Astérix is one of the most beloved comics in the world, on par with Disney comics in many places. The creation of René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, the French comic tells the story of a village in Gaul (modern-day France) that endlessly resist the Roman empire, and follows the adventures of two Gauls in particular, Asterix and Obelix. Asterix gains great strength from a magic potion he drinks, while Obelix fell into a cauldron of the potion as a baby and is always very strong.
The Astérix series has been running since 1959 and has spanned multiple comic albums and has been adapted into multiple games over the years. One of these games was a 1992 arcade beat em’ up by Konami that stands as one of the finest adaptations of the comic, with deep combat and full of references to the franchise’s history. With that game unlikely to be re-released, Microids and Mr. Nutz studios did the next best thing and released a new Astérix beat em’ up in the form of Asterix and Obelix: Slap Them All!, which was well received and has now received a new sequel with Slap them All! 2.
Asterix and Obelix: Slap Them All! 2 is a brilliant adaptation of the Astérix comics, but while the first game had each act being based on a different Astérix album such as Astérix in Britain, Astérix in Spain and so on, Slap them All! 2 goes for an original story. This actually works out for the better, as it allowed the developers much more freedom, and the story isnt just following the comics this time.
Asterix and Obelix: Slap Them All! had a large variety of moves and there are many returning elements here, Asterix and Obelix do not function exactly the same, with each of the characters having their own sets of moves and abilities, such as their grabs functioning differently, learning the combat may take a bit of time. What is new here is a Fury mode that can be activated in combat depending on how much meter you have, and a unique Ultimate attack for each character that will take out everything on screen.
Visually Asterix and Obelix: Slap Them All! 2 is like the first game in that it is gorgeous and looks like a cartoon that players are controlling. Asterix and Obelix are rendered in perfect detail, and the animation is exquisite., but more importantly, there is a lot more variety in the level design. In terms of audio, Asterix and Obelix: Slap Them All! 2 is similiar to the first game’s music but there are some changes and improvements this time around even if many sound bits are reused including voice samples.
One area that Asterix and Obelix: Slap Them All! fell short in was enemy variety, with many enemies repeated over and over, even in areas where it would make sense for new enemies to appear. Asterix and Obelisk Slap Them All! 2 actually improves on tis in a big way with more enemy variety, while also making the fights more meaningful and harder. The game overall feels a bit more difficult than the first game, but not inn unfair way for the most part, with one or two sections being the exception.
Multiplayer works like the first game, and so does the character switching and that brings up something else. Much of the game feels like the first game with some new additions and a new story, with many tactics from the preious game working the exact same way. Fortunately this is not a bad thing, as the first game was great and a sequel that gives more of what was great but adds some new options is a great thing, and the addition of more exploration in the stages also helps keep things fresh.
Asterix and Obelix: Slap Them All! 2 manages to step up the intesity from the first game and while it still doesnt feel exactly like the legendary Konami arcade game, it is a very much good brawler in its own right. This is not only a real treat for fans of Astérix, but non-fans will get a lot of enjoyment out of it as well. Make sure to check this one out, as it is truly amazing.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
