Bolt is based on the animated movie of the same name, starring Bolt, a dog with super powers on a TV show, and his owner Penny. However, the game does not follow the story of the movie but instead takes place within the fictional TV series. The plot revolves around rescuing Penny's father who was kidnapped by the evil Dr. Calisto.
While playing through 25 missions, the control regularly switches between Bolt and Penny. Bolt's sections are focused on melee combat: Bolt uses both super powers (limited by an energy bar) and regular attacks while fighting against multiple enemies at once.
Penny's missions are divided between platforming and stealth segments. During linear platform levels, Penny jumps over gaps and uses her Wheelbar to attach to certain ledges. When stuck, the player can activate Penny's enhanced vision which shows where the Wheelbar needs to be used. During stealth, the goal is to reach certain points unseen. Guards can either be taken out instantly with a stealth attack from behind or, if caught, by solving a quick-time event. Sometimes Penny also has to hack computers with a mini game that can be started separately from the main menu.
Bolt was released on Wii on 13 February 2009 and is an action & adventure game.