Asterix & Obelix XXL: Romastered Review Summary

Fun, engaging gameplay and a praised retro-graphics toggle with improved visuals are undermined by poor controller support and persistent performance issues across PCs.

Graphics toggle feature highly appreciated: The ability to switch between original and remastered graphics on the fly is a standout feature, allowing players to compare and enjoy both versions seamlessly. This one-button toggle is frequently highlighted as a major highlight.

Fun and engaging gameplay: The gameplay remains enjoyable, with simple yet engaging mechanics that don't get boring. Beating up Romans and exploring levels is consistently fun.

Improved graphics and visuals: The remastered graphics are noticeably better than the original, with upgraded models, textures, lighting, and draw distance. Many appreciate the enhanced visual fidelity while keeping the original's charm.

Excellent remaster quality praised: Many reviewers consider the remaster to be well-executed, preserving the original while enhancing visuals and adding value. It earns high praise for its overall quality and polish.

Solid audio and music: The soundtrack and voice acting are well-received, with both old and new versions praised. The remastered music and added atmospheric sounds enhance the experience.

Poor or missing controller support: The PC version lacks native controller support despite releasing on consoles, and even when support exists it is broken or requires Steam Input. This makes the game frustrating to play with a gamepad.

Lack of gameplay variety: Gameplay is monotonous and too simple, with little variety. Players find it becomes stale quickly due to lack of progression or new mechanics.

Remaster is broken and unpolished: The remastered version is criticized as a worsened version of the original, with missing effects, ugly mismatched graphics, and poor lighting. Many consider it a lazy and poorly made remaster.

Repetitive and monotonous combat: Combat becomes boring and repetitive due to repetitive punching, predictable enemy variety, and button mashing. Many players note that fighting is janky and lacks depth, especially without combos.

Frequent bugs and crashes: The game is full of bugs, including game-breaking ones, and crashes regularly every hour and a half. Visual and gameplay errors are common.

Retro Graphics Toggle: Players can switch between remastered and original graphics on the fly with a single button, even during cutscenes. This feature also adjusts music and SFX for a complete retro experience.

Collectibles and Upgrades: The game features collectibles like helmets and laurels, which can be used to purchase upgrades such as combos and shields. Collecting items is a core part of progression.

Fighting Roman Enemies: Combat primarily involves fighting waves of Roman soldiers, including large crowds in final levels. Players must defeat dozens of Romans to progress and rescue friends.

Platforming and Action: The game combines platforming sections with beat 'em up combat, requiring players to navigate levels and fight enemies. It is a classic action-platformer with puzzle elements.

Challenge Modes Added: The remaster introduces new challenge modes and time trials, adding extra objectives like coin collection and timed trials. These modes provide additional replay value.

Persistent performance issues across PCs: Many players report lag, stutter, and unstable framerates regardless of their PC specifications. The issues persist even on capable hardware and affect gameplay flow.

Frequent crashes and errors: Crashes happen regularly, sometimes hourly, and errors block progress or force restarts. Some crashes occur at specific points in the story, causing repeated frustration.

Severe FPS drops in areas: Framerate drops to very low levels in certain locations or modes, sometimes making the game unplayable. Players report drops to 2-3 FPS, 30-40 FPS, and heavy lag despite good hardware.

Graphics and rendering glitches: Numerous visual bugs appear, such as black textures, water artifacts, missing effects, and AMD GPU rendering problems. Some require reinstalling or waiting for a late fix.

Positive performance experiences: Some players report smooth 60 FPS, no stutters, no crashes, and good graphics/performance. These positive experiences contrast with the widespread issues.

Wait for a sale: Numerous reviewers advise waiting for a discount or buying only on sale, as the game is not considered worth the full price. This recommendation appears frequently across many clusters.

Recommended for Asterix fans: Many reviewers recommend the game specifically for fans of the Asterix and Obelix franchise, including those who enjoy the comics, films, or classic adventure games. This is the most frequently cited reason for recommending the game.

Not recommended for non-nostalgic players: Several reviewers warn that without nostalgia, the game feels outdated, repetitive, and not worth playing. They advise against it for those unfamiliar with the original.

Nostalgia drives enjoyment: A significant portion of positive feedback comes from players who feel nostalgic about the original game or their childhood experiences with it. Many state that the game is mainly enjoyable for those nostalgic feelings.

Mixed or moderate recommendation: A number of reviewers give conditional or lukewarm recommendations, stating the game is decent but not exceptional, or only for specific tastes.

Community fair range: $5.00 - $10.00.

Game completion: 20.0h.

Story completion: 10.0h.

Endgame: 7.5h.

Most direct evidence describes combat as fun at first and then repetitive, making the time-to-fun profile fun then drops; other players report early or immediate boredom, so tolerance for repetition and jank strongly shapes enjoyment.

Friction: Repetitive combat and enemy spam; Janky controls and technical issues; Boring first level; Tedious button mashing; Difficult ice-sliding section; Empty, formulaic environments.

Unlock drivers: Using combo options when basic punching becomes boring; Co-op play, which reviewers say would have made it immediately better.

Nostalgic Original-Fan Veteran: Replays a beloved childhood platformer, toggles retro and remastered modes, and compares the remaster against the original. Motivation: Relive childhood memories and support a remaster of a favorite series. Stance: buy.

Challenge-Seeking Completionist: Plays intensely through hard battles and time trials, pursuing challenge and achievement completion. Motivation: Overcome tough combat and platforming challenges while completing achievements. Stance: buy.

Casual Relaxation Seeker: Plays in short, low-stress sessions, enjoying simple puzzles and combat without mastery pressure. Motivation: Unwind with a simple, light-hearted, family-friendly adventure. Stance: buy.

The Windows 12-15GB VRAM cohort shows negative performance, with a non-recommended report describing extreme frame drops and an unusable main menu.

Windows 12-15GB VRAM: negative. A non-recommended report describes FPS dropping to 2-3 frames and the main menu becoming impossible to use on capable hardware.

Steam Deck: The Steam Deck audit reveals a playable but friction-heavy experience driven primarily by input problems. The remaster lacks proper native controller support despite console releases, and Steam Deck users report having to manually configure Steam Input just to get the pause menu working. Some reviewers also note lingering keyboard dependencies even when using a controller, forcing a keyboard to be kept nearby. Secondary complaints concern remaster visual quality (draw distance, level borders, abrupt weather changes) and repetitive level design. No launch failures, anti-cheat errors, or frequent crashes were reported, but the required manual input configuration places the experience firmly in the tinkering category.

Polished remaster of classic game: The game is a remaster of the original Asterix & Obelix XXL, with updated graphics and sound while retaining the option to switch to the original visuals. It is a high-quality remaster of an early-2000s title.

Graphics worse than original: Many reviewers feel the remaster's graphics are worse than the original 2003/2004 game. Some claim the remaster is a worsened version in almost every aspect.

New content added: The remaster adds challenge modes, difficulty modes, HD textures, better lighting, reworked music, achievements, and new sound effects. These additions enhance the overall experience.

Remaster released in 2020: The remastered version, titled 'Asterix & Obelix XXL: Romastered', was released in November 2020. It was developed by OSome Studio and published by Microids.

Bundle availability: The game is available in a bundle with other Microids titles, and all three XXL games can be purchased together during Steam discounts. Some reviewers acquired it this way.