Asterix (1983)

The first Asterix game ever to be produced was released under the simple name *Astérix* in 1983 for the Atari 2600 or Atari VCS. As an altered version of the game *Taz*, which featured the Looney Tunes character of the same name, it was targeted towards European markets.

## Development

During the early 1980s Atari was striving to be the leader in licensed video games. While various cartoons and kids shows like Sesame Street or The Peanuts had already been used in their games, Asterix was the first non-American license to be acquired.
Steve Woita, who had just finished working on his first video game *Taz* featuring the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes, was asked to rework the game using Asterix-themed sprites for the European release. Due to the limited popularity of both licenses in their respective offshore markets, this was primarily a cost-saving measure. After some initial scepticism, Woita was convinced that his game could work in both universes.

Although the game was initially released in Europe only, a small number of NTSC cartridges were produced and released in Canada subsequently. Because of the extremely limited run, *Astérix* is considered one of the rarest NTSC games on the console, fetching hundreds of dollars per issue among collectors.

## Story

After once again defeating some fresh and spicy Roman troops sent to capture the Gaulish village by Julius Caesar himself, the villagers are rummaging through the spoils of battle to find some valuable items and souvenirs to keep. The manual reads:

> *"After the fight was over, Asterix went scrambling through the wreckage, looking for mementos to give Obelix on his upcoming birthday. While he was busy looking for Roman helmets, lamps, and shields, Obelix was wandering around looking for (what else?) food."*
>
>

## Gameplay

    Typical for its time, *Astérix* is a straight-forward arcade game with no definitive end goal other than achieving the highest score possible. Your job is to help Asterix and Obelix collect as many objects as possible, while avoiding Cacofonix's deadly lyres. You begin the game with three lives and earn points for every object touched, as well as bonus lives at specific game scores. After you collect fifty of one object, the next group of objects appears.

The game mode changes once 32,500 points have been gathered as soon as the player is finished collecting lamps as Asterix; the words "Obelix Wave" appear on screen and objects will now move faster. After Obelix's mug collecting phase is over, a special cauldron will appear which scores 500 points instead of 50.

### Changes from Taz

In the *Taz* game you must avoid bundles of dynamite while picking up hamburgers. The Crazed Wave was changed to the Obelix Wave where the character is changed from Asterix to Obelix (although gameplay stays the same), and Steve's famous Woita Wave easter egg was taken out.

The "Crazed Wave" Screen (Taz)Crazed Wave Gameplay (Taz)Obelix Wave Gameplay (Astérix)

## Trivia

* The title screen was made by graphics artist Jerome Domurat imitating a panel from the first comic album "Asterix the Gaul"; Domurat also made the title screen for *Taz*.
* A prototype version of *Astérix* reveals that the game was initially called "Astérix & Obélix", but it was later decided that Obelix would star in his own game one year later.
* The originally nameless Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes first received his popular nickname Taz from Woita's game. A prototype version had the name spelled Tazz with an additional z.
* On the title screen of the *Taz* verion, press *Select* 22 times, then press *Fire* to start the game. Get 32,500 points, and when the Crazed Wave screen appears, holding down *Fire* will change the text to "Woita Wave", after the game's programmer Steve Woita. Woita removed this easter egg from the *Astérix* release due to rumors circulating among the game programmers that Atari would issue pay cuts for all hidden content found in an Atari game.

## References

**General Links:**

* Game Manual
* Steve Woita's Blog

**Footnotes:**

1. ↑ https://youtu.be/9amPqQvkRSA?t=347
2. ↑ http://www.gooddealgames.com/interviews/int\_woita.html
3. ↑ http://www.atariprotos.com/2600/software/asterix/asterix.htm
4. ↑ http://www.atariprotos.com/2600/software/asterix/72783.htm
5. ↑ https://www.digitpress.com/library/interviews/interview\_steve\_woita.html
6. ↑ http://www.gooddealgames.com/interviews/int\_woita.html