developer Matthew Rose.

Games we want to see: 22 games that should be on Nintendo's portable.