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ASTERIX & OBELIX XXL2: MISSION LAS VEGUM
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Author: Mento
System: PS2
Version: 1.0
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Contents
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- Introduction
- How To Play/Controls
- Collectibles/Power-Ups
- Characters
- Enemies
- General Advice
- Walkthrough
- Diamond Helmets
- Souvenirs
- Parodies
- Credits/Thanks
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Introduction
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I've been a fan of Asterix way back when. Most Asterix video game conversions,
however, tend to be rather milquetoast. Having never played the original XXL
game there was some amount of concern about the quality of a modern 3D
platformer with our Gallic heroes, but I figured it was worth a rental at
least.
The game itself is a somewhat solid platformer, as it turns out. Well worth the
small rental cost. You control the duo as you rampage over districts of the
fictional version of Rome that has become "Las Vegum". Among all the puns and
video game character parodies there's a fairly decent amount of puzzles and
challenges to keep you entertained. Just don't expect too much, eh?
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How To Play/Controls
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Left Analog Stick - Walk/Run/Push
Right Analog Stick - Move Camera
X Button - Jump (press twice for a Double Jump)
Square Button - Regular Attack
Circle Button - Stun Attack
Triangle Button - Grab an enemy (when stunned)*
R1 - Launch Dogmatix
R2 - Switch between Asterix and Obelix
L2 - First-Person view
* Pressing any of the main four buttons while holding an enemy performs a
special grab/throw move. Pressing Square or Triangle will throw an enemy you're
holding, which comes in useful for Targets and the like.
Your goal is to reach the captured druids throughout the areas of Las Vegum. To
do this, you need to progress through the areas, solve puzzles and defeat
whole groups of soldiers in melees. While doing this, you will want to collect
the game's currency (helmets) so you can buy all sorts of bonus items from the
Souvenir shops.
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Collectibles/Power-Ups
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Helmets - Standard fare, helmets work as currency in stores. As well as regular
helmets and golden helmets (worth 10 regular) you'll also need to watch out for
hidden Diamond Helmets (referred to in the guide as DH) which are worth
considerably more than the others. You'll need to find as many Diamond Helmets
as possible to unlock everything. There's five of them in each area of Las
Vegum and they all have hints.
Multipliers - Grabbing these things will boost the amount of Helmets you
collect. The effects are cumulative, meaning you can get two x10s and end up
with x20. These multipliers eventually wear out though, so you'll need to keep
collecting them for the big payloads.
Boar Ham - Big ol' meat shanks from boars: Asterix and Obelix's favorite prey.
Each one will replenish some health points. You can usually find them in
baskets. The baskets will eventually run out though.
Shield - Shields are your health points in this game and finding a new Shield
will boost your maximum health by one. Very useful. You start with three
Shields.
Magic Potion - THE Asterix-themed power-up, the magic potion will make Asterix
(not Obelix) incredibly strong for a short duration. It's needed to defeat
enemies quickly as Asterix. There are markers on the ground where you can find
more magic potion if you run out.
Fruit Machine - Gambling's pretty risky, but apparently some of these Fruit
Machines do pay out if you spin them. Costs some Helmets to play, the amount of
which you can decide on beforehand. Don't rely on them for cash or food if
you're in a jam, but there are a few which may make it worth your while.
Souvenirs - These need to be bought at the Souvenir Merchant stands you'll
come across. They come in three categories: Postcards, Characters and
Cutscene Videos. You'll need plenty of Diamond Helmets for the first two
categories.
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Characters
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In case you're unfamiliar with the world of Asterix and Obelix, here's a quick
list of characters in the game:
Asterix - One half of the heroic duo, Asterix is a small blond Gaul with a lot
of courage and smarts. Though not as strong as Obelix, he's able to fit into
some of the smaller places during puzzle elements and can be just as powerful
in a fight with the help of some magic potion.
Obelix - The other half of the heroic duo, Obelix is a big lug with a fondness
for boar meat and pointy rocks called menhirs. He's got permanent godlike
strength and nigh-invulnerablility because he fell into the magic potion
cauldron as a baby (something that is always pointed out to him whenever he
asks for some magic potion).
Dogmatix - Obelix's little white dog. Just as fearless as Asterix and Obelix,
this dog has numerous ways to help you throughout the game, either as a weapon
or as a divining rod for points of interest.
Getafix - The white-bearded druid of the village. Apparently the villain of the
picture, but we all know something weird's going on with that. He creates the
magic potion that the village relies on.
Vitalstatistix - The red-haired chieftain of Asterix and Obelix's village.
Often lacking in wisdom but never in courage.
Sam Schieffer - A traitorous Roman who has sided with the Gauls for reasons
unknown. He'll help out a lot throughout the game, dispensing tips and opening
passages for you. His distinctive helmet with three green lights is oddly
familiar.
Julius Caesar - Leader of the Roman Empire and owner of Las Vegum. You'll meet
him at the end of the game. Lots of him, in fact.
Larry Craft - Caesar's stooge, a warrior with two swords and a curious green
outfit. A somewhat homely version of Lara Croft.
Battermix - One of the three captured Druids, currently trapped in Venetia.
He'll give you a new combo attack once you've rescued him. He's a lot more
French than the other Gauls in the game.
Kerosene - One of the three captured Druids, currently trapped in Lucksore.
He'll give you a new combo attack once you've rescued him. Hails from the cold
north and isn't the most garrulous chap.
Suchafuss - One of the three captured Druids, currently trapped in Pirate
Island. He'll give you a new combo attack once you've rescued him. He's Greek
and fairly hyperactive.
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Enemies
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Romans - General footsoldiers of the Roman Empire that guard Las Vegum. Have
been stocking up on frequent flyer miles ever since Asterix and Obelix showed
up.
Armor Legionnaires - Advanced form of the above. As well as a little tougher,
they can often go into formations to make themselves difficult to hit.
Centurions - Golden-armored individuals who will often deflect your attacks
with his sword. You'll need to wait until he attacks you, dropping his defence,
or try throwing a Roman at him.
Armor Centurions - Steel warriors who can fire swords at you. Like the
Centurions, they can't be directly attacked as they'll just block you. Wait
until they're running away or about to attack and then stun them.
Shield Romans - Legionnaires with shields and maces. Knock out the shields with
a stun attack and then defeat them as usual.
Armor Shield Romans - Name's a little redundant, but these guys aren't. They
have axes now, making a lot more challenging. Same system as before: remove
the shield and then commence with the pounding.
Egyptian Guard - Acts just like the Shield Romans. Take out their shield with
a strong attack and bam, they're open.
Pirate - Like a regular Roman, these guys are weak and have no way to defend
themselves from attacks. They can hurt if they hit you though.
Pirate Lord - Like the Shield Romans, you need to take out the shield first.
Robo/Undead Roman - Confusing. The way they spring out of the ground in a
green mist suggests undead, but why are they solid gold? Is there a reason?
Either way, you need to defeat them like the Rayman Romans by smashing their
fallen bodies with a dive bomb (jump + circle button attack) to finish them.
Roman Phalanx - A group of Romans guarding themselves behind a barrier of
shields. Attacking the front line enough will smash through to the next line of
shields, allowing a few Roman soldiers to get loose and attack you. The Phalanx
will occasionally stick out their spears, hurting you if you're too close.
Mario Roman - A Roman who is dressed in bizarre red clothing and carries a
water shooting device on his back. His longe-range water pistol, though
completely harmless damage-wise, will still annoy you and keep you away.
Dogmatix can be used here to stun the guy if you can't get close.
Ryu Roman - A Roman who has spiky hair and attacks by shooting fireballs out of
his palms. Dies in slow motion with a prolonged "AAH".
Pacman Roman - Considerably tougher than regular Shield Romans, the Pacman
Roman attacks by bashing you with his shield and occasionally separating it
into two jagged swords to attack you with. You'll have to wait until he's
turned his shield into the two swords before you can damage him.
Rayman Roman - Packs a powerful punch but can be easily defeated by continually
dive-bombing them. They must be taken out with a dive bomb while stunned on
the ground otherwise they'll just keep coming.
Sonic Roman - Like Sonic the Hedgehog, these guys run around fast. They'll try
to peg you with their rings but are otherwise fairly easy to beat.
Deth Mach - A burly legionnaire with a chest iris and a fashionable horned
helmet. As well as his most potent weapon, his chest iris is also his biggest
and only weakness. Smash it three times to end Deth Mach with a monster kill.
Each Deth Mach arena is slightly different, but the end result is the same.
Larry Croft - As an opponent, Larry's very much like the Pacman Romans. He
wields two swords and needs to be attacked at the right moment, after which
he'll collapse and be open to attacks for several seconds.
Julius Caesar - Julius attacks like any regular Roman soldier in the game, in
that he's unable to defend blows. He does, however, hit really really hard.
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General Advice
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* Sam Schieffer, your thinly-veiled Splinter Cell-parody helper, will give you
all the basic help you need. He's also important for a lot of the story events.
* Tip Bonuses are always worth going after. The combos can start getting rather
difficult to follow after a while, but magic potion can be a lifesaver if
you're surrounded by Romans. Plus, you'll get other rewards occasionally too.
* Dogmatix is a useful little pup when something valuable is nearby. Though
small, he makes his presence known (either through dust trails or barking). He
can be used to beat up a lot of Romans in a hurry with the R1 button too.
* Shields, once depleted, will disappear, limiting your maximum health.
Whenever a shield looks like it's about to go, head for the nearest food
basket to replenish it. New Shields are fairly common, but not as common as
food, so prioritize them appropriately. You can never drop below a three
Shield minimum and the absolute maximum is six Shields.
* Combat Tips:
1) Grab any and all magic potion you can find. Not only do enemies die a lot
faster while magicked but you have access to the Super Combos you receive from
rescued Druids. Something like the Falling Menhirs can wipe out a force of 60+
before it wears off. Just watch the counter go down as you spam the Square
button.
2) If an enemy is well guarded or you can't get close, use Dogmatix. He'll find
a weak spot (almost always around the ass area... ah, alliteration) and stun
him for you, making him easy to finish off.
3) Use the stun and grab techniques. The whip move can be used to stun nearby
units to grab after you're done with the one you're holding, the throw can be
used to peg faraway units or Targets and the power bomb can wipe out a small
radius area of targets.
4) It's highly recommended you beat the first few enemies up with your normal
attacks so that your fists become aflame. All of your attacks will become more
potent while your fists are burning, especially the grab tactics above.
5) Bears repeating: Always aim for the Tips Bonuses. Unless it's something like
10x, which you probably don't need in the thick of a massive melee. You'll get
all kinds of healing items like Boar Ham (which will heal all damage) and
Shields (which heals all damage and gives you more health).
* Money Raising Tips:
1) Obviously, get every Diamond Helmet out there. They're worth 10000 Helmets
each. I've not tested this, but I suppose you could get a high multiplier and
then collect one for mucho dinero. I would think the game would stop you from
getting that much cash in one go though.
2) Pre-LuckSore - There's a dark area in Venetia where regular Romans keep
respawning near a Target. The "10x" Tips Bonus seems to come up A LOT around
here, allowing you to keep on getting them at a maximized "100x" for as long
as you need. Send Romans flying into the now inert Target to turn them into
Golden Helmets, worth 1000 each with the big multiplier.
3) LuckSore - There's a fruit machine that fulfils the three important
requirements, in my eyes, for raising cash: It's (relatively) fast, there's no
fighting involved (which can often wear you down and kill you, let alone
distract you) and it's right next to a Souvenir store. The payout is pretty
good once you hit 100x (around 6 grand per win) and it reaches 100x fairly
often. You will suffer the occasional losing streak, though, so be patient.
4) Pirate Island - In the port area, close to where you take the cable car
all the way to the monkey head to light his left eye, there's a fruit machine
that costs 1001 to play each time. Each win will instantly net you 3 10x (or
30x) as well as a lot of helmets. At 100x, you'll be gaining the equivalent of
a Diamond Helmet each win. There are enemies around and it's in the middle of
nowhere, but you'll make a lot more money faster.
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Walkthrough
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After the opening cutscenes we start in Lutetia, the opening/tutorial area of
Las Vegum.
Lutetia
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Wander around this little opening area to get your bearings. There's a few x3
multipliers around so grab them as then get all the golden helmets you can find
around here, as well as the ubiquitous blue-tinted helmets (a lot of which are
in piles of crates). You'll also meet someone who appears to be Mario (from
Super Mario Sunshine, if the FLUDD-like device is anything to go by), but he's
fairly weak.
After defeating the guards at the gate, you'll get a cutscene where your
dubious friend finds a secret way in for you. Head through the newly opened
passage. Follow the path (you'll have a jumping section or two) to eventually
reach a crossroads where your next task is clear: light the four torches.
In the first room you'll meet the first melee puzzle: You need to defeat a
stream of Romans until you've reached the target number that will open the
door. Practice using all three attack buttons (use Triangle only if the enemy's
stunned) and you'll easily make the necessary 10 casualties with your
companion's help. Head through the now-open door.
You'll get a tutorial on the Tips Bonus now. Once it ends (you can't skip it..
annoying) you'll meet a single Roman. Use the X-Circle combo (a jumping attack)
to win yourself some magic potion. With this sudden boost in power, take out
20 Romans to open the next door. If the potion runs out, another Tip Bonus will
present itself so you can get more. The 20 Roman target should just fly by
(literally).
Through the door, you'll find the first of many baskets, which replenish
health. Dogmatix will run straight for these when he sees them so keep that in
mind. Light the first torch and head into the next torch area.
Sam breaks the fourth wall for a moment to describe how you'll need to split
the duo up in some areas to solve puzzles. As Asterix, head through the gap
in the wall and hit the small red button near the door. It'll allow Obelix
through. As Obelix, jump into the Obelix-Launcher (it's a round cannon thing
with blue stripes) to launch him to the upper floor. Hit the lever to activate
a pinball-esque bumper which gets Asterix up. While both characters are up
here, stand on either switch (the AI-controlled character will automatically
stand on the other) to open the door. Light the second torch.
In the third room you'll be introduced to the cable car. As Asterix, walk onto
the car. You'll automatically become Obelix, who needs to grab onto the rope
and walk around so the cable car follows the guide rope to the other side. Up
here, hit the switch to make a platform rise so Obelix can get up. He can them
smash the special reinforced door (only Obelix can do this) to reach the third
torch.
Fourth room and a few more video game cameos appear. See the distinctive look
on that bomb? Or those weird "fragile walls"? Push the red block as Sam says,
your character will automatically move it to the back. Get on it and hit the
switch to drop the conveyor belt area that was blocking the bomb in. Push the
bomb (use the arrow to avoid the wall) until it reaches the fragile wall. Push
it into the wall and run away. You'll need to push another bomb through to
blast the next wall through here, which involves pushing the bomb up a ramp.
After that's done, follow the path up to light the fourth and final torch.
The door opens, revealing the first Diamond Helmet (DH) of the game, as well
as the first save point. Grab the DH and save. Head up the long path to fight
a bunch of Roman soldiers (and that Mario guy again) and keep heading up until
you reach a small area with a big red push block. Pushing this block into the
sea will open up the first big area of Lutetia.
Run around and collect all the helmets and beat up the soldiers. If you head
across the bridge you'll see that it's out, but there's a few things to collect
in the water. Drop down where that line of helmets is to find a 10x and
continue getting all the helmets down here. There's a Shield just under where
the bridge has been broken too. The DH here can't be reached yet. Back into the
village proper, get Asterix into the cable car and carry it around with Obelix.
You'll be ambushed a few times, including a fight where a new Tips Bonus
appears. Hitting the right combo (stun, pick-up and then swing with Circle)
will net you another new Shield, which are invaluable. At the end of the cable
car journey is a lever that opens the way up to the Arc de Triomphe area of
Lutetia.
You can save the game here. Head through this little subway area and you'll
come out to the big main square hub area of Lutetia. Here, you'll fight a
massive (for now) 45 Romans to unlock the way to the three switches which will
open the routes to the next three parts of Lutetia. Among the regular
legionnaire enemies you'll fight about five Centurions (who have golden armor
and therefore drop golden helmets when dead) as well as a few more Mario-type
soldiers. Currently, the only open door leads back to where we came from, so
let's open the route to the Eiffel Tower by hitting the blue switch. Head
through the newly opened door. The reason we're not heading to the Obelisk yet
is because there's a flame shield up blocking access.
In this area, you need to quickly defeat the three groups that are guarding
the switches. Doing so will make the bumper in the middle active so you can
climb the Eiffel Tower. Keep defeating enemies on switches as you head up and
you'll soon reach the top. Hit the lever up here to drop a cage back in the
first main area of Lutetia. Follow the trail of helmets down to hit another
switch which will get you the second DH for Lutetia.
Head back to the three switches and activate the red one now to open the way
back to the Notre Dame area. First of all though, there's the slight problem of
the 70-odd guards to defeat first. Among them are the new Shield Romans, which
need a stun attack (Circle) to take out their shields before you can hurt them.
Back in the first area, you have another 70-man bout to contend with. You'll be
introduced to the fireballing Romans, yet another video game parody. Take them
all out and reach the button you unlocked to make a boat appear. The boat will
pass under the DH you couldn't get before, so grab it this time. At the end
you'll reach a door that needs a toll which you should be able to pay (though
it's a little annoying spending all that cash). Go through the door to reach
a new area of the game: Venetia (don't worry about the other parts of Lutetia
like the Obelisk and the two remaining DHs: we'll be back for those later).
Venetia
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Venetia, or Venice, has the first of the three Druids we're supposed to be
rescuing. Right away we have an 81-man battle here with the locals. Don't
worry, they're nothing but regular Romans and the occasional Centurion and
there's plenty of magic potion in the Tips Bonuses. Head through the newly
opened door.
Sam will explain what to do next. In case you missed it, double jump where the
donut-shaped platform is and hit Circle on the way down to smash the floor
here, letting water in. You can reach the other side of the now filled canal.
In this big area, you need to first send Obelix across by using the Obelix
Launcher here. Take out the Mario clone on the switch to raise a platform back
where the Launcher is. But first, while you're swimming back with Obelix, head
to where there's a little bridge in the watery area. The clue for the first
Venetian DH is "little stone bridge" so as you'd expect, there's a hidden DH
near where this bridge is. Search around for it and get it, then head back to
that raised platform. As Asterix, head into the cable car station and release
another switch from the Mario dude standing on it. This will make bridges
appear to the centre platform, as well as a bridge to the platform Obelix
shoots over to in the Launcher. Send Obelix across first, then get Asterix back
across so you can activate the double-switch up on the centre platform.
This opens a new door with a new enemy: Pacman Roman! You'll have to defeat
both him and the handful of Romans with him to get through to the next area.
Head up on the roofs and look out for where Dogmatix is pointing: a row of
golden helmets that leads to a bumper, which then drops you next to the 2nd DH
for this area. You'll reach the first Roman Target area of the game and Sam
will explain how to stun a Roman, pick him up and throw him at the Target when
you're pointing at it. Particularly quick players will actually be able to
hit the Target three times while Sam is still talking. After three hits the
Target allows you to pass on through. You'll reach another Target here, this
time for five hits. It'll reveal the way into a building.
Before you go, you can actually rack up a decent amount of helmets if you're
patient enough. You'll receive a lot of 10x Tips Bonuses with the Romans that
keep spawning near this Target. You can reach a possible total of 100x, meaning
you'll receive 100 helmets for every normal one you get from killing a Roman.
Doesn't sound like a lot, but after about five minutes you can get close to
what you get for a DH (and those are limited). It's up to you. Either way, I'd
remember this place for later in case you need to buy something from the
Souvenir stands.
In this large area, you need to light the four torches again. Sam won't be
telling you where they are, so you have to find and light all four while
fighting all the Romans in this area. Start by hitting the two 4-man Targets
on either side of where you came in. This'll reveal a way to the first (well,
second) torch, which you need to light. The next torch is at the back of this
area, up the platforms going in and out of the wall. The third is through an
Asterix-only thin gap under the scary clown thing's legs and will involve
defeating an entire Roman Phalanx. The fourth is using the Obelix-Launcher to
reach another Roman Phalanx area. Getting all four torches will reveal the way
down. First, though, head to where there's another cracked floor and use the
square shaped platform above with the hole to do another dive bomb. Follow this
area through by hitting the Target to reach the third DH of Venetia.
Head down into the area that opened up after lighting the torches. This Phalanx
will never stop marching forward, replenishing its ranks. In order to defeat it
you need to keep knocking out rows of soldiers until you find the magic potion,
the effects of which will quickly defeat the rest of the Phalanx before they
can regroup.
Head through the next series of inconsequential rooms until you reach an open,
watery area. Swim through the water and keep heading left (or forward) until
you find a shield and a little area with a red beam shining off the ground.
This is the first Souvenir Shop of the game which is now activated and can be
operated from the menu. You can buy Postcards here, see the section below for
a list. You need to buy the Postcards in order, though.
Follow the way out of this canal and prepare for another cable car area. Like
the first big cable car puzzle back near the Notre Dame in Lutetia, you'll
need to fight a lot of Romans as Obelix while Asterix is trapped in the cable
car. After using each bunch of Romans to activate the nearby Targets and
activating a bridge, take Asterix all the way to the belltower where he can
hit the switch to open the next area. Before we do that, go back to where that
spinning sign was after the first Target. Dogmatix will point out a small
switch at the base of this spinning sign. Hitting it will activate a bumper
around water-level which will lead to a series of bumpers culminating in the
fourth DH of Venetia.
Through the newly opened door. Another arena to fight through, this time with
81 dudes in it. Nothing too challenging, though the many trios of Mario Romans
will make it annoying for you. You'll unlock two doors: One to a narrow
Asterix-only passage and the other to an Obelix Launcher. Take the Obelix
Launcher first since that's the easier puzzle. You need to defeat the Pacman
Roman who is guarding a Target and then shoot as many regular Romans at the
Target before another Pacman Roman comes along. After the Target is complete,
it's just a small matter of some moving platforms to reach the first of two
torches to open the path to the Boss.
The second part, with Asterix, is a little tougher. Though the fight to hit the
Target is easier, you have a long cable car section to deal with before you're
allowed near the second torch. This section introduces looping: something that
Asterix can do in an automatic cable car. He'll spin the cable car so it's on
top of the rope and try his best to keep it there. If you've ever played Tony
Hawk's Pro Skater, you should be fairly proficient at the balancing act you
must do to stay pointing up.
You also have a second goal up here. There are three bells which you smash up
here to release a cage holding the fifth and final DH of this area. Do it on
the first try with all the multipliers and you're laughing, though it's
incredibly difficult to time it perfectly the first time.
First, loop when the icon tells you to to avoid the arrow sign. Then, loop a
few seconds later to hit that first bell. The best time is just when you reach
the corner and start heading up. Drop (by pressing Square again) and continue
on. Right after you pass under the sign hit the loop button to get the next
bell. You need to be quick, but not too quick that you hit the sign by
accident. As you come back around, loop again to clear the sign and quickly
drop again to collect the third and final bell. This will release a cage. Make
sure to be looping when you go past the cage to collect the DH. Loop again
before getting to the final stretch to avoid the moving platforms Obelix
activated (maybe you should've done Asterix's path first after all..) to reach
the torch and light it. You can now pass through.
Keep in mind if you fall down or miss a bell, all three bells will come back
and you'll have to attempt to hit all three again on the next trip around.
In this new room, you'll first have to defeat another Phalanx of Romans. Same
situation as the last time you faced them, just wear them down until you reach
the magic potion. Then, kick the crap out of all of them. Don't let them knock
too much health off you, because you're going to need it for the big guy coming
up next.
To defeat the big minotaur/gladiator guy, run away from him and get some
distance. Find the nearest lever (they shouldn't be too hard to spot) and flip
it as soon as the big guy is standing at one of the corners. A big weight will
drop on his head, stunning him. Climb onto his back and choose to "open the
iris" with the Square button, then as the other character bop him on the chest.
It'll knock off one of his three health points.
He'll start firing flaming cannonballs out of his chest now, so make sure to
dodge them. Follow the course around, letting him blow up the gate that's
blocking you with a fireball, until you reach the blue target zone and the
nearby lever. Wait until he gets under the weight again (he'll be firing a few
more fireballs before that happens) and repeat the iris maneuver to knock him
down to one last hit point.
At this point, the only available lever and weight dropping point will require
him to actually pass you first. Stay close to the lever and let him get close,
then quickly run past him and head in the other direction, away from the target
zone. He'll have a new attack to avoid, which fires a volley of fireballs
around, so make sure not to run into them. Don't get too far ahead either, or
he'll change course in the direction you don't want him to go. Just be patient
and allow him to follow at some distance. Reach the lever, wait for him to
walk under the weight and then finish the big bastard off.
Free Battermix to receive both a new Special Combo (only works when you have
magic potion unfortunately) and reveal the way forward all the back in Letutia.
Head back there now, taking the long route (and racking up more helmets or any
DHs you missed).
Lutetia
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Won't be here long. Before we can reach the Obelisk, though, we need to take
care of another melee in the Arc de Triomphe. 60-man this time, with several
of those Street Fighter guys. At the 45-man mark, the platform holding the
magic potion will rise out of your reach, so don't rely on it for this battle.
Afterwards, you'll see a Target on the side of the Arc. Not sure if it was
there during the battle or even during the first visit to the Arc, so forgive
me if it was. Just throw two of the Shield Romans at it and then throw two more
at the sign on the other side to open a secret compartment with the DH. If you
run out of Shield Romans (they don't respawn and there's only about 5 or 6)
head into the lift to the Obelisk and back down again to bring them back.
Open the way to the Obelix and continue through the enclosed lift areas to
come to an open area with the obelisk. You need to get past a bunch of barrels
first, so dodge your way up the slope. Your objective is to take the two side
routes (once again, with an Asterix-only passage and an Obelix-only Launcher)
to drop two bombs from above and then place them in the gaps next to the
obelisk, toppling it. Grab the DH that appears, the last one for this area.
Before moving across the fallen obelisk, find a doorway that's made out of
the reinforced metal you saw way way earlier in the game. Smash through it with
Obelix to find the second Souvenir store of the game. You don't need to fork
out any money for the Character Gallery, just find more DHs to complete it. You
should be up to an even 10 now, so both Asterix, Obelix and about 9 Roman
enemies should be available. You can also buy more Postcards if you have the
cash, though keep in mind it will cost almost 30 grand in helmets to enter
LuckSore. Once you're done here, head across the obelisk and up the path to
reach the entrances to LuckSore and the WCW. You can't enter the latter just
yet so pay up to get into LuckSore.
LuckSore
--------
Your first task in LuckSore is to kick 80 Roman asses before you're allowed
into the Sphinx. Most of these enemies will be the new Egyptian guards, which
are identical to Shield Romans strategy-wise. Once all but 10 Romans have been
defeated, you'll meet the game's first Rayman Romans. You'll need to knock
them down so they're in pieces and then use a jump-circle attack to dive bomb
them into oblivion. Otherwise they'll just keep getting back up.
Before entering the Sphinx, drop into the water and collect the helmets. Look
out for a switch on the left side of this pool/moat and activate some platforms
with it. Head up and find the last Souvenir store of the game, which gives you
Videodivix (or the movies). You can't buy or earn movies by finding stuff,
they become unlocked as you progress through the game and watch them firsthand.
There's also something else we need to do in this area before entering LuckSore
proper. Grab the magic potion and quickly head to the sphinx that's to your
third left from the magic potion (it should be on the first right as you're
coming into this area). If you get there quickly enough, the entire sphinx
will be taken out by the explosions you get from the potion. The first DH of
this area is in the rubble left over.
Go inside the big Sphinx for another cutscene with our helpful traitor.
After it's over, check where the stone block was dropped to find a bomb. Push
the bomb to the block and blow it up, revealing the next DH. Into the next room
and you'll be introduced to the Sonic Romans, though only briefly. They'll run
off and block the exit in high areas, so follow them by taking the three routes
out of this room. Each door has a Target that needs to be hit first. We'll
take the left door first.
Through here you'll find a permanently spear-pointing Phalanx. We'll need to
find another way past them. Use the bumper to get higher then activate the next
bumper with the lever. Follow the bumpers around to land behind the Phalanx
with some magic potion nearby. Take it and destroy the whole Phalanx to reveal
a switch. Press it to open the door. Before moving on, head back to the first
bumper in this room and look for a nearby bumper in the shadows. Jump to it
(after hitting the first bumper) to reach a very obscure DH.
A little further on and you'll come across another three way split. Once again,
throw Romans into the Targets to open all the doors. Each door leads to a
similar jumping puzzle with floating round platforms: reach the other side by
timing your jumps and light the torch. Once all three torches are lit, you'll
have to fight a neverending stream of Sonic Romans. Throw them at the Roman
Well that opened up (which is just like a Target) and enter the new door that
opens. Light the first of the three peacock beacons (the ones that point light
beams at the big NBC logo at the back there).
Head to the next area, which will be the right passage closest to the entrance.
There's two Phalanxes here, so pick one and destroy it utterly and then go for
the other one. There are Shields at either side so don't worry about losing too
much health (unless you lose all of it, in which case you should probably
worry). Press on either switch left after killing the Phalanxes and your pal
will step on the other to open the way.
In this big area full of trees and water, you're informed about what to do
with quick shots of the bomb and Tetris walls. Make sure the left path behind
the bomb is open (it should be default) and take care of the Romans around the
bomb. Push the bomb through the door into a new room (if you use the bumpers
in here you can reach a lot of helmets in the upper areas). Keep pushing the
bomb and you'll come back out where all the water is. Just next to the doorway
you came out of is another one with the Tetris wall. Blow it away and light the
torch. Use the switches in the middle to open the other door into the back room
and push the bomb through it in much the same way as before. You'll eventually
reach the other Tetris wall and torch.
Before leaving through the newly opened door, look at the pillars close to
the doorway where you came out with the second bomb, close to the second torch.
There should be a little red switch. Hit it and look for the bumper (it's the
furthest point from the switch, go figure) and use it to reach a DH floating
above the area. Now exit through the new door and light another peacock beacon
switch thing. Drop down and open the final door now.
Like the first door, you'll meet an inpenetrable Phalanx. Jump over it with
the platforms near the ceiling and grab the potion. Smash the Phalanx to pieces
and hit the switch. Through here is a melee, 60 enemies, most of which are
Sonic Romans. It's a tough fight, but there's a Shield lying around if you're
desperate. Shields not only give you more energy but they also heal all the
damage you've taken. But I guess you already knew that. Defeating the 60 target
will open the way to a bomb and three doors.
Take the bomb along the short passage and leave it outside the first door. Go
in and take care of the two Targets and all the enemies, then go back and carry
the bomb in. Smash the Tetris wall and you'll be warped to the first torch.
Light it and take a new bomb around to the second door. Defeat the enemies
inside this pool area and find the switch behind the waterfall. Use it so the
bomb is on the moving platform and has been sent up. Jump up there and push it
to the Tetris wall for the second torch. Once again, push the bomb around the
circuit and blow up the wall to the third room. In here, make your way up the
crazy platforms and around to the platform with a hole to bomb dive into the
shaky floor tiles. This will warp you to the final torch. Light it to reveal
the door out as well as break the cage that has a DH back in the waterfall
room. Go get the DH first and then continue through the new door to hit the
third and final peacock beacon.
Boss is up next. Hope you got lots of health. If not, head to the second door
to get those two Shields again. When you're ready, head through the newly
opened door.
It's Deth Mach again, though the boss fight is slightly different this time.
Instead of levers and weights we have lights on the floor and a deadly spiky
middle bit. First, you need to turn off the three lights that show up. This
can be done by having the big guy stand on one or fireball one from a distance.
After all three are out the central block thing will sprout spikes. Get the big
lug to "corner" you so you're between him and the spikes. When he laughs, he's
about to shoulder charge you, so quickly get out of the way and let him run
headfirst into the spikes instead. This is your cue to do the usual "open iris,
bop him on the iris" routine.
Deth Mach has all the attacks he had at the end of the first battle, but now
starts with them. He gains, after one hit, the ability to teleport around the
arena. Don't let him teleport anywhere near you because the explosion when he
lands will hurt. He doesn't do anything new after the second hit, as far as I
can tell. Three hits and he's a goner. Again. Free Kerosene and we'll be on
our way to the newly opened WCW Arena. If you'd like you can stop by the
Souvenir store once again, though keep in mind a massive 99999 toll is coming
up after the next area.
WCW
---
Before we enter the WCW proper, we're given an overview of the courtyard as
well as several entrances. There's three in total that we can reach at the
moment: One involves the Roman Well Target, which will open the left path into
the arena.
The second involves following the route along the top of the pillars to a
switch. Watch out for the unstable circular platforms up here.
The third, and the one we'll be going through, is the Warp Pipe. Unlike the
other two, you don't need to do anything to unlock access to the Warp Pipe.
Either head straight for it or unlock either or both of the other two entrances
for later before going in.
I'll stress that the Warp Pipe is optional, but the reward is worth it. Head
onto the floating blocks and make your way to the first Mario Roman. It
doesn't matter if you get knocked off the wall because a few blocks will rise
to allow you to restart at the same Mario Roman. Follow the path and avoid
the Thwomp things coming out of the wall. A few more platforms, watch out this
Mario Roman doesn't knock you off (you'll have to head back to the previous
Mario Roman if he does) and make your way to the top. Hit the lever up here
(the Romans don't matter) to activate a magic potion square for Arena Challenge
2. Believe me, it'll come in useful. Head back up the Warp Pipe to the
courtyard.
Challenge 1:
Take the right entrance to the WCW arena from the courtyard. You need to throw
the right number of Romans at the Roman Well first. Inside is the first of the
WCW Challenges, each of which will net you a DH. The first one isn't actually
all that easy, since you have a time limit and a moat of deadly lava. Simply
destroy the 50-odd number of Romans, who are mostly comprised of Legionnaires,
Rayman Romans and Sonic Romans before the fuse hits the bomb. Best bet is to
plug away until you see a magic potion and then go all out with it. You
actually have plenty of time regardless, so just concentrate on not getting
your health worn all the way down.
Challenge 2:
The left entrance to the WCW arena from the courtyard takes you to a melee with
a mighty 130 soldiers to beat (or it might've been 125, I already killed a few
before I checked). It starts with the new Armor Legionnaires, a slightly
upgraded version of the common Romans we've been pummelling throughout the
game. At the 100 mark you'll start seeing Sonic Romans. Around 60 are the
upgraded Centurions. Around 40 are the Bomber Romans. Keep your wits about you
and look for magic potion, since that will take out around 50 with one of the
Special Combos (especially your new Raining Menhirs power). At various points
the Legionnaires will start assuming formations: first it's a ring formation
(which stops you from easily attacking them) and then it's a defensive line
formation. Just be wary that all that's going on while you're fighting the
greater menace. After the battle is won, you'll receive the Challenge 2 DH.
If you hit the lever in the Warp Pipe/Internetus area before you'll have a
renewable source of magic potion which will make this battle a lot easier.
Completing the first two challenges opens the way to a new area full of
switches and traps. Like before, you need to find a way to open the doors to
two new challenges with the things in this outdoor area and then complete both
challenges to proceed. The first door, far along the left wall, requires four
red buttons to be pressed. Before we start that, hit the two levers on the
stone structure in the middle and stand on the final switch to activate three
bumpers. These bumpers will net you a lot of helmets. Now, those four buttons:
Button 1: To the right when you come into this area.
Button 2: On the base of the stepping stone structure to your left when you
come into this area.
Button 3: As you come into the area, head left and left again to see it
connected to one of the doors to the Challenges.
Button 4: Head to the staircase at the far end and check the left side of it.
The button is next to a fruit machine.
Hitting all four will reveal the way to Challenge 4. Challenge 3's door
requires to climb Donkey Kong's scaffolding up there and reach the top. Avoid
the bouncing barrels and get to the platform with a hole in it. You know what
to do. The ground breaks open and reveals the lever to open the door.
Challenge 3:
Hit the Targets 15 times to free the DH. Seems easy enough, right? We wish.
After pegging the first three targets and dropping the number to 12, some
tough Centurions show up to block the next Target. Smash through them and hit
the target to make another one appear with the same problem. At 10, you'll be
faced with Centurions and a wall that rises and falls to block your thrown
Romans. As you gradually hit more targets, the horses start to move and the
Targets start switching. You'll also start having to deal with Mario Romans
and Bomber Romans. Just keep concentrating on the Targets, since you have a
time limit. A good tip is to stay close to where Targets pop up, since that
will allow you to ignore a lot of the things blocking your way to them. The
third DH for the WCW arena is yours if you manage all fifteen Targets.
Challenge 4:
Through the door that needed four pushed buttons to open. You get to use a
Roman Cannon for this battle. Your task is to stop the torches from being
raised and lit. To do this, you need to constantly shoot the Sonic Romans
guarding the switches. You can spot them easily by the pink auras around them.
While doing this, you need to shoot down all the Bomber Romans that will head
towards you, since they can bomb the Cannon you're using. If you're really
desperate for health, there's a couple of Shields in front of the Cannon, but
you need to be quickly back on the Cannon before the torches are lit. 200
Romans seems like a lot but not when you're shooting them out the sky as
rapidly as you're doing. You'll receive the last of the four Challenge DHs.
This opens the way to the final area of the WCW, a replica of the Gaulish
Village your heroes call home. You need to take out 71 Romans to end the melee
here, so go nuts. They're all video game parody Romans, specifically the Marios
and Raymans (and later the Sonics). Before leaving through the newly opened
door, head to the far left corner for a hidden DH, the last one of this area.
After a cutscene, you'll be faced with the "boss" of this area: Larry Craft.
He's also backed up by an entire legion (100 Romans) so take care of all of
them as quickly as possible until only the boss himself is left. Larry works
like the Centurions or the Pacman Romans, in that he's invulnerable to direct
attacks. Hitting him when he's distracted or about to attack is the key. After
he collapses, pummel him as many times as you can before he wakes up. He's got
more health than the average Roman but isn't any more powerful. You're now free
to clean up in this area. When you're done with the boxes around the arena,
head to the Roman Cannon and prepare to shoot down 120 Bomber Romans that are
heading straight for you. Their deaths will destroy the big door blocking the
exit. Head through the exit to come out to another two-way split, to Pirate
Island and SeizeUs Palace. The latter is, predictably, blocked off with another
one of those Druid forceshields so head left, me hearties, yo ho.
Pirate Island
-------------
The first area of Pirate Island introduces you to three new enemies: The
Pirates (which will replace the Romans as fodder around here) and Golden Romans
which are either supposed to be robots or the undead. Not easy to tell. Golden
Romans are defeated much like the Rayman Romans are: Smash them so they fall
on the ground and then finish them with a dive bomb. Your objective in this
area is to open the first of the three doors. You can do this by getting 10
enemies apiece in the two Roman Wells here. They're both guarded by Pacman
Romans, so keep that in mind.
After both Wells are done, the door to the left side of this area opens up. If
you have 99999 Helmets you can also try the right door, but this guide will
assume that you don't just yet. Head through the Well door first at any rate.
Climb to the cable car and just follow the rope. There's not a whole lot you
need to do, though you really should aim for that DH along the way. You need
to press the loop button at the exact right time to spin up and get it. If you
thought that DH was annoying, wait until you try to get this next one.
From the area where you found the cable car, look around for a bomb. You need
to push this bomb past both of the closed wells, to the left of the big monkey
head, until you find a cracked floor. I'm not kidding. You'll be constantly
attacked on the way up there and a single hit will activate the bomb and screw
you up. My advice is to keep moving and not stop ever, since the baddies
respawn and as soon as you stop moving they'll be clobbering you. Use Dogmatix
to attack any nearby enemy. As soon as the bomb's over the cracked floor,
activate it and grab a well-earned DH.
So now it's time to open the 99999 Helmet door. If you've been good and not
spent every last helmet on Postcards, you should be fine. If not, go back and
forth from Pirate Island to the room where you beat up Larry Craft for all the
helmets and multipliers. It might take a while but you'll reach that ridiculous
figure eventually. Run past this gauntlet of barrels to reach a little port
area.
First, hit the switch Dogmatix runs to to drop the water level. Then follow
the path right to find a cable car. As Obelix, take the cable car all the way
around to the island with the lighthouse. If possible, as Obelix, throw a few
of the Pirates into the Target down here to make things easier for Asterix.
Once Asterix is deposited on the island he needs to throw five (or less,
depending on how many Pirates you threw) at the Target to make a platform
appear. To reach it, you need to increase the water level again with the
switches. Before leaving this lighthouse area, locate the DH high in the air.
Knock out a Pacman Roman underneath this DH and jump on his belly to reach it.
Head to the newly accessible island and use the Pirate Cannon to take out the
Tetris wall in the distance. You'll get attacked by 200 (!) Bomber Romans now,
who come at you from the port village. Just keep doing sweeps of the port from
to take care of them before they get close. At the halfway point (100) they'll
increase in waves and will start coming from the lighthouse too, so bear that
in mind as you shoot them all down.
Head through the newly opened door to find a pushable block, which your dude
will automatically move onto one of the three switches here. Stand on the other
two switches as a twosome to unlock the way out of here. Up this path is a big
100-man melee in an enclosed area. Take out the Pirates until you get a magic
potion and waste them in the dozens. The final ten enemies will be Pacman
Romans, so be careful. After they're all dead, a path reveals itself to a
cable car which will take Asterix to another Donkey Kong-esque jumping puzzle.
Hit the switch and get up as fast as you can to grab the DH in the cage. Timing
is more important than speed, because you don't want to get hit by those
barrels and be knocked down a floor.
At the top, after getting the DH (try again if you missed it), head into the
next cable car. There's a section involving looping for points, as well as the
final DH of this area. To get it, you need to time the loop perfectly like last
time, only you have to be already looping before you spin back down again at
the right time to get it. It's just as difficult as the last one, only you have
a long, long walk back to the cable car if you mess up. Good luck.
The cable car will light up the other monkey's eye socket, allowing you into
the final section of Pirate Island where the boss awaits. Just like last time,
you need to do a difficult looping section to reveal the bridge to where Deth
Mach Round 3 awaits.
The arena has changed once again. Deth Mach now stays in the middle and
fireballs you. You need to light all the light beacons around here (or get your
big friend to do it for you), avoiding the spiked floors, fireballs and, at
some point, Romans. The first light is lit easily enough by walking around the
arena and hiding behind it. Hit the lever that appears and go do the iris
clobbering thing. Quickly get back onto the outer ring before the bridge
vanishes again. You'll be chased by Romans and the beacon to the left is now
accessible. Once again, stand behind it and get the big guy to light it for
another lever and another hit against his iris. Repeat for the third beacon,
which will require some difficult jumps to reach. Sweep up all the treasure
from defeating the big guy once again and head on out of there to reach the
third and final (well, not quite) captured Druid, Suchafuss.
Time to hit SeizeUs Palace, the last area of the game.
SeizeUs Palace
--------------
Defeating enemies in the garden will make three bumpers appear. Make sure all
three bumpers are there before hitting the first one so you receive the
maximum benefit (and the first DH of this area). Sam Schieffer will reveal yet
another secret entrance to you.
As you get into the first room of the tower, you'll be attacked by a 31-man
group. It's a fairly simple fight, considering everything else we've met so
far. The next area is a little tougher, as you have to hit two 9-man Targets
with lots of Armored Shield Romans to defend them. Get the Targets and head
into the big hub area of SeizeUs Palace: A big roulette wheel. Like most hubs,
you need to go in various different areas and solve their puzzles to unlock
parts of the big door. We'll go in a clockwise order, so take the first door
to your left to the blue zone.
In this area, you'll have some looping to do. Make sure to get the DH in this
area as you pass by. You've done looping enough times to know how to do it
right, so my help isn't needed. At the end you'll have a solo battle with
Asterix against 21 Armor Shield Romans. Afterwards, hit the lever through the
door to allow Obelix to come across and then as Obelix destroy the door at the
top. This will lead to another melee (31 this time) with some Romans and
eventually some Bomber Romans. Through the door to reach a small room with two
doors: head behind the right door to find a button and a push block. The button
will allow you to get past the door and push the block on one of three
switches, with the two heroes on the other two. This leads you to the big room
again where you can do the dive bomb on part of the roulette wheel, lighting
one of the four flames over the door.
Head to the next door on the left now. You'll need to fight a 10-man melee
first and.. that's it. You'll come back out on top of the roulette wheel, so
smash open the green area to light another of the peacock's feathers. The red
section is identical. Head onto the yellow bit now.
Here, you need to throw six Romans into the Target on the side of the statue.
Before you start, head to the end where the water is pouring down to find a
secret platform off the edge. Use the bumper here to collect a DH in midair. On
the next floor up (using the broken statue's podium to get up) you need to
throw nine Armor Shield Romans into the next statue. On the top level, another
twelve needs to be thrown at the Target. From the final broken statue, head
into the Palace via the top exit. This will take you to the final roulette area
where you can finish off the yellow section to open the big door. Before moving
on, hit all the levers that became accessible as you pushed the blocks through
the gaps when getting to the four dive bomb sections. This will make the
middle of the roulette wheel rise, allowing you to reach that DH, the
penultimate one of the game.
Through the door now. You'll reach the first end of game boss (but not the
last) as 90 Julius Caesars will attack in a Matrix-riffic showdown. Although
not armored or anything, his sword attacks will cut you to pieces, especially
with all of them attacking at once. You need to use some amount of defensive
and evasive tactics here and whittle down the number gradually using Dogmatix
and picking off strays. He's slow to attack, so if you grab one and spin it
around it should stop any of them from attacking. Around the 35 mark you'll
get a reprieve as the statue in the middle explodes, revealing a magic potion
and the last DH of the game. Use the potion to wipe out the remaining Caesars.
Afterwards, the real Caesar makes his escape deeper into his Palace. Time to
chase after him and end this!
Here he is, the end of game boss. And it's Deth Mach. Again. Getting tired of
this guy, so let's finish him off for good this time. He's far more aggressive
in round 4 and will fireball you pretty much after every step. He'll also
teleport around. Hit all three lights (with his help) and move to the
appropriate ring to drop the weight on him and smack his iris. Repeat the
process for the next iris hit. The third time will bring back the pointy block,
so make him charge into it from either side and finish the iris off while he's
stunned. That was it, you've won the game!
Congrats!
All that's left is to collect all the DHs and Souvenirs now. Money-raising tips
for those expensive Postcards can be found in the General Advice area. You'll
need to raise a lot of cash to get all 24 (at least 1 mil).
---------------
Diamond Helmets
---------------
I've mentioned all the DHs in the guide but here's a master list in case you
don't want to read spoilers or something.
Lutetia -
1) The Four Torches - Light the four torches at the start of the level. It's
pretty much given to you.
2) The Eiffel Tower - Climb the Eiffel Tower and hop off where the trail of
helmets are.
3) Cruising - Activate the boat on the canal and jump when it passes under this
Diamond Helmet.
4) The Triumphal Arch - After your second trip to the Arc coming from Venetia,
defeat the Romans in the melee and fire them at the Targets on either side of
the Arc.
5) The Obelisk - Appears once the Obelisk falls.
Venetia -
1) The Little Stone Bridge - In the first big canal area of Venetia, there's a
stone bridge at the back. The Diamond Helmet is underneath, in a secret alcove.
2) Rooftop Slides - Dogmatix will point to a trail of helmets leading into the
darkness at the first night time area of Venetia. Follow it down to be
launched to where the Diamond Helmet awaits.
3) Going Underground - Before lighting the four torches in this area of
Venetia, smash the breakable floor from above and follow the rooms around to
this Diamond Helmet.
4) Canal Bumper Jumper - You need to press a red switch near the spinning sign
in the second big canal area where the Souvenir Shop is. A bumper is activated
around the water level, so jump on it for this Diamond Helmet.
5) Saint Mark's Cage - A tough one to get, you need to do the long looping
section at the end of Venetia so you hit all three bells. The cage will
release this Diamond Helmet only when all three are hit in one trip.
LuckSore -
1) Beneath the Sphinx - Either use the magic potion's explosive effects or
drag the bomb from inside the pyramid to the third sphinx statue to your left
(while exiting the sphinx with the bomb) for this well-hidden Diamond Helmet.
2) The Secret of the Secret Passage - Just blow up the block that was moved in
the cutscene with the nearby bomb.
3) One Flew Over the Tortoise - In the left passage of the big room with the
peacock emblem, you'll reach a series of bumpers you need to take to get over a
Phalanx. Head for the near corner instead to find a semi-hidden bumper.
4) Crown of Palms - In the near-right passage you'll head to an oasis area full
of palm trees. You need to hit a hard-to-find red button on the base of one of
the blue pillars and then quickly dart to the undergrowth on the other side of
the oasis to find a bumper. It'll net you this Diamond Helmet.
5) A Refreshing Shower - In the far right passage you'll get to a place where
you need to push a bomb around to three different Tetris walls. After lighting
all the torches in here, the cage holding the Diamond Helmet will open in the
middle room with the waterfall.
WCW -
1) Challenge 1 - Win Challenge 1
2) Challenge 2 - Win Challenge 2
3) Challenge 3 - Win Challenge 3
4) Challenge 4 - Win Challenge 4
5) Fake Gaulish Village - Hidden in the corner of the fake Gaulish Village.
Pirate Island -
1) Booty in the Sand - Possibly the hardest Diamond Helmet to get, you need to
push a bomb all the way from the area that opens after hitting the Targets to
the area to the left of the giant monkey head where the floor is broken. The
Diamond Helmet is underneath.
2) Out of the Left Eye - After solving all the portside areas through the toll
door, you'll be taken on a cable car journey back to the monkey head. Make sure
to grab this Diamond Helmet by first looping and then dropping from the loop
just as you pass it.
3) Bellyflop by the Lighthouse - While at the lighthouse in the port village
area, knock out a Pacman Roman and use his belly to spring up to this floating
Diamond Helmet.
4) Record Ascent - Simply run up the barrel jumping area at the end of the port
village area after hitting the lever. You need to be quick to get to the
Diamond Helmet before its cage closes again.
5) Out of the Right Eye - In the cable car from the area you need to open by
throwing Romans into Wells, do a loop just as you're passing the Diamond
Helmet to grab it.
SeizeUs Palace -
1) Garden Level Zero - Defeat all the enemies in the opening garden area to
activate three bumpers. The trio of bumpers will net you this Diamond Helmet.
2) Crazy Elevator - In the big roulette wheel hub area, activate all the levers
on the walls where platforms appear after solving each area. The central
platform will now lift up and down, letting you get this Diamond Helmet.
3) Skyscraper - Enter the blue section and take the looping cable car puzzle to
reach this Diamond Helmet. You'll either grab it or you'll miss it and fall
onto the platform it's on, which means you can grab it before using the bumper
to head back to the start of the area. Can't really miss it, then.
4) Leap of Faith - In the yellow section, with the three statues, head to the
end where the water is flowing down to find a semi-hidden lower platform. The
bumper here will get you the Diamond Helmet.
5) The Emperor's Laurels - Simple enough. During your fight with Caesar(s), his
statue will explode revealing this final Diamond Helmet.
---------
Souvenirs
---------
Each Souvenir set can only be obtained by finding the correct store. Two of
them involve finding as many Diamond Helmets as possible.
Postcards
---------
The Postcard merchant store can be found in Venetia, just after the area with
the torches and Roman Phalanxes. Swim across the canal area until you find the
red beam of light.
Postcard 1 - 1000 H
Julius Caesar is dangling Larry Craft off a pillar.
Postcard 2 - 2000 H
The Entrance to Lasvegum, in Lutetia.
Postcard 3 - 4000 H
Two "Ryu" Romans fighting, classic side-view Fighter game style.
Postcard 4 - 6000 H
The Notre Dame Cathedral, or the Lasvegum equivalent, in Lutetia.
Postcard 5 - 10000 H
The "Mario" Roman, watering the trees with his water gun.
Postcard 6 - 15000 H
The Eiffel Tower in Lutetia, complete with Super Mario Bros. background.
Postcard 7 - 20000 H
Caesar directing a whole phalanx of troops.
Postcard 8 - 25000 H
The Obelisk of Lutetia, pre-toppling.
Postcard 9 - 30000 H
Some Legionnaires trying to hula hoop. You know, for kids.
Postcard 10 - 35000 H
Majestic LuckSore.
Postcard 11 - 40000 H
Sam Schieffer dangling over a raging inferno.
Postcard 12 - 45000 H
The gate to the boss in Venetia.
Postcard 13 - 50000 H
A Sonic Roman resting under a tree.
Postcard 14 - 55000 H
An ornate gate statue in Venetia.
Postcard 15 - 60000 H
Deth Mach "playing" with a Rayman Roman.
Postcard 16 - 65000 H
Arc De Triomphe replica.
Postcard 17 - 70000 H
Pacman vs. one of those ghost Legionnaires.
Postcard 18 - 75000 H
The lava pit room of the WCW where you fight Larry Craft.
Postcard 19 - 80000 H
Bomber Romans flying the red, white and blue. Or blue, white and red.
Postcard 20 - 85000 H
Entrance to SeizeUs Palace.
Postcard 21 - 90000 H
The Pirate Island Lighthouse at night.
Postcard 22 - 95000 H
A Pirate with a ducky inner tube, looking out to sea.
Postcard 23 - 100000 H
Larry Croft poses next to his statue.
Postcard 24 - 150000 H
Deth Mach vs. Bomber Romans. Was it beauty that killed the beast?
Character Gallery
-----------------
Character Galleries don't need to be paid for, but you do need to find specific
amounts of Diamond Helmets to unlock them. The Sounveir shop for Characters can
be found in Lutetia, near the Obelisk. Just smash down one of the nearby doors.
*NOTE* since I found the Character Gallery about 1/4 the way through the game
(and therefore had around 8 DHs already) some of these numbers may not be
accurate.
Legionnaire - Needs 1 DH
Regular legionnaire which I've just called "Romans" in the guide.
Armor Legionnaire - Needs 2 DH
Slightly better armored than regular Legionnaires.
Pirate - Needs 3 DH
Wields a cutlass.
Robo Legionnaire - Needs 4 DH
Solid gold/undead Legionnaire.
Shield Roman - Needs 5 DH
Armed with a mace and shield.
Armor Shield Roman - Needs 6 DH
Slightly better armored Shield Roman, this time with an axe.
Egyptian Warrior - Needs 7 DH
Armed with a sickle weapon (called a khopesh, I think).
Pirate Lord - Needs 8 DH
Has a horned hat and a nasty-looking falchion.
Rayman Roman - Needs 10 DH
The Legionnaire based on Rayman.
Mario Roman - Needs 12 DH
The Legionnaire based on Mario, circa Super Mario Sunshine.
Sonic Roman - Needs 14 DH
The Legionnaire based on Sonic.
Centurion - Needs 16 DH
The golden-armored Centurion.
Armor Centurion - Needs 18 DH
The impressively-armored caped Centurion.
Ryu Roman - Needs 20 DH
The Legionnaire based on Street Fighter's Ryu.
Pacman Roman - Needs 22 DH
The Legionnaire based on Pacman.
Bomber Roman - Needs 24 DH
The flying bomber Legionnaire.
Asterix - Needs all DH in Lutetia
It's... Asterix. The little one.
Obelix - Needs all DH in Venetia
It's... Obelix. The big one.
Getafix - Needs all DH in LuckSore
Druid of the Gaulish village. Friend or foe?
Sam Schieffer - Needs all DH in WCW
Stealthy spy guy.
Larry Craft - Needs all DH in Pirate Island
The Lara Croft parody.
Julius Caesar - Needs all DH in SeizeUs Palace
First Emperor of Rome. Well, kind of.
Deth Mach - Needs all DH in the entire game
Gigantic Legionnaire with the power of the druids. Keeps showing up.
Videodivix
----------
In the first area of LuckSore, head left and activate the lever in the water to
reach this final Souvenir store. Movies are earned simply by playing through
the game and watching the cutscenes. You can rewatch any movie you've already
seen via this mode.
Movie 01 - Opening Scene 1 - Getafix's Betrayal
Movie 02 - Opening Scene 2 - Sam Schieffer & Las Vegum
Movie 03 - Sam Schieffer and the Block Part 1
Movie 04 - Toll Door to Venetia
Movie 05 - Caesar 1 - "Those two Gauls.. the little one and the big one.."
Movie 06 - Freeing Battermix
Movie 07 - Caesar 2 - "Really quite extraordinary, the Internetus..."
Movie 08 - Sam Schieffer and the Block Part 2
Movie 09 - Freeing Kerosene
Movie 10 - The Internetus Explorer
Movie 11 - The (Fake) Gaulish Village
Movie 12 - Getafix and the Lava Pit
Movie 13 - Caesar 3 - "They are... progressing"
Movie 14 - Freeing Suchafuss
Movie 15 - Sam Schieffer and the Block Part 3
Movie 16 - Caesar 4 - "Surprised to see me, Mister Anderson?"
Movie 17 - Ending Scene 1 - Caesar Defeated
Movie 18 - Ending Scene 2 - A Gaulish Feast
--------
Parodies
--------
Just for fun, I've made this section logging all the video game parodies I've
discovered in the game. Some are obvious (as in "trying to kill you" obvious)
and several are slightly more obscure or in the background. Some are probably
just me seeing things that aren't there.
Bomberman (Hudson Soft) - A Bomberman suit is going around a conveyor belt near
the start of the game. Also, all the bombs in the game have Bomberman's
distinctive grimace.
Bubble Bobble (Taito) - Either Bub or Bob is wearing a legionnaire uniform on
a hanging sign outside of a house to the left of the Notre Dame in Lutetia.
Chu Chu Rocket (Sega) - The Chu Chu Rocket Cat is on the sails of some of the
spinning pirate boat rides on Pirate Island. He has an eyepatch but it's
definitely him.
Crash Bandicoot (Naughty Dog) - Crash's gigantic menacing head is looking down
on the area of Venetia where you light all the torches. He also appears on a
totem pole on Pirate Island.
Donkey Kong (Nintendo) - Donkey Kong is in the area of Venetia where you light
the four torches. The barrel in his hands is constantly spinning. There's also
a fountain statue with his likeness and the star barrels near the obelisk are
somewhat familiar too. In the WCW arena there's a facsimile of the first level
of Donkey Kong, with the slanted scaffolding.
Jak & Daxter (Traveller's Tales) - There are many cat statues around the place
that bear Daxter's uncanny likeness. They could also be Ratchet, from
Insomniac's Ratchet and Clank series, but I'm giving Daxter the benefit of the
doubt because of his small feline stature.
Legend of Zelda (Nintendo) - In the yellow section of the roulette wheel
puzzle, where the Leap of Faith DH is, there are three statues you must
destroy. Two of the statues have characters from this series.
Lemmings (DMA Design) - A pair of scrolling marquees can be seen from the river
in Lutetia. On them, you can see Lemmings walking and then falling with the
Umbrella power-up.
Mortal Kombat (Midway) - The searchlight beacon in the night area of Venetia
looks a lot like the Mortal Kombat Dragon logo, only more like a seahorse.
These emblems show up a few more times later too, as well as a gateway room
that has the word "Fatalitum" and two legionnaires re-enacting Scorpion's "Get
over here!" whip move.
Pacman (Namco) - The Pacman Roman, with his shield and armor, resembles this
pellet-chomping yellow pizza man. Pacman also appears many times on banners,
flags and carvings around Las Vegum. As does the occasional Pacman Ghost.
Pikmin (Nintendo) - The giant statues around LuckSore and the Obelisk are
yellow Pikmin. Also, on the giant sphinx at the entrance of LuckSore is
Olimar's head.
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (Ubisoft) - There's a giant hourglass near the
searchlight beacon in Venetia. The time era's about right, though this might be
really pushing it.
Quake III Arena (id Software) - There's a poster on the walls of the WCW Arena
of "Cake - Ice Crimus", an obvious parody (with something resembling Quake 3's
three-pronged emblem).
Ratchet & Clank (Insomniac Games) - Hard to spot, in the second night time
area in Venetia (before you reach the Postcard merchant) there's a pendulum
swinging to and fro that bears an uncanny resemblance to Clank. It's very close
to where the giant hourglass is. The big head above it looks like Ratchet too
and there's a swinging wrench-shaped thing on the side of the building.
Rayman (Ubisoft) - There's a few depictions of a legionnaire with Rayman's
haircut throughout Venetia. Later, the legionnaire himself appears, with the
invisible limbs of Rayman. There's also a few plant pots in the WCW arena that
are shaped just like Rayman's body.
Sims, The (Maxis) - The heiroglyphs in areas of LuckSore tell a story of a
petulant boy trying to get out of doing his homework. The images all use
pictures in speech bubbles as spoken words and the boy himself has The Sims'
diamond cursor over him. Plus, the walls that block you during the platformer
sections have the House and Furniture symbols from the game.
Sly Cooper (Sucker Punch) - A statue of a Roman soldier over the gate near the
end of Venetia has Cooper's uniquely hooked cane, as well as his bushy raccoon
tail.
Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega) - You see the Sonic outfit moving around a conveyor
belt right when entering the second torch room in Lutetia's intro area. Later,
you'll see Roman soldiers wearing the same outfit.
Soul Calibur (Namco) - Soul Calibur II's boxart can be seen around the WCW
and LuckSore along with the Larry Craft movie posters. Around the WCW arena
there's also carvings of what appears to be Nightmare holding the Soul Edge.
Soul Reaver (Crystal Dynamics) - Some of the wall carvings in Venetia
(especially in the cross-way section with the cable cars) look a bit like the
game's anti-hero Raziel, complete with cloaked mouth, talons and tattered cape.
There's also much more accurate depictions of him on the walls of the Notre
Dame.
Space Invaders (Taito) - The vertical row of glyphs down the obelisk in Lutetia
are the titular space invaders from this game. The invaders also show up on
heiroglyphs constantly throughout LuckSore.
Splinter Cell (Ubisoft) - Sam Schieffer is a parody of Sam Fisher, the main
character of this series. They share the same three-beam night-vision goggles.
Star Fox (Nintendo) - There's a bar named "Slippis" in the Arc de Triomphe
area of Lutetia. It also has a semi-realistic Slippy's head on top of it.
Street Fighter (Capcom) - The fireball throwing legionnaires with spiky hair
are identical to either Ryu or Guile, depending on how you see it. The slow
motion defeat is all Street Fighter.
Super Mario (Nintendo) - A Roman legionnaire mini-boss of sorts that shows up
throughout the game. He has Mario's FLUDD device from Super Mario Sunshine.
There's also a Mushroom Kingdom-esque mural around the Eiffel Tower. And, of
course, the warp pipe in the WCW courtyard that takes you to the Internetus
part of that level. There's plenty of murals with pirahna plants too.
Tekken (Namco) - There are Tekken posters in the WCW Arena too, which are from
Tekken 3 (guy putting on electrified gloves) and Tekken 4 (hooded individual on
blue background).
Tetris (Various) - The "fragile walls" are made out of haphazardly put-together
Tetris blocks.
Tomb Raider (Core Design) - Larry Craft, a Roman who occasionally makes an
appearance in cutscenes and fights, is a parody of Lara Croft - the heroine of
this series. His face also appears on various posters and statues throughout
the game.
Unreal Tournament (Epic Games) - Several posters in the Arena have "Arena
Tournament" on them, with the same logo and font as Unreal Tournament.
Yoshi (Nintendo) - Mario's dinosaur pal isn't in this game, but one of his eggs
is. It's the spotty menhir near the start of the game in Lutetia.
--------------
Credits/Thanks
--------------
Thanks go to the various French people who made this game possible: Etranges
Libellules, Atari Europe and René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, the dudes who
created Asterix and Obelix.
Thanks also go to the people who provided a lot of the parodies on Wikipedia's
article of this game. I already got most of them (honest!) but you guys found a
few I missed.
If you want to send any corrections or additional info, you can do, though keep
in mind I'll be unable to verify because this game was a rental and it's back
in the store now. I have a fairly good memory but if it's like 2009 by the time
you read this, don't bother.
Any Qs (within reason, since I'm likely to forget specific areas) or PayPal
donations can be directed towards: Spento [at] Gmail [dot] Com
That's all from me. Hope you enjoyed the game and found this guide useful.
Until next time, Mento Maniacs!
--EOF--
