Two and a half years of development (more or less), such was the time needed to implement the new adventures of Asterix & Obelix in video games. If the general public has always been accustomed to XXL episodes developed either by Etranges Libellules or by OSome Studio, or sometimes both together, this time it was the Mr Nutz studio that was commissioned to offer their vision of the duo the most iconic of French comics. For the founders of the studio, Pierre Adane, Philippe Dessoly and Mickaël Pratali, their own Asterix & Obelix had to take the form of a beat'em all, a genre that was very popular in the 80s and 90s and which was all the rage in theaters. arcade, but also on home consoles. At that time, Konami marked the minds – and the hearts – of gamers with their Asterix The Arcade Game that many still cherish today like a Madeleine de Proust. If it is not a remake of the latter (although…), Asterix & Obelix: Baffez-les Tous was strongly inspired by it, or at least took it as an example, if only in the choice of its environments (we invite you to make comparisons). But what does it matter in the end, because this Asterix & Obelix: Slap them All takes above all the plot of several comics that we know very well: Asterix among the Bretons, Asterix among the Normans, Asterix in Hispania, Asterix in Corsica , Asterix and Cleopatra, to which are added completely original passages created by Microids and Mr Nutz Studio. During the 50 levels – and the 8 easy hours – necessary to complete the adventure, we will therefore be lulled by the story of these 5 volumes which will show us the country.
MAZETTE, WHAT IS BEAUTIFUL!
We had already mentioned it during our preview, but we will repeat it very loudly in the final test: Asterix & Obelix: Slap them All! is an unparalleled visual slap in the face. We had already been captivated the first time in the premises of Microids when we came last September, but at home, on our 4-inch Sony OLED 65K screen (yes el famoso AG9), the rendering is even more impressive, especially when the game tightens its plans and offers sprites of almost disproportionate size. By choosing to work everything by hand, with the traditional methods of the time, it is indeed the comic strip that comes to life before our eyes. Not only is it beautiful, but the chara-design of Philippe Dessoly in no way betrays the pencil stroke of Uderzo, who can remain in peace wherever he is. Whether it's the characters (main or secondary), the environments, the animations, or even the few skits that move the story forward, everything has been done with the greatest care and with surgical fidelity. It's all the more pleasant as the game plays with the different planes, giving a welcome effect of depth. Between the background details that come to life and the initiating elements that can sometimes blur the view, we are literally immersed in the pages of the comic strip. Clearly, if there is one aspect on which Asterix & Obelix: Slap them All! is unbeatable, it's good in its graphics, and in a more general way its technical realization, since the game is as beautiful whatever the platform, without the slightest technical downgrade, not even on Nintendo Switch (the console where the multi games -support are still technically diminished, let's be honest), which is rare enough to be pointed out. Very, very good work to be commended.
MUSÔ POINT
If Asterix & Obelix: Slap Them All! will everyone agree on the visual level, what about the gameplay? It's true that the morning spent at Microids two months ago gave us a good overview of the game mechanics, but only on the first levels. Julien "Julo" Hubert, who officiates as a producer on the game, had also teased us other elements on which he could not communicate to date, everything was not yet ready during the preview build. We're not going to tell you any salad, the title hasn't changed much since the last time, but it wasn't until the final – and complete – version of the game that we realized the subtleties that the developers had hidden from us. We explain. In fact, the mechanics of Asterix & Obelix: Slap them All! remain fairly standard. Weak blows with the possibility of chaining slaps, stronger attacks but which consume a lightning bolt, the gameplay is interesting in that it also has strikes to stun enemies or, conversely, one-shots. On paper, nothing really revolutionary, except that in practice, it immediately becomes more interesting, since the substantial marrow of Asterix & Obelix: Slap them All! lies in this ability to handle the massive stream of enemies that flood the screen. It will indeed not be uncommon to be overwhelmed by Roman legionnaires, thieves, pirates or other HP bags who are only there to prevent you from progressing. A Musô effect (Dynasty Warriors-style games) not unpleasant and above all unexpected from a title as popular as the Asterix license. If the game goes there gradually before launching waves of enemies until more thirsty, very quickly, we realize that we will have to use all the possibilities offered by the move-set of Asterix and Obelix to s get out of it and above all keep your cool.
Weak blows with the possibility of chaining slaps, stronger attacks but which consume a lightning bolt, the gameplay is interesting in that it also has strikes to stun enemies or, conversely, one-shots. On paper, nothing really revolutionary, except that in practice, it immediately becomes more interesting, since the substantial marrow of Asterix & Obelix: Slap them All! lies in this ability to handle the massive stream of enemies that flood the screen.
It's not obvious, but Asterix & Obelix: Slap them All! offers a fairly substantial challenge, sometimes even a little excessive, to the point of raging like the first hater who comes along. This is where all the strategy of the game comes into play, whether you play it solo or cooperatively. Because in their game design, Microids and Mr Nutz Studio have decided that the death of a single character leads to game over, with the obligation to start the level again from the start. A punitive aspect of course, sometimes debatable, especially when you are still in anger after having hit 15 failures in a row, but which forces you to think more than the average. It is true that this is not usual for the genre, the classic beat 'em all betting on the possibility of respawning at any time as long as the number of lives allows it. There, you will have to be a little more on the lookout, better manage the character switch when playing alone, or be a little more attentive when playing with a friend passing through the house, and why not him? help out if he's in trouble. Mutual aid is in any case the sine qua non for progressing with serenity, the game being quite sparing in life points to recover over the levels. Yes, there are plenty of barrels to blast, plenty of coins to collect, but apples, hams and roast boars are rare; to the point where you even have to be a bit of a strategist before consuming them.
GENERAL PUBLIC, BUT NOT ONLY...
Unlike other beat 'em alls, the "food" items do not disappear after a while, they will even remain on the ground, waiting for your blessing to be consumed. Jumping on it is indeed not necessarily the best idea, and it is sometimes better to wait for a more favorable moment to regain some strength, or rather vital gauge, shall we say. It's not easy to explain on paper, but once in play, with this mass of enemies (sometimes mind-blowing), this tough challenge and the lack of life points to recover easily, it makes it possible to reconsider things and especially its gameplay. But once we finally see through the Matrix, Asterix & Obelix: Slap Them All! reveals its true essence. We indeed take malicious pleasure in managing this mass of enemies, by immediately stunning those who stick to the bottom of the screen to swing spears, by getting rid of the basic infantrymen by one-shooting them with an uppercut ( that likes to make them fly in clusters), thus allowing to manage the strongest and toughest by playing with the combos.
All is not perfect in the gameplay of Asterix & Obelix: Slap Them All!, far from it. We would have liked, for example, that the character of Asterix benefit from the same treatment as Obelix, strongly favored by his build of course, but which above all gives the feeling of being more powerful than Asterix. Not only does its hitbox area allow you to inflict more damage and hit more enemies at the same time, but our collector of menhirs especially benefit from a greater range of blows than that of Asterix. This can be seen in the variety of attacks available when you grab an enemy. When Obélix can slap an enemy, knock him to the ground or send him to the end of the screen, Asterix must content himself with spinning him around him. So of course, this allows you to make room around you and to take advantage of moments of calm, but we would have liked it to be able to enjoy other additional attacks. Similarly, in 2021, it would have been nice to integrate furies which are sorely lacking in the game, a feature yet implemented in Konami's game where Asterix and Obelix could become invincible for a short time after drinking additional magic potion, or getting a nose kiss from Falbala. It will be for a possible sequel (or a patch, let's be crazy) and so welcome when you know that the game can be difficult during certain passages.
WE WOULD LOVE THAT...
Hey, since we're talking about grievances, big disappointment about the bosses. If they are not rare, the latter are sorely lacking in finishing to be considered end-of-level enemies. Not only are three-quarters pretty easy to get rid of (some get knocked out in a few combos), but they literally have no patterns that deserve to be considered bosses. So yes, Barbe Rouge gives roundsword blows to the relief, but that's all. It is all the more regrettable that Microids and Mr Nutz Studio do not hesitate to bring them back several times in a row during the adventure, even if it means minimizing their impact in the game. Asterix & Obelix: Slap them all! moreover has a big flaw: this feeling of recycling which could have been minimized by certain choices of game design, or rhythm. Yes, the game abuses certain settings that come up far too often. We think of the level of the pirate ship that we cross in the game a good ten times, with okay a few variants (during the day, at dusk, with a rough sea), but in fact, we notice the subterfuge . Similarly, it is difficult not to point out the lack of bestiary among the Normans who boil down to one and the same enemy: the big Viking. Finally, and we'll end with this to let our dissatisfaction be known, the internship bonuses ultimately lack interest. So yes, two in coop, it's great fun to compete on the sprint on the beach, but boar hunts bring absolutely nothing. It is enough to touch the animals so that they freeze in place while the character runs automatically. Even the obstacles break without the slightest effort, when it would have been better to integrate a punitive game over to give more consistency.
To overcome these shortcomings, Asterix & Obelix: Baffez les Tous! had less the chic to offer a big lifespan for the genre. No less than 50 levels to go through, divided into 6 acts (and 5 different comics), with a sometimes very tough challenge, as we have already said. Once you have understood the subtleties in the gameplay, it takes between 7 and 8 busy hours to reach the end of the adventure and thus unlock the Free mode, which allows you to access all the levels independently. Because once the game is over, the experience does not stop there, since the hi-score component comes into play, with medals to be collected. It's quite light, we're not going to lie to each other and unless you try speedrunning and prove the power of your skill on video, it won't be enough for the replay value to be interesting in the long term. Especially if we compare what the competition does, Streets of Rage 4 not to mention it. Afterwards, nothing prevents Microids and Mr Nutz Studio from adding post-launch content, which is perhaps already the case. Fingers crossed.
