Asterix and Obelix Slap Them All 2 Review (Switch)
Summary: Asterix and Obelix slap them all may not be the longest of games or the deepest of games, it does pack a lot of fun into the package. Is this game on the same level as Streets of Rage 4? No but what it does it does well and I would recommend it to fans of the franchise and people looking for a chilled out Co-op game to play. With its short length (most complete in about 4-6 hours, it also does not overstay its welcome.
3.5
Repetitive Fun
Asterix and Obelix are back again to foil the plans of those pesky Romans as they continue their march of Empire building across Europe…
… well until they come to the Indomitable Village, the last holdout of the Gaelic Region!
Plot
Justforkix the Nephew of Chief Vitalstatistix comes to the village to beg for help – his father Doublehelix has been captured and held prisoner. As always the Chief knows which brave heroes to call upon. Cue in Asterix and Obelix who must now make their way across Roman Gaul to rescue Doublehelix whilst also dodging the assortment of Roman Legions, Pirates and everyday busy Gauls.
Gameplay
Asterix and Obelix Slap Them All 2 is a 2D side-scrolling beat em up following on from the previous 2021 game, in both art style and gameplay with minor gameplay additions. Both characters have different play styles and fit the usual tropes of the genre; Asterix is the smaller faster character who hits quickly but doesn’t do as much damage. Whereas Obelix is the slower stronger character who is more tanky and has harder hits and the expense of quick movement and dodging ability.
Special attacks can be done after filling the meter underneath the health bar. You have both a lower level special attack when the meter is not full and a stronger ultimate move when the bar is full that can help you wipe a larger number of enemies. Enemies in this game come in the standard beat ’em up form and most have the same sprites from the last game that is not a deal breaker but something that is a bit disappointing especially if you played the first game.
One main negative of having such a large amount of enemies on screen is it makes it very easy for your own character to get lost. I found this happened more with Asterix due to his size and the speed at which he can move around the play area. The other main negative of the overall gameplay is its repetitiveness and lack of player choice.
Also, you do not get rewarded with diverging paths at any point and the few bits of exploration normally only lead to a couple of barrels to destroy for points or a healing item. This may have been fine in the 80’s and 90’s but now gamers expect a lot more meat on the bone especially when they have been given games like the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Streets of Rage 4 both of which have innovated upon the formula.
Graphics
One place that Asterix and Obelix Slap Them All 2 can not be seen to skimp on is the graphical look of the game – each environment and character especially during the cutscenes are perfectly done and mirror the animated films very well. All of the stages have varied and detailed settings from the Roman Camp all the way to the main roadway equipped with Roman era signage. Background characters all have animations which you may not always see whilst you are punching and throwing enemies around, but knowing that they are there and they took the time to add those features is very nice to see.
Final Thoughts
Asterix and Obelix Slap Them All 2 may not be the longest of games or the deepest of games, however it does pack a lot of fun into the package. Is this game on the same level as Streets of Rage 4? No but what it does it does well and I would recommend it to fans of the franchise and people looking for a chilled out Co-op game to play. With its short length (most complete in about 4-6 hours, it also does not overstay its welcome.
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