Developer : Infogrames
Release date : 1999
Synopsis :
Asterix: The Gallic War is a turn-based strategy game with some minigames, which include platforming levels. The player must free all Gaulish provinces from the Romans and find the ingredients for one of Getafix’s potions. The ingredients are found in the end of platforming levels.
Strategy
For the most part the game takes place on an interactive map of Gaul. At the start of the game all provinces except the Gaulish village are occupied by Romans. The player needs to add cauldrons of magic potion to Gaulish provinces to raise the amount of troops there, send their troops to Roman provinces to free them or weaken the Roman troops, and move troops between provinces to where it’s more needed. The Roman troops are controlled similarly by Caesar and will usually attack the player’s territory after they finish their turn.
Minigames
Certain Roman provinces require the player to win minigames. Minigame provinces and the minigames themselves are not randomized. The game does not inform the player in advance which provinces have minigames: if the player sends troops to a minigame province, the minigame will start shortly. The more troops the player sends to such a province, the easier it will be to win. If the player wins the minigame, the province will become theirs. If the player loses the minigame, they will lose the used cauldrons and the province will stay under Roman control. If a minigame province gets taken over by Romans again, the player has to replay the minigame the next time they try to free it.
Platforming levels
Some provinces feature 3D platforming levels. Depending on the level, the player directly controls Asterix or Obelix. Both characters can jump, sprint, duck, punch, attack in mid-air and do a special attack which is a stronger punch that takes a few seconds to charge. The player has limited health, the more cauldrons they brought the more health they start out with. Health is drained by enemies’ attacks and some environment elements, like pits and rolling objects. These levels also contain collectibles, the player can earn additional cauldrons by collecting them. Coins are the most common and can be picked up by both characters. Potion gourds and cauldrons restore health, they can be collected only by Asterix and Obelix respectively. The player may find destructible objects with coins such as crates and barrels. They can also find floating blocks which contain coins or a flying bonus for Asterix.
To finish a platforming level, the player is required to beat up certain enemies (when the player is locked in an area, they must defeat everyone who comes in), reach the end and pick up the potion ingredient. If the player loses all their health, they will lose the cauldrons they used and the province will remain controlled by Romans. If the province gets recaptured by Romans, the player will also lose the potion ingredient and will need to replay the level afterwards.
Finale
After the player frees all of Gaul, they must complete two more platforming levels: a pirate ship (which ends with picking up a map) and Rome where they will get the last potion ingredient: a laurel wreath.
The game ends with a cutscene revealing that the potion was golden sickle polish, all the other villagers laughing at the revelation and having a banquet later that day.
