While 2021’s Asterix & Obelix Slap Them All! wasn’t the best example of the side-scrolling beat’em genre, it was at least very well presented and somewhat entertaining. Two years later, Slap Them All! 2 aims to improve on the formula.
Featuring an original storyline, Asterix & Obelix Slap Them All! 2 finds the pair of Gauls on yet another adventure. The sudden arrival of Justforkix reveals that his father, Doublehelix, has been falsely imprisoned, and so of course they must spring into action. Cue a journey that will lead them to a variety of locations, facing off against Romans, pirates and a whole lot more along the way.
Being a sequel, Asterix & Obelix Slap Them All! 2 obviously has a lot in common with predecessor. It features the same art style, for one, which means it looks absolutely gorgeous. It does result in some deja vu at times, though, especially with many enemies being essentially ripped from the old game and inserted here. The core gameplay is very similar, too, as is to be expected, but there are some developments to freshen things up.
While Slap Them All! Has over 50 stages to play through, for example, this sequel has just over 20. But before you get your knickers in a twist, understand that the stages here are generally much more expansive. There’s no need for a seperate freeplay mode here, either, as you’re free to replay any stages you’ve already completed in adventure mode. But it’s the changes under the hood that are the most important.
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Slap Them All! 2 feels better balanced than the original game on the whole, whether you’re playing alone or co-op. You still might encounter the odd difficulty spike, though – this game isn’t a cakewalk, even on its easiest difficulty. The movesets of both Asterix and Obelix have been tweaked a little as well. Using special attacks no longer requires energy, and you can charge them for even more effect. You still have an energy meter though, which is charged by engaging in battle.
When you have at least one bar of energy charged, you can enable Fury mode if you wish, powering up your character for a short while to get the upper hand. More beneficial, however, is waiting until the energy gauge is completely charged, then you can activate an Ultimate Attack which can devastate a large number of foes without much fuss. These options still don’t make Slap Them All! 2 the deepest side-scrolling beat ’em up out there, but they do enhance the gameplay.
There are some frustrations. With so many enemies on screen at times, it can be easy to lose track of your character, especially when playing in co-op. Certain enemies can feel a bit cheap, too, repeatedly stun-locking you if you’re not careful and decimating your health bar. When it comes to co-op, once again only local play is available, and only for two players. And outside of the main story mode, there are no other options available for extended play.
Asterix & Obelix Slap Them All! 2 still isn’t the best example of the side-scrolling beat ’em genre, then, but it is undoubtedly an improvement on the original game. While Streets of Rage 4 can rest easy as the king of the genre, Slap Them All! 2 can provide hours of fun, especially for fans of the Gallic warriors. We’d certainly welcome a third adventure, anyhow, complete with further improvements.
Asterix & Obelix Slap Them All! 2 Review – GameSpew’s Score
