Asterix & Obelix XXL (GBA, 2004)

This article is about the GBA game. For the PS2/PC/GC game see Asterix & Obelix XXL (2003).

Asterix & Obelix XXL
Developer	Velez & Dubail Dev. Team (now VD-dev)
Publisher	Atari SA
Release Date	June 2004
Platform	GBA
Genre	Action-Adventure

Notes:

• Can Obelix use trampolines? Yes.
• What happens if Obelix walks into a potion gourd, if possible? He can pick it up just like Asterix, but his power remains the same. So all it does is waste the item.
• Getafix appears in locations after Gaul and can be interacted with by pressing B. What happens when the player does this? He fully restores your health instantly.

The Game

Like its PS2/PC/GC namesake, Asterix & Obelix XXL for GBA is a 3rd-person action-adventure with a focus on large battles, it takes place in the same lands and reuses many of its assets, but features all-new levels and some different gameplay aspects. It was released in June 2004, at the same time as the namesake did on PC and GC.

The game also features Ob-Sleigh mode, which can be selected from the Main Menu. The Ob-Sleigh mode is a selection of sliding and swimming levels with timers and Roman counters. Some levels have to be unlocked first by fully completing locations and collecting the Gold Laurels.

Story

The story is mostly the same as in the PS2/PC/GC game.

Gameplay

The collectibles, enemies and interactive objects are mostly reused from the namesake game. The gameplay is basically the same, but with many differences:

• Characters and combat:
  • Asterix or Obelix appear on screen alone (exceptions: sliding and swimming stages). The player can switch characters freely. Consequently, one character cannot throw an enemy to the other character.
  • The player cannot grab and throw enemies.
  • Dogmatix is absent in-game. Consequently, the Launch Dogmatix and Rage Combo attacks are missing.
  • The Combo Bar drains faster, but Combos do not use it up.
  • The selection of Combos is not the same as in the original game. Only two of the original combos are present: Club Combo and Twister Combo. The game features Triple Bash and Devastator Combos. All Combos are available in the merchant’s shops starting from Gaul.
  • The Twister Combo has a smaller range than its original counterpart. It does not generate a tornado and does not change sky color or FOV.
• Objects:
  • Many objects from the original game are missing.
    • There are no iron crates due to free character switching.
  • Only Obelix can move granite blocks.
  • The game features trampolines that can be used by Asterix. They throw him up in the air.
  • Stone slabs are not activated by being stepped on. To use a stone slab, the player needs to approach it and press B.
  • The game features platforms which are activated with stone slabs and which move up and down. Their design is similar to spinning platforms, which are not present here.
  • The game features platforms which move horizontally by themselves.
  • Torches and powder barrels are introduced in Normandy.
    • The player picks up torches like collectibles.
  • The game features dangerous obstacles, which are large blocks moving up and down when the player gets close.
• In-level travels:
  • The game features swimming segments, where Obelix swims through rivers with Asterix sitting on him. They work the same way as slides. On the way, the player can hit Romans, who are swimming with lifebelts. The player will not take damage or get a Game Over if they touch the land. Swimming segments are in Gaul, Greece and Rome.
  • On the slides, the player can hit Romans, and there are no spiky balls.
  • Sliding and swimming segments are their own stages. They are finished automatically when the player gets to the end.
  • There are no boat rides.
• There are no multipliers.
• There are no shield collectibles. The player can still buy shields from the merchant.
• The player cannot double-jump out of water. This prevents cheating at platforming above water.
• There are no Save Druids. The game saves automatically after completing a stage. To finish a stage which is not sliding or swimming (see below), the player needs to approach a Roman standard or Gaulish villager(s) and press B.
• When the player enters a new stage or even a new location, their health is carried over.

Structure

Just like the the PS2/PC/GC game, this game is divided into six levels, consisting of stages:

• Gaul
• Normandy
• Greece
• Helvetia
• Egypt
• Rome

However, the stages work like sub-levels: when a stage is finished, the game displays the player’s success rate and the amount of Gold Laurels collected there, then the game is saved, and a new stage begins. Some stages are sliding or swimming segments.

Other differences

• The game offers only 3 save slots instead of 5 in the original, but the player can name saved games.
• Many sound effects are switched around. All collectibles’ SFX are switched, except for Magic Potion gourds. Gold Laurels use the x3 Multiplier sound and Golden Helmets use the x10 Multiplier sound, while the actual multipliers do not exist. When the player picks up a gourd, there is no «boom, screech» sound. When the torch is about to fade, the Helmet sound plays repeatedly.
• The spy gives different explanations of game mechanics, and, unlike in the original game, he introduces the player to the merchant (referred to as «the peddler»).
• The villagers are not locked in cages or dungeons.
• The game ends when the player interacts with Vitalstatistix. His shield bearers do not appear in-game.
• HUD differences:
  • The Combo Bar is horizontal and appears in the top middle.
  • The Combat Lock icon appears in the top left.
  • In the Ob-Sleigh mode, the player can see a timer in the top middle, and a Roman counter on the right.
• Visuals:
  • The cutscenes are somewhat different from the original game’s. They appear as slideshows with narration and character dialogue written on them. They use screenshots from the original game.
  • The skyboxes are completely different. Gaul has blue to yellow sky, Normandy – cloudy grey, Greece – blue to pink to yellow, Helvetia – greyish blue to yellow, Egypt and Rome - cyan.
    • The player visits Helvetia during daytime.
  • The spy is blond, like in the original’s beta.
  • The Gaulish village is not burning in-game.
  • Some enemies look different:
    • The legionaries’ and optios’ shields are blue, like in the original’s beta version. Roman shields lay on the ground in the Gaulish village, some of which are red but use the same insignia as the blue shields.
    • Pirates wear blue shirts.
    • Some Normans wear green pants.
    • Lions do not wear anything besides spiked collars. Some lions in Egypt and Rome are black.
  • Water textures are opaque. This is likely due to technical limitations.
  • The merchant does not hide in a box, but simply stands there.
  • The library of Greece does not have a roof.
  • When Asterix takes a gourd of magic potion, there are no visual effects besides Asterix flashing while the potion is active. There is no indication that the potion’s effect is about to end.
  • When a Combat Lock is active, the guarded object does not have red light surrounding it.
  • The crates in Normandy have snow on them.
  • When Asterix carries a torch, it does not appear on his model, but the torch’s icon can be seen all the time. In the icon, the fire’s animation does not change over the time, and only flickers when it is close to fading.
  • Instead of metal bars, the player needs to blow up walls made of logs.
  • Wall buttons look the same as stone slabs.
  • The player can find Combo tables in levels, showing key combinations.
  • The formations’ models are simplistic: they have no visible legs, and the pilums are part of the formation’s texture. Roman formations open shields when they stick the pilums out, and the Romans’ eyes can be seen only when the shields are open.
• Enemies:
  • Enemies can run out of open doors and tents.
  • Not a single enemy type drops Boar Sticks.
  • Lions do not drop Helmets.
  • Many enemies are missing. These are centurions (both types), archers, Norman chieftains, tall legionaries, pushers, ski jumpers and pirate captains.
  • Roman formations come only in rectangular shape.
  • War machines, small war machines and catapults are missing.
  • Some enemies appear in locations different from the original:
    • Pirates appear in all locations except Normandy.
    • Optios appear in all locations.
    • Roman formations do not appear until Greece.
    • Normans appear in Normandy and Helvetia.
    • Lions appear in Greece, Helvetia and Egypt.
    • Tamers appear in Greece, Egypt and Rome.
    • Jetpack Romans appear in Helvetia, Egypt and Rome.
  • The game features legionaries in golden armor and optios in golden armor. They both have red shields with the same insignia as on the blue shields. They have more HP than regular legionaries and optios and drop Golden Helmects. They appear in all locations. These enemies were likely made to replace centurions (both types), but the reason for that is unknown.
  • Jetpack Romans drop bombs everywhere they appear. The bombs look like cannonballs and explode once they touch the ground.

Production

Music & Sound

The game reuses the sound effects from the PS2/PC/GC namesake, which were done by Fabrice Bouillon-Laforest, but has its own music tracks composed by Allister Brimble.