Wall-E Review

July 7, 2008 - When you have a hit franchise on your hands, you really want to capitalize on it as best you can. In the case of Wall-E, Disney and Pixar's latest film, the titular robot was a star before his movie came out, pulling at kids' and adults' heartstrings alike while making them laugh at the same time. But with all the attention focused on the current generation of consoles, particularly their improved visual capabilities that could reasonably approach that of the film, how would the PC version of the game fare? Quite well, actually -- Thanks to a focus on varied gameplay and puzzles within Wall-E's adventure, the PC version is an enjoyable action title that will keep fans of the movie engaged.

For the most part, Wall-E follows the plot of the movie, with Earth's population having evacuated the planet due to overwhelming levels of trash and other waste byproducts of humanity's consumer urge. Left behind are a horde of Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class robots (or Wall-Es), who are tasked with collecting and cleaning the world from top to bottom so that one day, people can live on its surface once again. However, after hundreds of years, only one Wall-E droid remains, carrying out his job as best he can until one day, a ship lands and deploys a robot named Eve, whose task is to search for life on Earth. As Wall-E falls in love with Eve, Eve discovers that he has found what she's been looking for and takes off for space. Following his heart, Wall-E chases her and essentially discovers a life outside of his sheltered world.

Players control Wall-E for most of the game, moving the little robot through various environments solving puzzles and defeating enemies. While the odds may be against him, Wall-E has a number of ways to help him get past these obstacles. Wall-E can transform into a box and charge through objects and boxes. This move gives him a speed boost, which he can further translate into momentum during jumps. This is extremely useful because Wall-E needs to accelerate in half-pipe situations to cross certain gaps or leap up to new areas to collect energy charges. Charges are important because many security doors and areas are protected by doorways that require a certain number of vials before they unlock, so Wall-E needs to look for these in the environment. Many of them are trapped in boxes, which can be broken apart by cubes that he automatically generates from trash that he rolls over. Incidentally, these cubes can also be thrown into switches, objects or other targets. Wall-E also comes with a laser that he can use to cut through objects, which can only be recharged with laser energy vials.

Apart from these maneuvers, Wall-E has a global map of each stage that can be called up at any time that helps him navigate each area successfully. But sometimes, Wall-E might need some help, particularly once he gets on board the Axiom spaceship. To enlist fellow droids, Wall-E can play a song from "Hello Dolly," charming the other robot and allowing him to use their services, such as flashlights or bouncing platforms to help him reach new sections. Perhaps the most engaging feature is Wall-E's first person view that he uses to target certain objects, as well as scan the environment. Scanning is important because hidden throughout each one of the 27 stages are lost artifacts from the human race. After identifying where these items are and then picking them up, a small vignette will play that highlights Wall-E's child-like discovery of the item and his interaction with it.

On top of this, Wall-E has a number of puzzles that he'll have to bypass to move through different environments. Some of these are environmental: such as vortexes that are powered by energy cubes that need to be shot with a laser before they disappear. Others are tied to access doors and test your memory or your pattern matching skills. Depending on the access panel, players have to remember where certain colors are, trip a specific number of switches or hit a button before time runs out. Including elements like this adds a mild, but engaging challenge to the standard "find switch and open door" mechanic. There are even energy dispensers in the form of slot machines that Wall-E will need to access to gain energy for his laser. Match the proper icon and he'll be rewarded; if he misses he'll gain nothing.