Asterix - Sega / Sega - 1991 - 2D platformer
I'm not especially familiar with Asterix and Obelix, but every game of theirs I've tried has been somewhere between subpar and outright bad, and I've played a fair number of Asterix games. Imagine my surprise when I loaded this up expecting utter crap only to find one of the best titles in the entire Master System Library. It's colorful, it controls well, the stages have interesting gimmicks, and both characters play (slightly) differently and through different stages.
Well, after the start anyway. The initial stages are pretty uneventful and force you to alternate characters, which is a bit lame, but after that things pick up and you can take whichever you like. Being the merry, rotund fellow that I am, I of course just played the entire game as Obelix, who can butt-drop and overhand chop enemies into oblivion, the most manly of ways to dispatch one's foes. There are also some subweapons you can pick up, like a rock you can chuck at people, which is kind of amusing, and a fire potion, but both have important secondary functions -- impromptu platforms across water for one and burning certain blocks with the other.
The former's secondary function is likely the most important, as although your characters can swim, neither can clear paths through breakable blocks while doing so. You get around this with the water platforms, allowing you access to your chop while effectively standing on the water. All things considered, it isn't the most impressive mechanic, but does play an important role in the game at various points and provides a kind of taste of things to come for the rest of the title.
Despite how things start out, the game is a lot less 'Mario' than I've heard some people say, and stages aren't just about reaching a goal at the right end of the stage. Instead, the goal is a locked door (which, to be fair, is usually at the far right of the stage) and a key that is hidden somewhere in the stage for you to find. The path is usually straight forward to both, at least at the start where the two are usually right next to each other, but things certainly become more complicated as the game goes on and additional height levels come into the mix, and there was at least one key that took me a significantly longer time than usual to find.
blocks1.png blocks2.png
Along with the hidden key, the game introduces a a lot of interesting mechanics to block your way as you progress. The first are probably the most staple in the game, being these white breakable blocks, and early on you have to clear them quickly to keep a floating platform on the move as the screen attempts to crush you. Later on there are pots that suck you into them, spiders that dart around their web as you try to cross it, walls that require you to drop a weight to open them, water currents that shove you all over the place (pray to God you found a potion to make platforms for this part. X_X), and then there's that absolutely cursed platform in the second picture above that bobs up and down as you try to navigate a spike filled room. All of these obstacles come into play while visiting some regular 2D platformer locals, like a burning building (ship?), a frozen area, a desert, a forest, a water based area, ect. It's a great mix of a lot of things, though I do admit it can feel a bit same-y at times.
About my only complaints for the game are that the music is rather sub par and some stages take WAY too long to get through (seriously, round 6-2, to hell with that stage). Another thing to consider is that this game is 8-bit and should be compared to NES games more than SNES/Genesis ones, which it can feel a bit bland next to. It's a solid title overall and really surprised me, so if you are up for some 8-bit platforming, especially if you enjoy the Asterix license, check this one out. It isn't as good as 8-bit Sonic 1, or many REALLY good NES platformers, but it's still . . .
an awesome game you should know about
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