The Incredibles : Rise of the Underminer

The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer for PlayStation 2 is a 2005 action game from Heavy Iron Studios, published by THQ. Built as a follow-up to Disney and Pixar's 2004 film The Incredibles, it begins at the point where the movie ends: the Underminer erupts from beneath Metroville and threatens the city with an army of machines. Rather than replaying the film's plot, the PS2 game sends Mr. Incredible and Frozone underground to pursue the villain and stop his latest scheme.

The adventure is structured around third-person, close-quarters action and environmental challenges. Mr. Incredible is the powerful frontline fighter, using punches, throws, and sheer strength against robot opponents. His muscle also lets him deal with physical obstacles that block the route forward. Frozone brings a contrasting set of ice-based abilities, freezing enemies and using ice to interact with parts of the environment. Switching the focus between their different strengths is central to getting through the campaign's combat encounters and hazards.

The PlayStation 2 version supports one or two players. In cooperative play, one player takes Mr. Incredible and the other controls Frozone, allowing both heroes to battle the Underminer's forces together. A solo player is not left without a partner: the computer controls the other hero. That setup gives the game a team-based feel while keeping its two-character design available whether played alone or with someone else.

The story moves from the surface into the Underminer's industrial underground domain, where robot minions, drills, and larger mechanical threats stand between the heroes and their target. Mr. Incredible and Frozone work to disrupt the enemy's machinery, rescue people endangered by the villain's plans, and continue the chase toward a final confrontation. The rest of the Incredible family appears in the game, but the campaign keeps its attention on the partnership between the super-strong father and the ice-powered hero who joins the fight at the film's closing scene.

Rise of the Underminer arrived on several systems in 2005, but the PlayStation 2 release belongs to the console-oriented version also made for GameCube and Xbox by Heavy Iron Studios. Other editions were handled by different developers, so the PS2 game should not be confused with the distinct handheld versions. It is a licensed superhero action adventure designed around two recognizable Pixar characters, cooperative play, and a new continuation of the Underminer cliffhanger. Later Incredibles storytelling took the franchise in a different direction, leaving this game as its own early sequel scenario.