Arthur and the Invisibles for PlayStation 2 Reviews & Ratings by IGN

The recently released Arthur and the Invisibles blended two forms of cinema. It presented live action segments and some that were eniterely generated by computer. Whether the mixture made it a better movie is open to debate. The joining of different elements in the Arthur and the Invisibles videogame, on the other hand, helps it stand above the crowd. Not by too much, since the title definitely has a few quirks that keep it from greatness, but it deserves some recognition regardless.





Arthur and the Invisibles follows the same basic story as the film. Players assume the role of Arthur, a young kid who needs to save his grandmother's house and property from a greedy land tycoon. In order to help, Arthur needs to find a particular treasure once pursued by his late grandfather. It looks like a huge chunk of rubies clumped together. Of course, the main problem is that no one knows where it is since Arthur's grandfather went missing searching for it. After listening to his grandmother talk about a race of little critters called Minimoys, Arthur decides to set out to find them and his grandfather's lost treasure.





The game starts as Arthur tumbles into the land of the Minimoys for the first time. Players spend the first 10 or so minutes going through a helpful and well-designed tutorial. It teaches movement and combat basics, as well as how to move objects and manipulate special floor switches. And fortunately, it doesn't suck like tutorials in many games since here it actually blends well with the actual game. After it's over, players attend some kind of ceremony, only to have it interrupted by enemy mosquitoes. This triggers the first real stage of the game. Players will take control of three characters and square off against dozens of foes. These action stages usually have players open a nearby gate by defeating enemies that hold special keys. Fortunately, the AI in the game is sufficient and lets a player concentrate on opening the gates while NPC allies keep enemies at bay.





Each character has a set of unique attacks and abilities. Choosing the right one for a job makes a huge difference in the game so the variety never feels superficial. Arthur, for instance, can smash through spider webs and climb surfaces while Selenia (the princess) can slice through foliage. The little troll looking person, Betameche, can crawl through small spaces and packs a projectile-based weapon that receives upgrades throughout the game. Together, these three characters can circumvent a myriad of obstacles and fight through hordes of enemies with gusto. And the game thankfully offers plenty of opportunities that put all these skills to the test. And it's not just the aforementioned action stages, of which there are plenty, but there's plenty of puzzle solving, too.





It's an odd comparison, but in a way, Arthur and the Invisibles plays a little like the early SNES title The Lost Vikings. In order to solve most of the game's puzzles, which requires characters to move various blocks around the environment, players need to use all three characters. One will hit a switch, for example, while another will lift an object so another can then use it. The dynamic works well for the most part, though the puzzles do slow the game's pacing considerably. Since players spend a lot of time slowly moving blocks around things get tedious and a little dull at times. But thankfully, this never lasts too long. Also, the NPC characters have a few problems finding their way around at times. They're supposed to help eachother move blocks and sometimes one or more of them will get stuck somewhere. This doesn't happen a lot either, but it's there and it sucks.





In addition to puzzle solving and combat stages, Arthur and the Invisibles also has numerous "driving" sequences. The earliest example in the game lets a player soar through an enormous cavern atop a mosquito. The sequence is "on rails" so players have no direct control over flight, but it's nevertheless' thrilling and enjoyable. Blasting other mosquitoes with rapid-fire shots and "locking on" to them to fire bio missiles is great fun. Not only that, it really helps lend some variety to the game. The same goes for the race sequences - it's all simple yet thoroughly satisfying stuff. What's more, these stages look really damn good. To say this "kid's game" is a pretty PS2 title would be an understatement. Everything from the quality of the textures and design of the world, to how well everything is animated really makes an impression.







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