We’ve already touched upon the Star Wars universe in Disney 3.0 with Twilight of the Republic, but Disney isn’t happy with giving fans just one playset. The second one in the works entitled Rise Against The Empire focuses on the events from chapter IV and onwards, which means that any diehard fan of the franchise will instantly recognize many locations, characters, and even the way the story unfolds.

There are several features in Rise Against The Empire that fans will love – the first thing we squealed at was being able to mount and ride a massive Bantha around our base (and even attempt to jump off a roof while still mounted). Your base is great for interacting with various characters and missions, but can also be upgraded with various structures that you can build by purchasing a blueprint and then using your character to ‘drop’ the building at a particular location, thus fortifying your base.

You’re also not restricted to staying grounded at all – jump in one of the many ships at your disposal and fly off into the deepest reaches of space on various missions. Flight here isn’t just used to travel – it actively involves and cycles through various modes to keep things interesting. For example in one section you’re tasked with either destroying enemy ships or defending one of your own, or evading enemy fire by flying around the screen while also dodging debris. Some of these flying sections are on rails, but otherwise you’re free to poke around in space for as far and as long as you wish. And should a second player jump in, the action pans out instead of switching to split-screen, making for a much more seamless gameplay experience. The co-op experience continues to the various racing challenges you’ll also encounter, and the game actively encourages co-op so that both parents and kids can simultaneously enjoy playing.

But the most enjoyable moment came during the final battle on Hoth, where massive AT-ATs were lumbering across the planet and it was your job to take them down. Of course Star Wars fans will recall how in the films these giant mechanical beasts were brought down using a simple towline, and true to form you can utilize this method to take them down in the game. But Disney wanted to add variety to the game, and so there are a few other ways that you can take down an AT-AT for example. One method involves scaling the beast itself and triggering a trap door to open, revealing a massive battery which you can damage and eventually pop out. After removing all four batteries, a red button appears at the top of the AT-AT, which when pressed, will detonate it. Alternatively, you can tap the other red button that appears near the front, which ejects the pilot and puts you in control of the AT-AT using a gigantic remote control. It’s Disney’s way of tying back to the fact that you’re playing with toys, and so elements in the game will be designed to remind players of just that. In later levels you'll be able to explore open world planets like Tatooine on foot or on a Bantha, out-maneuver stormtroopers on a speeder bike on Endor, and partake in epic space battles in an X-wing starfighter to destroy the Death Star.

There’s certainly a lot more to explore in this and upcoming playsets for Disney Infinity 3.0, and this certainly won’t be the only two playsets we’ll see from the Star Wars universe. We’ll be checking out the game again at E3 later this month, so make sure you stay tuned for all the details.