Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard

Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard is a licensed action-adventure game set in the enchanting fantasy world of the Invisibles, serving as a sequel to Arthur and the Invisibles and based on the second movie in Luc Besson’s trilogy. Players control Arthur and other characters like Selenia and Betameche in a cooperative story mode featuring 30 minigames, where Arthur returns to the miniature realm after receiving a deceptive S.O.S. from the villainous Maltazard, who sets traps to thwart their quests involving tasks like baking cakes, dancing lessons, and battling mosquitoes across various magical locales.

Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard: Review

Introduction

In the whimsical universe of Luc Besson’s Arthur and the Invisibles franchise, where a young boy shrinks to the size of insects to battle ancient evils in a hidden microscopic world, video game tie-ins often struggle to capture the magic without succumbing to the pitfalls of licensed mediocrity. Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard, released in 2010, dives headfirst into this challenge as a party-game anthology inspired by the second film in the trilogy. As a sequel to the 2006 game adaptation, it promises cooperative fun amid fantastical perils, but delivers a mixed bag of charm and repetition. This review argues that while Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard faithfully echoes the movie’s enchanting lore and family-friendly spirit, its reliance on uninspired minigames undermines its potential, cementing it as a nostalgic footnote in the era of motion-controlled party titles rather than a standout interactive adventure.

Development History & Context

Developed by Phoenix Studio—a boutique French outfit under the Ubisoft umbrella—and published by Ubisoft Entertainment SA, Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard emerged from the high-profile machinery of Luc Besson’s EuropaCorp film series. Phoenix Interactive (as some credits list it) specialized in family-oriented titles, drawing from their work on prior Arthur adaptations and other kid-friendly Ubisoft properties like the Petz series. The game’s creative vision, spearheaded by senior producer Xavier Spinat and a sprawling team of 268 contributors (including Ubisoft heavyweights like CEO Yves Guillemot and creative director Serge Hascoët), aimed to mirror the film’s blend of live-action and CGI whimsy. Ubisoft’s Arnaud de Pischoff handled production, emphasizing co-op multiplayer to appeal to families, while quality control was outsourced to a Romanian team led by George Enescu, reflecting the era’s trend of globalized development for cost efficiency.

Released on March 31, 2010, for Windows, with simultaneous launches on PlayStation 3 and Wii (and a Europe-exclusive Nintendo DS variant), the game navigated the tail end of the seventh console generation. Technological constraints were evident: built on DirectX 9 with Shader Model 3.0 support, it targeted modest hardware like Pentium 4 processors and GeForce 7600 GPUs, prioritizing accessibility over graphical ambition. Middleware like Bink Video handled cutscenes, ensuring smooth integration of movie-inspired footage. The 2009-2010 gaming landscape was dominated by motion-controlled party games—think Wii Sports Resort and Just Dance—as Nintendo’s Wii revolutionized casual play. Ubisoft, riding successes like Assassin’s Creed II (many of the same executives were credited here), saw Arthur as a low-stakes extension of their family portfolio, timed to coincide with the film’s theatrical release. However, the era’s DRM woes (StarForce on some versions, causing modern compatibility issues) and the shift toward digital distribution foreshadowed its eventual delisting from storefronts, turning it into abandonware territory today.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

At its core, Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard retells key beats from Besson’s 2009 film, framing the story as a trap-laden quest in the Minimoys’ (or Invisibles’) realm. The plot kicks off with protagonist Arthur receiving a deceptive S.O.S. etched on a grain of rice—actually a ruse by the villainous Maltazard to lure him back to the microscopic world. Guided by the ethereal Max (a movie-original character voiced with ethereal calm), Arthur teams up with allies like the fierce princess Selenia, the bumbling Betameche, and quirky sidekicks such as Prosciutto the chef and the rhythmic Koolomassais tribe. The narrative unfolds across four quests, comprising 30 interconnected minigames that loosely adapt film events: baking a cake to rally allies, mastering dance rituals for cultural bonds, and dueling swarms of mosquitoes in high-stakes combat skits.

Characters shine through their film-accurate portrayals, with Arthur embodying youthful curiosity and bravery, Selenia’s warrior poise adding tension to romantic undertones, and Maltazard’s booming menace (via disruptive interventions) driving conflict. Dialogue, delivered in brief, movie-synced voiceovers and subtitles, is concise yet evocative—lines like Max’s instructional whispers (“Help Prosciutto mix the batter swiftly!”) reinforce themes of teamwork and ingenuity. Underlying motifs draw from the franchise’s eco-fantasy roots: the Minimoys’ harmony with nature contrasts Maltazard’s industrial tyranny, symbolizing environmental stewardship and the blurred line between human and “invisible” worlds. Themes of deception and redemption permeate, as Arthur’s trap evolves into a redemption arc for fractured alliances, though the minigame format dilutes deeper exploration. Pacing falters in transitions—abrupt jumps between events feel disjointed—but the story’s heart remains a celebration of childhood wonder, making it accessible for young players while nodding to the film’s philosophical undertones about perception and scale.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard eschews a linear adventure for a party-game structure, centering on 30 minigames that form cooperative story loops across four quests. Core gameplay revolves around quick-time events, rhythm challenges, and simple puzzles, playable solo or in local co-op for up to four players (switching between characters like Arthur for agility tasks or Selenia for combat). In Story Mode, players progress sequentially, with Max’s prompts guiding objectives—e.g., mashing buttons to knead dough in a baking mini-game or timing jumps to evade Maltazard’s mosquito hordes. Competitive Party Mode unlocks all games for score-chasing, emphasizing replayability through leaderboards.

Combat is light and abstracted: no deep systems, just gesture-based duels (Wii Remote swings on console, mouse clicks on PC) where timing trumps strategy, like parrying mosquito stings or syncing dances with Koolomassais NPCs. Character progression is minimal—unlocking costumes or minor ability boosts post-quest—but tied to collective success, fostering teamwork (e.g., one player distracts foes while another completes a task). The UI is clean yet basic: a hub world (the Minimoy village) uses simple menus for selection, with on-screen prompts for controls; however, it’s cluttered on PC due to keyboard layouts, and resolution tweaks require manual config.ini edits for widescreen support.

Innovations include adaptive difficulty—scaling enemy aggression based on player count—and movie-faithful setpieces, like rice-grain puzzles that cleverly scale human objects to Minimoy peril. Flaws abound, though: repetition plagues similar mechanics (button-mashing dominates), controls feel unresponsive on PC (requiring XP compatibility mode), and progression halts on failures without robust checkpoints. Multiplayer shines in co-op chaos but lacks depth, making solo play feel rote. Overall, it’s a flawed but functional system that prioritizes accessibility over innovation, emblematic of tie-in games aiming for broad appeal.

World-Building, Art & Sound

The game’s setting immerses players in the Minimoys’ fantastical microcosm—a lush, exaggerated garden world where blades of grass tower like redwoods and dewdrops serve as oceans. Drawing directly from the film’s CGI aesthetics, environments span idyllic villages, treacherous insect lairs, and Maltazard’s foreboding fortress, with 3D models stylized in vibrant, cel-shaded hues that evoke a storybook come alive. Atmosphere builds through dynamic lighting—sunbeams filtering through leaves create dappled wonder—enhancing the scale contrast between human relics (a thimble boat) and organic perils (mosquito wings as storm clouds). Visual direction excels in minigame variety: baking scenes bustle with flour-dusted whimsy, while dance rituals pulse with tribal flair, though pop-in and low-poly models betray the era’s limits on Wii and PC.

Sound design amplifies the enchantment, with Eric Serra’s film score reprises providing orchestral swells during triumphs and tense stings for Maltazard’s interruptions. Voice acting, featuring movie talent in key roles, delivers authentic flair—Arthur’s earnest pleas and Selenia’s commanding tones ground the fantasy. Ambient effects immerse: bubbling cauldrons in cooking games, rhythmic drums in dances, and buzzing swarms in battles create a lively soundscape. These elements coalesce to craft a cozy, exploratory vibe, where sound cues guide actions intuitively, though repetitive loops (e.g., endless mosquito hums) can grate. Ultimately, art and audio elevate the experience, transforming simple minigames into portals to the film’s magical underbelly.

Reception & Legacy

Upon launch, Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard garnered middling reviews, averaging 55% on aggregate sites like MobyGames (based on two critic scores: 70% from Daily PC Game Reviews praising its story tie-in, and 40% from Jeuxvideo.com decrying it as an “uninspired party-game” compared to the first game’s adventure). French outlets like Gamekult scored it 5/10, citing shallow mechanics, while the DS version fared slightly better at 10/20 for portability. Commercially, it underperformed—Ubisoft’s focus on blockbusters like Assassin’s Creed overshadowed it, with sales dwarfed by Wii party hits. Player ratings hover at 3/5, with complaints about repetition but nods to family fun; no major controversies arose, though DRM issues (StarForce on Russian editions) irked early adopters.

Over time, its reputation has softened into niche nostalgia, preserved on abandonware sites like MyAbandonware due to delisting from digital stores. Modern compatibility hurdles (requiring DirectPlay enabling and config tweaks for Windows 10+) limit accessibility, but emulators revive it for retro enthusiasts. Influence is subtle: it exemplifies the early 2010s surge in movie-tie-in party games, paving the way for Ubisoft’s later casual fare like Just Dance Kids, and highlighting licensed games’ challenges in balancing fidelity with fun. In industry terms, it underscores the pitfalls of minigame anthologies—too fragmented for depth—yet endures as a testament to the Arthur series’ cult appeal, inspiring minor echoes in fantasy co-op titles.

Conclusion

Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard captures the bubbly essence of Luc Besson’s microscopic saga through its evocative world, cooperative spirit, and film-faithful narrative, but stumbles under the weight of repetitive minigames and dated tech. As a product of its time, it reflects the casual gaming boom’s highs and lows, offering fleeting joy for families but little for deeper analysis. In video game history, it occupies a modest niche: a charming relic of licensed whimsy, best appreciated by fans of the films, earning a solid but unremarkable 6/10. For those seeking pure escapism into the Invisibles’ realm, it’s worth a dusty revival—proving that even in a grain of sand, adventure awaits, if only briefly.