So, we were absolutely in for the Demon’s Souls, Tony Hawk Pro Skater and Mafia remasters. Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, Kingdoms of Amalur remasters – yeah, okay, we kind of liked the originals. Destroy All Humans! and Spongebob: Battle for Bikini Bottom: alright, it was starting to get silly. Asterisk & Obelisk XXL? Er, what? Asterisk & Obelisk XXL: Romastered is out now on Xbox One, PS4, Switch and PC via Steam.
Nothing against Asterisk & Obelisk XXL: it was a passing diversion and family-friendly fare. But it sits somewhere below Blinx the Cat and above Aero the Acrobat in the need for a remaster. We’re a little bemused that it’s managed to swig a potion and beef up for the latest generation of consoles, but we’re in some crazy remastery times. Anything can happen.
Let’s come at it with an open mind: if you’ve never played the OG game, it’s a 3D action platformer where you get to switch between Asterix and Obelisk (with a smidge of Dogmatix, if memory serves), as you plough through various regions of the Roman Empire, including Egypt, Greece and Rome. You’re chasing after your kidnapped village buddies, like Getafix and Panacea, and you’ll be winding up punches to wallop people high into the air, as you would hope from a Goscinny adaptation.
There’s some neat action asides in there too, as you turn into tornadoes to swallow up legions of Romans, and pepper phalanxes in a shooting range style minigame. Asterix & Obelisk does a decent job of mixing up the standard platforming with these sections, so you won’t necessarily get bored. There are four new game modes in the package too, layered on to the original.
While the Romaster (great name, by the way), seems to have done an okay job at beefing up the graphics, the real winner is the ability to switch to retro-graphics at the touch of a button. Fair play to developers OSome Studio, this is an impressive feat that will get love from the nostalgists among you.
Features include:
- Rediscover the first XXL adventure of your favorite Gauls in this fully romastered version!
- Toggle between Asterix & Obelix et travel accross various regions of the world such as Greece or Egypt to set free Impedimenta, Panacea, Getafix and the other villagers.
- Fight all the Romans, pirates and Vikings who will stand in your way! Nothing can stop you with magic potion.
- Cherry on the boar, 4 NEW GAME MODES are available: – Course mode for stunt lovers; – Countdown mode for speed freaks; – Extreme mode for the bravest Gauls.; – Retro mode to switch to the original graphics anytime!
Whether you remember the original or just fancy a breezy platformer, Asterix & Obelisk XXL: Romastered is out now on Xbox One and will cost you £33.49. It’s also out on PS4, Switch and PC via Steam.
Game Description:
Asterix and Obelix make an XXL comeback in a Romastered version full of Romans! The year is 50 B.C. Gaul is entirely occupied by the Romans. Well, not entirely… One small village of indomitable Gauls still holds out against the invaders. And life is not easy for the Roman legionaries who garrison the fortified camps of Totorum, Aquarium, Laudanum and Compendium. Peace reigns in the small Armorican village, where the villagers go about their daily business. Our two heroes, Asterix and Obelix, hunt wild boar, the blacksmith and the fishmonger quarrel, and the village chief strolls around the village square atop his shield. After a fine day’s hunting, Asterix and Obelix return to find their village in flames, pillaged by the Romans! They set off to rescue their fellow villagers, accompanied by their faithful Dogmatix. Their journey will take them to Normandy, Greece Helvetia, Egypt and, finally, Rome, in order to save the villagers from the clutches of the emperor Caesar…
