Developer: Osome Studio
Publisher: Microids
Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Tested on: PS4
Asterix & Obelix XXL3 – The Crystal Menhir – Review
At the end of 2018 we were able to take a look at the remaster of Asterix & Obelix XXL 2, which proved to have a few nice aspects, but ended up being a dated experience. Now, a new adventure has been released, with the subtitle of The Crystal Menhir, which puts the dynamic duo in the lead of an adventure against the Romans once again. This game has been designed with cooperative play in mind and a different point of view, which should bring the series to our next-generation standards.
Story
The story of Asterix & Obelix XXL 3 – The Crystal Menhir is quite simple, as once again trouble is brewing around the last peaceful village that harbors the brave Gauls. You’ll be sent on a trip to faraway lands to collect the shards of the Crystal Menhir, which’s power will save the day in the right hands. Other than that, the game just throws you from one fight with the Romans to another, in a rinse and repeat kind of way. Most of the story is presented by voiced dialogues, which are certainly appealing for a younger audience.
Graphics
Compared to the previous games, you’ll now view the game from a top-down perspective, which allows better cooperative play. The creators respected the source material and all the characters look like a 3D rendering of the original comics they are based on. Everything does have a few rough edges, as you can see pixels sticking out of certain parts of characters and other assets. The world itself is quite vibrant and colorful, which is once again a plus. Other than that, the game doesn’t look like a next-gen game and could have easily run on the previous generation of consoles. When fighting enemies, you’ll notice a lot of copy-pasting going on, as there are only a handful of enemy models present in the game.
Sound
The sound design is fairly okay for this title. The music isn’t all too special, but it’s functional enough to accompany you on your journey. Other than that, many of the story dialogues are voiced, and they are done in a decent fashion. Some characters may sound a bit too dimwitted, but other than that, the voice acting will certainly cater to a younger audience.
Gameplay
Asterix & Obelix XXL3 – The Crystal Menhir is an adventure title that is viewed from a top-down perspective. New to the series is the ability to play the game fully with a friend. This means that each player can control one of the famous Gauls and bash some Roman skulls. That being said, you’ll soon find out that you’ll only be doing simple fetch quests, navigate through annoying obstacles and beat many Romans to a pulp, all while dying a lot, as the game has poor mechanics.
The game follows a fixed format of having to do different fetch quests that involve you punching many Romans in the face. After a few moments into the game, you’ll notice that you’ll be doing the same thing over and over, albeit with some new obstacles and enemies thrown into the mix. You’ll more than often have to go through Roman camps in order to subdue their presence in an area, or to grab something they have stolen. The overall premise of the game is extremely simple, and that’s also the game’s biggest flaw. You’ll have hardly any variety in what you’re doing, and the game also doesn’t have proper fighting mechanics, which will simply result in you dying a lot. Add in fairly poor controls and you’ll have yourself a game that barely works as it should. There is no proper blocking system, which is quite annoying when you’re surrounded by Romans. If you’re playing with a friend, you’ll more than often find yourself surviving until your friend is thrown back into the fight and vice versa.
You have some basic upgrade mechanics for both characters, which adds a bit of depth to the gameplay, but once again, it doesn’t feel fleshed out properly. Sure, you can add a few moves to your move set, or upgrade those that you already have, but it barely makes a difference. Only the crystal shards for the Crystal Menhir add a bit of variation.
Conclusion
Asterix & Obelix XXL3 – The Crystal Menhir is a very bland and boring game that fails to uplift a franchise that has been dead in the water for many years. We can’t say that the developers didn’t do a commendable effort, but the game feels rough and unpolished from start to finish. The game forces you to do the same thing over and over again, which becomes stale when you’re only a quarter through the game. While you can upgrade your characters, it’s all too little and too few to make for an interesting experience. For younger children, it might be fun to beat the hordes of Romans into submission, but they will certainly be bothered by the many annoying paths you’re forced to take throughout your journey.
Asterix & Obelix XXL3 – The Crystal Menhir - Review,
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[…] the past, we have featured quite a few Asterix & Obelix games, and while the franchise is beloved by many, it has spawned a lot of awful games over the years. […]