Review for Asterix & Obelix XXL: Romastered. Game for PC and Xbox One, the video game was released on 22/10/2020
From the barbarian lands of the North, beyond the pass of the Alps, a magic potion has reached us, a powerful concoction that has traveled like a time capsule from 2004 to the present.. A curious drink by OSome Studio and Microids that allowed us to take on the role of two famous Gauls in Asterix & Obelix XXL: Romastered.
The universe born from the French pens of René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo in the distant 1959 has been the protagonist of many videogame transpositions, including the extra extra large vein that the transalpine company has decided to dust off with a remastering of the first episode preceded by the second - always in Remastered format - and from the unreleased third chapter. An intelligent operation if understood as a way to introduce new generations to the franchise, but also a relatively lazy initiative in execution. Mind you, a remastered differs from a remake precisely because it recovers the original code and tries to file it in the technical aspects without overturning ambitions, however Asterix & Obelix XXL: Romastered appears to be an adventure that is still fun and easy-going, soiled by the bitter taste of a partly wasted opportunity, for Toutatis!
These Romans are crazy!
Gaul, 50 BC, the legions of Julius Caesar conquered every mile of land, reducing it to its own province. Only one village managed to resist their assault, a small handful of huts inhabited by apparently ramshackle people, certainly not trained for war, yet able to beat the Romans as if they were bowling pins. Asterix and his friend Obelix are the perfect example of this odd mix: one is short and apparently puny, the other is tall and fat, but together they turn into an unstoppable machine. Thanks to the Panoramix potion, in fact, they can exponentially increase their physical strength. Returning from a hunting trip, the two discover that their archenemies have ransacked their home and kidnapped their neighbors and friends.
The prisoners were dragged to the most disparate corners of the globe then known and it will be up to the protagonists to leave for a long journey - actually only about five hours - that will take us from Gaul to the shores of Normandy and then to Greece, Helvetia. , hot Egypt and finally Italy. The crossing of ours is made possible by a deserter from Rome, who will represent a precious help consisting of advice, precise indications and some bonus items. The development team did not want to embark on writing an unpublished story, instead focusing on fidelity to comics and television mythology as well as film. The result is certainly not to be penalized and both in the original game released for PlayStation 2, GameCube, PC and Game Boy Advance as in Asterix & Obelix XXL: Romastered the plot flows pleasantly in a way as simple as linear, without any change between one. and the other version.
The gameplay, for Toutatis!
If history makes lightness a virtue and thanks to this characteristic it is not affected by the weight of the years, the same cannot be said for the Gameplay of Asterix & Obelix XXL: Romastered, dragged by force into the eighth generation of consoles with some topoi of the sixth. We are talking about a dynamic adventure in three dimensions that alternates Platform phases with others of more basic exploration, while the fights instill a fighting game soul to the game. Pad in hand, the game returns the sensations of the same formula exploited in abundance in the early 2000s that went well with some tie-ins or games to be enjoyed with a friend. The journey of the two Gauls always proceeds in a rather schematic way, now through the woods, now through snowy landscapes or other environments, broken by obstacles such as barred doors or interspersed with hordes of legionnaires to be defeated.
The level design remains constant and on discrete levels, with some findings that reveal how much it too is a child of its time, including immense areas totally poor in details. The fights, many, almost never difficult, are all dedicated to button-mashing more elementary, which not even the combinations of strokes can remedy. In fact, if we fill a special bar with slaps, we will be able to give vent to some special moves to send Roman warriors upside down, always paying attention not to suffer too much damage, checking our health at the top of the screen. Among simple legionaries, centurions and archers ready to come to the charge, sometimes it will seem to have more to do with a Musou.
The content added in Asterix & Obelix XXL: Romastered in purely playful terms boils down to timed challenges called course mode and countdown mode, along with an additional level of difficulty. If you are experienced players, to the "Normal" one you may risk not feeling the sense of challenge, yet we do not feel to recommend even the one introduced by OSome Studio, which turns out to be artificial. A slightly forced addition that fails to blend well in the balance of a sixteen year old game design. In general, however, the mixture proposed by the title still remains a good light pastime, an experience to be lived aware of what you will be facing.
The contemporary version of Asterix & Obelix XXL also keeps the ever-present collectibles hidden for each level, represented by golden laurel wreaths. A little gem that gives greater longevity to your game, since finding them all will not be a walk in the park.
Galli in the present
The Gauls had requested a good update and the developers responded. Well, the most consistent changes are to be found in the technical and graphic aspect of the production, completely revised in the transition to the generation of consoles PlayStation 4 (the edition tested by us), Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. In the first instance it is a pleasure to discover the new movements of Asterix and Obelix while they are in action, characterized, like the other elements, by more refined textures. The authors have also put their hand to the game backgrounds, now certainly more captivating, and there has also been an improvement on the television format, now in full HD and in 16: 9.
The models of the characters and all the surrounding elements have been reconstructed starting from the starting material, but the result is still positive. To test the differences between the original title and Asterix & Obelix XXL: Romastered, just press one of the backbones and choose to play one or the other version.
Note of merit for the sound and music sector, which has also been reworked and very enjoyable, by virtue of tracks played entirely in the studio, unlike the original which offered synthetic instrumental pieces. The dubbing in Spanish is also being promoted today, consisting of caricature voices perfect for portraying an over-the-top panorama worthily as that of Goscinny and Uderzo has always wanted to be.
Asterix & Obelix XXL: Romastered brings back to the present day the ancient adventures of the most iconic Galli couple in comics. It does so by going through a complete revision of the technical and graphic sector, as well as of the sound and musical one. If the music, sounds and speech raise the bar of production, the graphic one remains at discrete levels without particularly exciting flashes. The sixteen years of the game weigh heavily when it comes to gameplay, composed of elements typical of that era of video games, a period full of adventures in light three dimensions, perfect for a light-hearted gaming session. Perhaps our two Gauls would have deserved a better aesthetic treatment, in light of their age, but a sip of Panoramix potion is enough to return to 2004 to have fun today as then.
► Asterix & Obelix XXL: Romastered is a Platform-Adventure game developed and published by Microids for PC and Xbox One, the video game was released on 22/10/2020
