Youth friends can be so many things. The best buddy who may even sit next to you at school, with whom you can experience the greatest adventures after the stupid work, and be just made up. Or the imaginary that everyone can only see for themselves and (mostly) disappears over the years. Then there are the cartoon characters. In the first book it was only purely adorned and got stuck in their exciting stories even as an adult.
Ducks, mice, superheroes – the selection is huge. If you like hair under your nose, you have found your choice and are therefore in good hands with Asterix and Obelix. But only two-dimensional is too boring in the long run. It is good that the world of home consoles and PCs has another to offer, the corpulent of the two show their lovely abundance and the player is allowed to guide the two mature boys in their third experience “Asterix and Obelix XXL3: The Crystal Hinkelstein” from ANUMAN INTERACTIVE SA ,
May heaven not fall on our heads
We are in 50 BC. All of Gaul is occupied by the Romans … (almost everyone can sing this introduction, if it were a musical – hopefully no creative spirit is inspired at this moment). This time, after the well-known intro “Trari, trara, the post is here!” Or at this moment only the postman of the famous village, the home of Asterix, Obelix and Idefix. The poor man was attacked and all the letters (perhaps reminders?) Stolen from the residents. Who does that?
A theoretical, guilty group is quickly found. The favorite enemy! Off to the nearest Roman camp, all legionnaires turned upside down on site and lo and behold … in a warehouse within the facility … the bag of the deliverer. With the envelopes quickly back to the messenger and her comrade, the druid Miraculix. Finally he receives an important message from a dear friend named Edda Heimdallir, the high priestess of the Thul island. Was the cry for help from her carved in stone the reason for the theft? In terms of content, there is a lot to be said for it. She was afraid of being kidnapped by the Romans and this information should not reach the recipient! But should the plan of evil have already been carried out, how can it be found and saved?
Thank goodness and coincidentally Miraculix has her Snæfellhelgajökull (please do not try to pronounce it – otherwise the tongue sticks to the palate forever) for safekeeping. A Kristallhinkelstein created by her, hence the name of the title, with the special ability to control the elements AND with the additional function of reacting to Edda like a compass. The power of the rock unfortunately turned out to be dangerous and was given to the care of the druid some time ago. To be on the safe side, the priestess removed three fragments before the change of ownership and thus defused this force of nature. In this state, Obelix, the expert for such chunks, can even wear it, and the protagonists and the dog go on a search. The stone can be navigated at the beginning, but the friends first decide to look for the missing fragments on the island in order to save the fair maiden later. How useful will it be at this point when it is restored to its full glory?
All Romans fly high
In “Asterix and Obelix XXL3: The Crystal Hinkelstein” the player is right in the middle and is not, as usual, in the passive role of a bookworm or viewer. He can direct the fortunes of our popular warhorse (alone or in pairs in co-op). So that this does not end in disaster, there is the mandatory tutorial, which begins shortly before the post theft. What would be better suited for this than a walk in the forest including encounters with wild boar and Romans! After their killing, the former have the task of replenishing the life energy in the form of several hearts – after loss. The second ones are at the heart of the game and can be pounded as intimate enemies with juicy slaps in the face to meet objectives and part of the side missions.
Here you learn the special skills of the two, which some know from the comics and the films. If the energy bar is well filled, e.g. nothing in the way of a huge chin hook and Asterix takes the opponent up into the air and back again. Among other things, Obelix can spin the Kristallhinkelstein as a weapon and woe who is then in the radius apart from dog and friend. Even Idefix lets his owner call for help and intervenes to distract him.
Otherwise you learn to destroy boxes and best to collect all shiny objects (e.g. potions). Some of these things visibly renew the energy needed. But what is the point of smashing these wooden containers and the associated counter on the screen, which also reacts to the legacies of the Romans? This will be clarified at the latest in the village shop. The higher the number, the more the two’s talents can be improved in exchange. The little WauWau and the expansion of life’s hearts were also considered. Very practical and should be used when the opportunity arises. If, however, switch puzzles and puzzles are added later, your own mind is in demand and no business can help. But who knows what the Hinkelstein will learn later – fragment after fragment.
If the solo mode of “Asterix and Obelix XXL3: The Crystal Hinkelstein” is activated, you can switch between the boys at any time. Obelix is a bit sluggish when walking than the agile Asterix, but since he fell into the cauldron with a potion as a child, he is permanently strengthened and is not dependent on the strengthening bottle like his companion. Everyone has their advantages and in the end the game situation is decisive for the choice of the active figure. However, anyone who now believes that the passive is a great help will unfortunately be disappointed. Except for a rarely executed hearty waddle against the adversary, the AI usually only runs behind and is in the worst case in the way.
So put another person on the couch and let’s go to the co-op mode, because knocking is more fun for two. Advantage: if a player dies, a gameover in this case fails (in addition to a restart at an automatically set starting point). But watch out. There is no split screen, but a split screen! That means: stay together nicely and do not diverge too far, otherwise it gets confusing at the latest on the edge of the TV.
I’m not fat …
… that’s just the look of the TV! Graphically, “Asterix and Obelix XXL3: The Crystal Hinkelstein” not only reproduces the lovely abundance of Obelix in a three-dimensional look more vividly than in the comics. The entire game environment and its characters delight both eyes from a bird’s eye view. During programming, it was meant too well when Obelix rammed the Kristallhinkelstein into the ground. Tents or podiums in the immediate vicinity are successfully razed to the ground by guards, but the dust clouds appearing on them then briefly obscure the view and give the opponent the opportunity to attack.
The voice output is definitely flawless and the German dubbing voices are perfectly selected. The cheerful-sounding accompanying music in orchestral style fits very well with the respective events. Much of what has to do with these heroes is strictly brutal, but always from a humorous point of view.
