Parents' Guide to Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Transformers: Dark of the Moon Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

Mark Raby By Mark Raby , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 13+

Movie spin-off with admirable heroes, realistic violence.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 13+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 8+

Based on 1 parent review

age 10+

Based on 10 kid reviews

Kids say the game offers decent graphics and fun for fans of the franchise, though it doesn't follow the movie's storyline closely and tends to be repetitive. Many reviews note that it is suitable for older kids but may not appeal as much to younger players due to its violence and shorter gameplay.

  • graphics
  • fun for fans
  • repetitive gameplay
  • age suitability
  • storyline issues
Summarized with AI

What's It About?

TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON is based on the movie of the same name, although the story is different. The game acts as a prequel to the film and is focused more on the tension between the two robotic races instead of their interactions with humans. In this game, the evil Decepticon robots, headed by their leader Megatron, have hatched a new plan to destroy the planet Earth, and it is up to the Autobots and the heroic Optimus Prime to foil these efforts and ensure the safety of the human race.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 1 ):
Kids say ( 10 ):

In Transformers: Dark of the Moon, players control Optimus Prime and his fellow Autobots. Much of the game is spent running around the planet and taking out enemy robots. It is primarily a shooting game with a lot of frenetic action. Because of the larger-than-life robot characters, there is a bevy of explosions and mayhem, which makes it an exciting experience for those who can handle this kind of content.

There is, however, not much variety to the gameplay, and the story feels rushed and is certainly not as compelling as the actual movie it's based on.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the violent content in this game. The combatants may be robots, but does that lessen the intensity of the violence?

  • Families can also discuss the sorts of lessons Optimus Prime might be able teach us. Can we learn anything of value from non-human protagonists?

  • Families can also talk about how playing a game is different than watching a movie based on the same story. How does this game compare to its silver screen counterpart?

Game Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by

Transformers: Dark of the Moon Poster Image

What to Play Next

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate