20th Century Universes

20th Universes is a 2020 action adventure sandbox video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal, Avalanche Software, and Heavy Iron Studios and was published by Ubisoft for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox One.

In the game's story, Nathan Ritter from Puppet Pals, Homer Simpson from The Simpsons, and Alaina Gleen must save their universes as they attempt to thwart Lord Powerbeam's plan to destroy the universe. Their journey has them cross paths with characters and visit worlds based on different 20th Century Studios animated properties.

Concepts for the name began as early as 2012 (under the name Fox Universe; which was before Disney's acquisition and rename on the acquired former Fox brands) with the game not being announced until 2017, following years of rumors and speculation. 20th Universes was released worldwide on November 6, 2020, and was met with generally positive reviews from critics. PlayStation 5 and PC versions were released on November 13.

Gameplay
20th Universes is a action-adventure game with open-world creation and story-driven gameplay. Players progress through linear levels, using their characters' abilities to solve puzzles, defeat enemies, and attempt to reach the level's end. Using a character from a certain franchise will also unlock that franchise's world, an open-world area for players to explore and complete in-game objectives. All characters and vehicles can be used in the story's worlds, though specific characters must be present to initially enter those levels or worlds. Each character from each franchise has a double jump (unless in a vehicle) and a default set of attacks, as well as a unique ability. Completing objectives in the levels and worlds will reward players with 20th Coins, which can be used to upgrade vehicles, unlock costumes for your characters and give them new abilities.

There are two main modes in this game: The Story and Creative Grounds. A feature also allows players to pay in-game currency to temporarily summon characters they do not own in order to complete an otherwise-inaccessible puzzle in the game's story.

The game also includes a competitive multiplayer mode in the form of the Battle Arenas, allowing up to four players to compete in modes such as Capture the Flag.

Most of the worlds featured in the game inspired by 20th Century Studios properties are new to the series, including Eastview City (based on Kate & Chris), Tinywood (based on Puppet Pals), Pixel City (based on The Pixelators), Crystal's Kingdom (based on Crystal), Applewood City (based on Alaina Gleen), Springfield (based on The Simpsons), and the Blue Sky-based world The Ice Valley (based on Ice Age)

The Applewood City, Springfield, Tinywood, and The Ice Valley worlds feature original stories, while the Eastview City, Crystal's Kingdom and Pixel City worlds have often loosely followed plot lines from the films on which they were based.

Cast

 * Jesse McCartney as Nathan Ritter
 * Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson
 * Kristen Bell as Alaina Gleen
 * Will Arnett as Lord Powerbeam
 * Anne Hathaway as Princess Joanna / Jewel
 * Josh Peck as Toby the Lizard / Eddie
 * Jon Lovitz as Wayne the Swashbuckling Dog / Officer Coobot
 * Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson
 * Yeardley Smith as Lisa Simpson
 * Julie Kavner as Marge Simpson
 * Bill Hader as Max Hat
 * Zac Efron as Jason Baxter
 * Jim Carrey as Professor Hinkle Higgins
 * Tara Strong as Lucy Jones / Sara Summers
 * Andy Samberg as Eddie Elephant
 * Pharrell Williams as Cool Spot
 * Ray Romano as Manny
 * John Leguizamo as Sid
 * Denis Leary as Diego
 * Queen Latifah as Ellie
 * Seann William Scott as Crash
 * Chris Wedge as Scrat (archive sound)
 * Kelsey Lansdowne as Kate Anderson
 * Scott Menville as Chris McCallister
 * Mick Wingert as Eddie
 * Justin Long as Chuck Stevens
 * Dee Bradley Baker as Dr. Menabba
 * Will Ferrell as Professor Dum-Dum
 * Nolan North as Mr. Watson
 * Tom Holland as Bryce Jones / Walter Beckett
 * Anna Kendrick as Alice Summers
 * Kevin Hart as Carl Stevenson
 * Ryan Reynolds as Peppy Penguin
 * Michael Gough as Lord Hex
 * Catherine Taber as Nya
 * Jason Sudeikis as Jay
 * Selena Gomez as Crystal
 * Jesse Eisenberg as Jake Turner / Blu
 * Sarah Silverman as Little Lily
 * Christina Ricci as Natalie Richmond (archive sound)
 * Meg Ryan as Anastasia "Anya" Romanova (archive sound)
 * Sarah Michelle Gellar as Audrey Martinez
 * Amanda Leighton as Sunnie Stewart
 * Ben Schwartz as Justin Barker
 * Ewan McGregor as Rodney Copperbottom
 * Will Smith as Lance Sterling
 * John Cena as Ferdinand
 * Tom Kenny as Jeremy Monroe / Classic Max Hat
 * Billy West as Robert Robinson
 * Richard Steven Horvitz as Jacob Young
 * Catherine Cavadini as Classic Alaina Gleen
 * Jodi Benson as Classic Lucy Jones
 * Jason Marsden as Classic Jason Baxter

Reception
20th Universes received "generally favorable" reviews, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.