Unlike its Game Boy Advance-exclusive predecessor, Ice Age, Meltdown was a multiplatform release, available on Microsoft Windows, all major sixth-generation platforms and both seventh-generation Nintendo platforms, with the Wii port being a launch title in Europe.

In the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS versions, the player takes control of Sid, Manny and Diego as they help them try to escape the flood by guiding them through six puzzle levels.

The game also centers around Scrat, who undergoes a series of misadventures to retrieve his acorn.

[2][3][4][5] Metacritic gave the Wii version of the game a mixed or average score of 66 out of 100, based on nine reviews.

[5] GameSpot gave the Wii version a 7 out of 10 saying that the game is a fun engaging platformer that ought to appeal to multiple audiences but criticizing it for its brevity saying that it takes no more than a few hours to complete,[6] while the GameCube and Xbox versions received a 7.3 out of 10, writing, "A kid-friendly platformer with more heart than your average film-to-game marketing tie-in, Ice Age: The Meltdown can be quite fun—for as long as it lasts".