A fun platformer that's based on a G rated movie? It's an oddity, but true.
For the most part, you'll be playing the game as the title's character. You're adventure starts in the junk yard that is Earth, and extends to the innards of the Axiom space ship. You can drive, jump, throw things, ride half-pipes, and shoot a laser beam. All the skills you really need for a game like this.
The purpose for most of the levels is to collect enough vials which will allow you open doors to progress through the stage. To do this you'll have to solve switch puzzles, navigate the terrain, bypass security measures, and use other robots to help you reach new areas. It's all pretty standard stuff. Although Asobo Studio and THQ didn't go out of their way to re-invent the wheel, at least they put the effort into ensuring their wheel will roll smoothly.
No stage in the game is hard to beat, but it's not too easy, considering the key audience in mind. Most levels are of a platforming nature, but there are some beat the clock races, and even a few levels that resembles an old arcade-like rail shooter.
Along your way, you'll get extra points to spend on bonus items, and unlock bonus features by collecting "artifacts" and destroying all the crates in a level. This helps add some replay value, for those that enjoy getting 100% completion in their games. The encouragement to go back may be welcome since the levels are overall pretty short, despite there being a variety of actions to complete.
The controls for the game are pretty tight, and easy to manage for the platforming elements. The controls for combat are functional, but when you have to take out a lot of steward bots they can feel clumsy. The only other annoyance in this department is that the camera control is a little too slow for my tastes.
The sound effects and music scores are true to the movie, helping to create an authentic Wall-E experience.
There's also a selection of mini-games to unlock, some of which you can play with a friend. These mini-games include races, and even a high-score space debris shoot. For the most part, their just slightly modified versions of the in-game levels, but the 2 player aspect provides some extra fun.
All the little things that are sprinkled throughout the game (breaching the security doors, carving a silhouette of E.V.E., getting other robots to lend a hand, a few sections that behave like a Frogger game, etc) are a nice attempt to keeping the levels fresh, although the game-play never really evolves.
The game doesn't over-stay it's welcome; it's short and sweet (not unlike the lead character) as opposed to long and tiresome, and that worked just fine for me. I would recommend it to fans of the film, or for those in the need of a lightweight gaming experience.