Colossal intergalactic robot warriors waging an age-old war on earth disguised as man-made vehicles with the ability to transform at will. Undoubtedly it is one of the greatest concepts for a videogame you could come up with. It’s surprising really that we haven’t seen more Transformers games hit the market, not to mention good ones at that. With the exception of Melbourne House’s interpretation of the Armada storyline, every Transformers release has been little more than an effort in mediocrity.

Celebrating the latest early morning cartoon spin-off, Transformers Animated, this latest DS title decides to take things in a different direction to the run and guns efforts of old. Transformers Animated: The Game is, for the most part, a side-scrolling puzzler in the spirit of the old classic, The Lost Vikings. You take control of the immortal Autobots Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and newcomer Bulkhead. Each Autobot has their own unique attributes and abilities, which must be combined to progress through the game. Bulkhead is the heavy of the group with the ability to break down doors and move hefty objects while Bumblebee is quick and nimble, able to jump off walls and power up electrical junctions. Optimus sits in between the two, equipped with a grappling hook and energon axe to gain access to out of reach switches and platforms.

Curiously for a title about mighty robot warriors, the majority of the game is simply spent trying to find your way from the end of one indistinct warehouses to the next. Different sections of the level call upon the distinct abilities of each Autobot, forcing you to use your noggin to make your way through. Why they don’t bash their way through the walls is beyond me. As a puzzler, Transformers Animated is a little light on difficulty, definitely intended to keep things simple for the little ones. The solution is more often than not paint by numbers. See a girder above, switch to Optimus. Find yourself blocked by lead door, switch to Bulkhead. Simple. What it amounts to is having to individually lead three characters through the same level, switching with each roadblock that crosses your path. It would be nice to have a regroup button on hand when the route is clear and all that you want to do is pass on through.

What’s even more curious is that your encounters with the Decepticons are few and far between. Enemies are instead replaced in large by simple, mindless drones. With such a diverse selection of enemies in the Transformers universe it’s disappointing that they’ve seemingly been replaced by generic household appliances. Combat itself is certainly not one of the game’s strengths. Many of the attacks are performed by using the touchpad, which leads to your view simply becoming obscured by your chubby little fingers.

The key attribute of the Transformers, transformation, is limited only to cut scenes (a great inclusion I might add) and driving scenarios which are about as lame as it gets. On rails driving sections with only the ability to change lanes left and right, transform and shoot. You can’t even slowdown if you’re going to rear-end some innocent commuter in your path. Fun at first, these all feel almost identical in appearance, distinct only by slight variations in objective that all amount to simple survival before the level ends. This short distraction soon becomes a chore.

In its favour, Transformers Animated: The Game scores full marks on presentation. The moment you switch on the DS, the theme song sings out as the opening logos flash by. The cartoon cut scenes keep the flavour of the show high, as do the voice-overs that are thankfully maintained through every line of dialogue. The DS even lets out the eternal transformation sound as you open and close the console. Classic.

Transformers Animated: The Game is sadly another forgettable title that fails to capture the essence of Transformers. The puzzle mechanics are fun if a little bit simple and repetitive, bringing back fond memories of The Lost Vikings but without any real challenge to tax you. Teamwork is captured well, but would have worked more solidly if your other teammates could work independent of you or simply follow a set of commands without the need to constantly pause and switch. Transformers Animated: The Game isn’t horrible by any stretch, it just fails to capture any of the excitement and fun of the show. The overall presentation is impressive but the general lack of Decepticons and transformation is unforgivable.