Arthur and the Invisibles

The entertainment industry has really changed in the last 10 years. In 1997 you had to search hard – or play a video game – to see the latest and greatest CG (computer-generated) imagery. Fascinated with the medium, I watched shows like Beast Wars and was encouraged to play CG-filled games like Final Fantasy VII.

These days you don’t have to look for CG – it’s everywhere. Whereas in the 90s you’d get one or two CG flicks a year (if you were lucky), now there is one released every few months. Pixar isn’t the only one at the helm – Sony, DreamWorks, and Paramount are also big into CG development.

It’s no wonder that game publishers, who already had ties to the aforementioned film studios, have been quick to jump on board with nearly every recent animated tale. Arthur and the Invisibles is one such saga. Starring Jimmy Fallon, Robert De Niro, and Emilio Estevez, Arthur and the Invisibles is a story of rescue, recovery, and world resuscitation.

Arthur must save his grandfather and the Invisibles world, but he can’t do it alone. His two friends, Betameche and Selenia, must join together as one if they expect to save the day. Can they do it? Can you?

Invisible, But Not Invulnerable

Having such a promising premise, it wouldn’t be wrong to anticipate an expansive and exciting adventure. It might be wishful (but not crazy) to think of a land unlike any other, and an interactive environment only a touch screen could create.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if anticipation were equal to a game’s execution? Falling down the path of ease and areas previously explored, Arthur does not go the adventure route. It doesn’t overwhelm you with excitement, intrigue, puzzles, or anything else you’d expect to find in a game inspired by the animated tale. Instead of what was desired, we’ve received a game that’ll make you tired – a bland collection of touch screen mini-games that can be finished in under an hour.

Indecipherable

Are you sick of the long, drawn-out tutorials that so many games force us to endure? Arthur reminds us to be careful what we wish for. Mini-games start almost immediately after selecting them. No complaints there – waiting sucks. But Arthur fails to tell you what the mini-game is, how it’s played, and what you need to do to win. Each game starts with a small icon that says “crank,” “capture,” or some other word that relates to the objective. The icon lasts for approximately one second – long enough to read the word but nowhere near enough time to figure out what the icon is trying to say.

“Crank” was pretty clear. The game displayed a half-circle that illustrated how to work a machine.

“Make It Turn” – a game where you have to blow into the DS’s microphone – made no sense whatsoever. The icon is supposed to be a mouth, but I was completely oblivious to its intent for the first several encounters. Finally, after a lot of trial and error, I discovered that you must blow to win. The silly, horribly designed icon was a pair of lips.

(Before I forget, can you think of a time when you had fun blowing into a video game system? I don’t recall being entertained by removing dust from my NES cartridges, but maybe that’s just me?)

“Link” is another baffling mini-game that’s a cakewalk once you know how to play. The goal is to draw a line from the top to the bottom of the screen, linking both pieces while avoiding interference from flying bugs. It’s over in about a second, just like the explanation icon that precedes the game. The dotted-line image makes sense once you know what you’re doing. Until then the objective is anybody’s guess.

“Remove” gives you a sword and a picture of a stylus. Anyone who’s used a DS will assume that you need to drag (or scratch feverishly, as it turns out) to remove the sword. Younger kids or first-time DS users, however, will be clueless.

“Whip” is a bit more obvious, but I can see where some players might get confused. The icon shows the tip of a stylus surrounded by asterisks. My assumption was that I needed to tap the screen several times to win. That proved to be the case, and in less than 10 seconds the mini-game was over.

“Catch” had a similar description – a stylus surrounded by one asterisk. However, this was the first mini-game I encountered. I barely had time to look at the image, let alone figure out what it meant. Two or three tries later and the boy was successfully captured. The task, with every attempt included, took less than 30 seconds to complete.

Keeping all this in mind, let’s suppose that the vague icons were intentional. Let’s imagine that it’s supposed to be part of the challenge. That’s a perfectly acceptable argument – but it doesn’t make the game longer, more challenging, or more fun.

The remaining mini-games followed the same path: lots of dragging, scratching, and screen-tapping. Mini-games are timed – you won’t spend more than 10 seconds on any of them. Most are easy, but I was surprised by the so-called boss battles, which don’t provide any challenge whatsoever. While I made mistakes with some of the regular mini-games, the boss battles were won without failure.

When all is said and done (and a few bosses have been defeated), players will have new items in their inventory. The new and final objective is to – shall I ask for a drum-roll? – raise a virtual pet called a Mul-mul. Tap the screen to feed it, pet it and whatnot. The acts are old, tiring, and far less amusing than Tamagotchi was in its prime.

Gameplay: 4.0
Moderately fun mini-games whose entertainment value dies immediately after they’ve been completed. Kids may have a hard time enjoying the “fun” when they can’t figure out what to do. The mini-game explanations are terribly unclear, and only appear on screen for about one second before play.

At best, Arthur is acceptable for one play-through. After that it’s just another dust collector.

Graphics: 2.5
The characters and backgrounds are with fewer animations than most of what you’ll find on the Game Boy Advance.

Sound: 6.0
Rare moments of musical amusement aside, Arthur and the Invisibles is better with the sound off.

Difficulty: Easy
A game you can play with one hand tied behind your back. If only that made it more fun…

Concept: 6.0
Arthur and the Invisibles isn’t exactly a clone, but only a couple of its mini-games stand out. None of them are particularly addictive or inventive. A brief time-killer, nothing more.

Multiplayer: 4.0
Not so much a multiplayer mode as it is a way for you and a friend to hook up and share creatures. Multiple game cards required.

Overall: 4.0
To get your Arthur and the Invisibles fix, examine the PS2 version.