Asterix & Obelix: Slap them All

Listen to this post:

Since 1959 when writer René Goscinny and illustrator Albert Uderzo created the famed Asterix & Obelix characters, the duo has brought joy and humor to the world (though mostly in Europe) through their comics, animated films, and video games. The latest and certainly the most polished to be released is Asterix & Obelix: Slap Them All. It won’t win any awards with its simple, button-mashing mechanics, but it’s hands down one of the best looking and sounding games out there and will lead folks to check out the comics its based on.

via YouTube

As is the case with most of Asterix & Obelix’s adventures, you take the role of either character (and can swap between the two in single player mode) and fight off the infamous Roman empire that’s always looking to take over any land they can. Thankfully the comedic duo is all powered up on a magic potion that gives them super strength, so taking down the enemy is a breeze.

There’s all sorts of cool moves and skills you can use with each character to do so, from the small and nimble Asterix being able to move around quickly and attack from the air with jumping attacks, to the slow and powerful Obelix who picks up enemies and tosses them with little effort while slapping bad guys silly (hence the title) and pounding them into the ground left and right.

You’ll fight your way through levels that are broken up into parts as you make your way through the Romans to save your land and people. This brings me to the graphics which are simply stunning to behold, thanks to the game running at a buttery smooth 60fps and having everything hand drawn and animated, which comes off as a mix of Cuphead meets Street of Rage 4.

As soon as you start playing, you’ll chuckle in delight on how fluid and pretty everything looks and moves as you tear through loads of enemies. The sound is also nice as the music, voices, and sound effects fit perfectly. Granted, the fun quips Asterix & Obelix say while beating up baddies is awesome at first, they soon lose their spark once you’ve heard them a few dozen times.

Which also leads me to the not so great thing about this game, its repetitiveness. Now since I’m easily entertained, I didn’t mind it so much as I loved button mashing my way to victory, but most won’t enjoy doing the same thing over and over with little to no variety in the mechanics, enemy types, etc. Others may also not care for the game being a little on the easy side, especially with two player local co-op, as even on harder difficulties the enemies have a tendency to just stand there and let you wail on them with little to zero resistance.

If you’re looking for a fun, lightweight budget title to play with family and friends, you’ll want to pick up Asterix & Obelix: Slap them All. It’s not going to blow you away with its gameplay, but it’s simple and fun for whenever you want to just press some buttons. What will blow you away are the amazing visuals, animation and sound that’s hands down the best game based off the beloved characters yet.