All the game’s action takes place on the DS’ top screen with the bottom screen housing useful game info including a map of the current level you’re playing through, basic control instructions, and WALL-E’s life bar. As you make your way through levels, you’ll come across coins, and by collecting them, you’ll unlock various extras, which can then be accessed after completion of the single-player game. Trinkets such as screenshots, movies, and bonus levels are extra incentive to collect all the coins along the way.

The soundtrack is sparse but also put to good use. The very first collection of levels has no music, whatsoever, but the whining swirls of wind lend to the solitary feel the rest of the game conveys. However, eventually some music does kick in, and it’s very thematic, adding an emotional connection to the game’s movie counterpart.

There are some cute and well-crafted cutscenes sprinkled throughout the game’s many levels, and they add a lot of personality to the already quirky vibe of the game. There’s no discernable story that players will take away from these little breaks in the gameplay, but all the same, they’re definitely a welcome side dish of additional entertainment. As a combined package, it feels like a good effort went into this particular movie tie-in, though perhaps a bit more time in development could have helped iron out some of the game’s rough edges.

Overall, WALL-E DS is a solid package with many admirable qualities. The production values are impressive on the DS, the puzzle adventuring is fun and clever, and the game has quite a unique vibe. But, there isn’t much variation at all in either the look of the game or the gameplay itself, and the repetition weighs down the experience substantially. WALL-E DS also isn’t a particularly long game, though you can do a bit of the racing with its local multiplayer. But, the game is fun in short spurts and should make a fun DS companion to fans of the movie.

By Tony Capri
CCC Freelance Writer