Today we are going to take a look at Asterix & Obelix: Slap Them All!. This beat’em up game wants to take you into the classic world of comic Gaule where a single village resists the mighty Roman empire and fill you with all the nostalgia it can possibly muster. Whether it can deliver on its promise is the question we will try to answer today. Asterix & Obelix: Slap Them All! is available on Steam for 29 Euros and 99 cents or your regional equivalent.
With this review you have a choice of either reading it here in text form or listening to the video review. They both contain the same content.
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Long before Rockstar and Bethesda found out that you can set your studio to milk a franchise for years upon years there were brands that did it. And honestly, nobody cared as it just happened naturally and there was no need for releases of the fifth special edition. They were so good at it that millions of people loved them all over the world. One of these brands was the small and big guy from Gaul. Asterix and Obelix.
Comics, movies, toys, board games, plushies…. you know the drill. But also games. And a lot of games recently came from the French studio Microids. And while they aren’t getting a lot of critical praise or even being the bestsellers the devs might wish for it seems the demand for the adventures of that one village capable of defying the mighty Romans is still good enough even in the second decade of the 21st century.
The games that came before Asterix & Obelix: Slap Them All! Were all different from the comic original. Whether it was because the technology just wasn’t there yet or even just the choice of the genre you never felt like you were playing an addition to the original comic or at least the famous animated movies. But usually, it was because of the graphics. So, Slap Them All! went with a fully comic-like design and a genre that you don’t see that often today. A sidescrolling beat 'em-up.
Let’s start by saying the important thing. There is actually nothing new when it comes to Asterix and Obelix: Slap Them All!. But! That's the good thing! The devs decided to do step-back, no look at creating a new element to a genre. Just take the pure action and simple fun that has been proven time by time. And it works great.
In six acts that each are separated into sub-chapters, you can play as either Asterix or Obelix or even both in local multiplayer just slapping the hell out of Romans just as we love. Helms, teeth, sandals are going to fly all over the screen alongside great humor and atmosphere. If, like me, you grew up watching the animated movies nostalgia will fill you up quicker than Obelix eats a wild boar. Combine this with simple gameplay and the expected differentiation between the two characters where Asterix can for example grab and spin his enemies and Obelix’s slaps that send Romans into the sky and you can an inherently additive mix that doesn’t want you to do anything then button-mash and enjoy the ride.
Asterix & Obelix comes with two main ways to play. Either the story mode or an arcade mode that will allow you to put your name on a leaderboard. This is one of the few flaws of Asterix & Obelix. The leaderboard is probably the only challenge you can expect. No matter what difficulty you set the game is quite easy. Sad on hand, but because the game is obviously meant just for casual gaming it’s not that big of a deal.
This all is helped by the fact that the gameplay works perfectly. Everything works well, the controls are responsive and you never feel like there is nothing you could’ve done to avoid taking damage. This is especially great news for those of you who will want to use Slap Them All! to introduce your own children into the magical world of Gaul heroes. The only technical problems come in the settings. Which is really strange. I’ve registered people having problems setting up different languages, resolutions, or even sound settings.
But the biggest fault of Asterix & Obelix: Slap Them All! is probably going to sound strange. The hand-drawn graphics are gorgeous. The music is awesome. Cutscenes and the atmosphere as a whole is fantastic. And playing the game itself is fun as heck. But… Just a single playthrough will be most likely more than enough. And this is such a shame. The game did have the potential to be so much more. When buying Asterix & Obelix: Slap Them All! Just don’t expect the genre to be changed. Or even aspirations to be the game of the year. It’s all about showing respect to the original.
Conclusion
So… in conclusion: Asterix & Obelix: Slap Them All! Is actually quite a solid and fun beat’em up. And you get to play it with your children or friends. Full of atmosphere and great visuals I truly don’t understand why it had to take so long before we got a game in the Asterix & Obelix franchise. But there’s the price. 30 Euros is just too much. But when you see it in a sale for 15 or less it will be great value and you should buy it then.