The timeless battle of the Autobots versus the Decepticons has spilled out into the handheld front with Transformers: The Animated Series. The Decepticon leader Megatron is constructing a plan to attack Cybertron, and led by Optimus Prime the Autobots on Earth must stop his plan and ensure the safety of their home world once again. The plot follows a few of the episodes in the series, but is simplistic enough for passive fans to enjoy who haven’t been keeping up on their viewing.

You mainly play as three Autobots from the series; Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead. Each of the three have their own strengths, such as how Optimus can throw his axe around a guided path while Bulkhead can break down doors and Bumblebee can power generators. Though you normally are playing as all three Autobots you can only control one of them at a time, so often switching between the three of them to solve puzzles and make it through a level is a must. While defeating the occasional enemy along the way is a normal occurrence, the game is mostly based around solving puzzles rather than beating robots into scrap metal.

Puzzles start off simple and stay there for a while before they ramp up in difficulty, but even at their hardest peak it is merely a matter of trial and error to get past them. Using one Autobot to hit a switch and raise a bridge while Bulkhead crosses it and uses his weight to trigger a pressure switch, proceeded then by Bumblebee wall jumping up a shaft to power a generator is about as complex as things get. While the game rarely gives you any hints or helping hands as to what to do next it is usually unnecessary, and more often than not puzzles can be delayed in their solution merely by having to get all of the Autobots into the positions they need to be in.

Unfortunately, the problem of constantly having to jokey around Autobots is ever present and quite often you will wish there was some way you could tell the two not under your direct control to just follow you for a little while. Though Bumblebee can leap into the air and kick off of walls the other two can’t so much as hop, making a even a relatively short leap and insurmountable obstacle even for the mighty Optimus Prime before someone else raises a bridge for him first. The game essentially feels like a puzzle game with some Transformer’s flavor than the other way around, sacrificing some of the abilities you would expect from a towering sentient robot to fit the puzzle gameplay in.

For some of the levels however you play as either Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, or a fourth Autobot named prowl to race their way through the streets and highways while taking out enemies and avoiding hurting any civilians. In this mode you can switch between vehicle mode and robot mode, which you will do frequently depending on the current situation. In vehicle mode you move quickly and your view of the road ahead isn’t quite as obstructed, while in robot mode you are capable of taking out enemies by tapping on them with the stylus. Though the gameplay is just as simplistic as the rest of the game, it is also the closest to what most people would expect from a Transformers game.

One issue that is the cause of much head-scratching is how often the control scheme alternates between using the face buttons and using the stylus. For instance, while Bumblebee can only jump with the A button his electric attack is best used with the stylus to tap and hold on an enemy. Since most enemies can shoot back at you, often you must decide between either evading enemy attacks or dishing out some damage of your own. The stylus controls themselves often have issues, such as sometimes when using it to trace a path for Optimus’s axe to fly, it simply does nothing once you are done drawing it. Since his only means of attacking enemies not directly, to his side is in throwing the axe, the issue often means taking a few hits from the enemy due to nothing more than having to first fight with the controls.

For every time this happens however, there is a time where you watch one of the animated cutscenes or listen to the voice work that brings the charm right back. From the memorable title theme to listening to the Autobots cheer each other on the appeal of the series shows through. The games blending of 3D graphics with 2D gameplay is well done, giving depth to how the levels look even as their playable space is much more basic. The way that the Autobots move around and attack are also distinctly exaggerated and cartoonish, especially in the race modes. The game is based off of the current animated series, and those who follow it will appreciate the attention to detail the look and sound of the game holds for it.

Transformers is a great game for those younger gamers who actively watch the animated series, as it follows the series closely and has enjoyable if not relatively basic gameplay. Older fans of the Autobots however may find that the gameplay just doesn’t have enough weight to it, as with few exceptions the game is a very straightforward experience and offers for little chance of experimentation or flexibility. Still, the game delivers a relatively solid puzzle game with some Transformers flair and a gearing towards younger gamers. Though the game lacks many high points to point out past the overall presentation, it also lacks any truly hampering flaws to sour the experience.

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