Sam Shieffer

Sam Shieffer (French: Sam Fichaure) is a former Roman spy who worked for Julius Caesar in the past, and a supporting character. He aids Asterix and Obelix on their adventures.

## Sam Shieffer XXL

In Asterix & Obelix XXL the spy is unnamed.

The player first meets him at the start of the game. He tells Asterix about what he is and how he was fired despite being the top spy, and that he intends to have revenge by revealing the secrets of the Roman Empire. He also tells that there was a battle between the villagers and Romans, and the Romans won.

The spy appears many times throughout the game. He explains game mechanics, hints at the villagers' locations, opens some doors and gates when all enemies in the area are defeated and rewards the player with laurels when they collect enough helmets on slides.

## Sam Shieffer XXL 2

In Asterix & Obelix XXL 2 Sam Shieffer tells his name for the first time. He has got a new outfit, which includes a helmet with three green lights. His name and appearance spoof another videogame character named Sam Fisher. His behaviour and manner of speech are more comical than in the previous installment.

Sam Shieffer watches "Getafix" (actually Larry Craft in disguise) trick three druids into being captured by the Romans and takes Getafix's golden sickle before leaving. In the next scene he has told Asterix, Obelix and Vitalstatistix that Getafix became a traitor. Asterix does not believe him and asks who he is to talk about the druid like that, and Sam introduces himself, also calling himself a traitor to Rome. Asterix reproves Sam for coming to the village, blaming Getafix with no evidence and admitting to be a traitor, to which he responds he is now on the Gauls' side. While the Gauls get distracted, the spy hides under the roof, then gets their attention and throws the golden sickle towards them as an evidence. When Asterix states they do not know where Getafix is, Sam responds that he is in Las Vegum - a large amusement park in Rome. When the Gaulish heroes are ready to go to Rome, Sam joins them, despite them not quite trusting him.

Sam Shieffer appears multiple times throughout the game. He explains game mechanics, shows the Gauls hidden entrances and saves them from inevitable death before they face Larry Craft.

Original dialogue illustrationCinematic appearanceRemastered modelRemastered dialogue illustration

## Sam Shieffer OG

Sam Shieffer returns in Asterix at the Olympic Games with the same appearance and behaviour as in Asterix & Obelix XXL 2.

The spy arrives to the village and tells the Gauls about a serious threat. He was on a secret mission in Olympia where he found Doctormabus, who is planning to distort reality to "fulfill his fiendish goals" using a key that opens portals to parallel worlds. When Obelix suggests joining the Olympic Games to help Lovestorix and Asterix replies that they can't do that as they aren't Greeks or Romans, Sam explains that Caesar invaded Gaul, therefore making them Romans. After this the Gaulish heroes, Lovestorix, Getafix and Sam go to Olympia.

Sam Shieffer sometimes appears and gives the Gauls hints. At some point he tells them to meet at Brutus' palace. When they arrive, they find Sam chained up and gagged, and when they ungag him he screams "It's a trap!". Soon, the building collapses, and they all start falling. Sam saves Asterix, and when a piece of the building is about to crush them, they are saved by Obelix.

Sam Shieffer is an unlockable character in the Olympic Mode. The player needs to free 45 pigeons to unlock him, making him the 2nd hardest character to unlock.

Olympic Mode illustrationHUD icon
## Trivia

* Asterix & Obelix XXL:
	+ What the spy needs Roman helmets for is never explained.
	+ Ironically, while the player can choose to "Talk" to the spy, Asterix and Obelix never say a single word to him.
	+ In the beta version he was blond. This can be seen in the game's trailer.
	+ In the GBA version he has blonde hair.
* Asterix & Obelix XXL 2:
	+ During the tutorial, he breaks the 4th wall by making several suspicious comments. In the part which introduces the cable platform, he says: "no need to hold the button down" and in the final part of the tutorial he says: "There's no need to press a button - everything takes care of itself. Ain't progress a fine thing ?". These lines are referencing the first XXL game by Sam Schieffer making fun of the game's mechanics where the Action button needed to be held down.
	+ In the remaster Sam's helmet lights are red and they do not glow.
* In Asterix at the Olympic Games, his in-game and cinematic models appear to be identical to those from XXL 2.
* He is completely absent from Asterix & Obelix XXL 3, despite his role in the previous games of the series.
* The character originally appeared in the comic Asterix the Legionary (1967). His name in the comic was Vitriolix, and his codename was H2SO4 (sulfuric acid, also known as oil of vitriol). His Asterix & Obelix XXL design appears to be based on the comic design, but with recolored outfit and without the helmet.
* He is ethnically a Gaul, proven by his Gaulish traits (hair and moustache) and his comic name ending with -ix.