Asterix and the Great Rescue Reviews

This game was actually my first exposure to Asterix in general. When I was about five or six, some neighbours had this game on their Sega Mega Drive, and we'd sometimes play it when I visited them (as well as Sonic the Hedgehog one and two, of course). Then I watched the animated film Asterix and the Big Fight, which applied voices to the characters I'd seen in the game. Eventually, I got my own Mega Drive for Christmas, and this was one of the games I bought for it. After that, I discovered the comics because my dad had a few of them, and I've been an Asterix fan ever since.

So, with that said, how does the game hold up today?

The plot is that Getafix the druid has been taken to Rome as a prisoner, and you're on a mission to rescue him. There are six levels, though each consists of around ten sections, or "rooms". In each room, you have the option to play as either Asterix or Obelix; I like to alternate between them.

At first, it seems like a decent platformer, especially combined with the fun music in the first few stages. However, back in the day, I got about four or five rooms into level one before I got completely stuck. I think what stumped me was a locked door for which I couldn't find the key. Now, finally after all these years, watching a longplay on YouTube has revealed that the key was under a patch of floor that I was supposed to bomb with an explosive pellet. I can safely say I never would have thought of that, but that turned out to be the least of this game's problems! As it progressed, it got so nonsensical that it defied comprehension!

Even early on, the power-ups are kind of weird. One of the pellets you can throw forms a cloud that you use as a platform to reach higher places, and there's another power-up that allows you freely float like a balloon! I know the Asterix comics were goofy, but I don’t recall anyone ever doing anything like that. Aside from the magic potion, the comics were mostly pretty grounded.

Then, later on, you’re doing things like riding giant washing-up bubbles! Like, what?!

But level three, the forest, is when I really started to question my sanity! Not only are there giant beetles and giant baby birds, but one of the rooms is made of coloured blocks like Lego bricks, which actually made me say out loud, "What the hell am I looking at?!"

Level four, Germany, just straight-up broke me. You pass by women who explode for no apparent reason (yes, you read that right!), and there’s one room where you’re walking on giant strings of sausages! I was so flabbergasted by that that one of my favourite Linkara quotes seemed very appropriate: "I… I think I broke something in my thinking thingy!"

I've heard plenty of people comment on how hard the game is, and I can see why. The worst part is the time limit, which is often so brutal that it gives you just barely enough time to get through the whole room. It certainly doesn't help that many of the rooms are mazelike, so expect to run out of time several times before you find the right way to go.

In conclusion, it plays okay just as a game, but I'm not sure whether the hardest part is beating the clock or staying sane through the off-the-rails visuals it keeps throwing at you! Seriously, what kind of crack were they smoking when they came up with this?!

My rating: 50%