Every once in a while, there is a game based on a licensed property that turns you on your head, not only offering more insight on the franchise and standing on its own merits as a fun and engaging experience outside of the subject matter on which it’s based.

Bolt for the Nintendo DS is not that game.

Based on the recently released Disney animated feature film, Bolt is an action game for the Nintendo DS. The game is pretty much completely devoid of any fun elements, being an extremely easy and generic 3D platformer that offers no innovation on the genre, and completely expecting to ride on the coattails of the film upon which it’s based. Even if you’re a fan of the film, it would be in your best interest to skip Bolt.

In Bolt, you play as both the titular hero dog (and TV star) and his friend Penny as they embark on a quest to rescue Penny’s father and save the world from an evil super-villain named Calico. While the film deals with Bolt’s experience in the real world, the game instead puts you within the universe of Bolt’s TV show, imbuing him with special abilities and super-er,-dog abilities.

The game is pretty standard action fare. The Bolt sequences have you using the dog’s special abilities, like his sonic bark, for combat, while his laser vision and strength will come into play when solving the game’s simplistic puzzles. When playing as Penny, you’ll employ the use of her wheel bar to defeat enemies as well as get around, scale buildings and use her zip line to get around ledges.

The first major demerit against the game is the challenge level, or lack thereof. Even though the game is technically a platformer, it’s impossible to fall off of a ledge or even jump off of one unless it is connected to another one and your jump is lined up perfectly. You basically run from one point to another, fighting enemies (which is largely an optional exercise) and collecting special items. It’s pretty difficult to die in this game, regardless of your skill level, and should be completed in less than five hours.

There are a few mini-games that are somewhat entertaining, including one where you play as Rhino, a hamster in a ball, and navigate through a series of Monkey Ball-inspired mazes, as well as a pattern-based hacking mini-game that each occasionally come up through the game’s story, but these are half-baked diversions that don’t really improve the experience overall.

Graphically, the game is decent, with some smooth animations and a faster-than-usual framerate. However, it doesn’t really stand out compared to other DS titles and a lot of the environments are pretty repetitive and bland.

There is not much to be said about the sound in the game. The music is boring and repetitive and the sound effects are pretty rare and not impressive at all, and there is absolutely no voice acting, pretty rare for a licensed game in this day and age.

Another disappointing attempt to cash in on a recently released film, Bolt is simply no fun, whether you’re a fan of the film or not.

Gameplay: 4.0
Very linear, boring and ridiculously easy, Bolt is a 3D platformer that brings nothing new to the table.

Graphics: 7.0
The action moves pretty smoothly with no lag or slowdown, but doesn’t look too terribly outstanding

Sound: 4.0
Some weird moments of audio cut-out and lame music, as well as no voice acting whatsoever.

Difficulty: Very Easy

Concept: 4.0
A very shallow attempt at cashing in on a recently released movie.

Overall: 4.0
Repetitive, short, and dirt simple, Bolt won’t likely be very fun for anyone.