ASTERIX and the Great Rescue FAQ for the Genesis by GavLuvsGA@aol.com. Write to this address if you have any comments about this FAQ, but PLEASE refer to the game in the title. Emails with subjects like "Hey" or (No Subject)will be ignored. And please don't send IMs or attachments. Note that since this is the FINAL version, I will not be making any more changes, so please don't write to me asking me to make changes. Final Version: 21 - 08 - 05 Revision History Version 2 (13 - 12 - 00) Spell checked it; was glad I did Version 3 (21 - 4 - 03) I haven't updated this in AGES. Anyway, someone finally gave me a solution to the Log Rolling boss. Contents 1 Characters 2 Items 3 Baddies 4 Walkthrough 5 Bosses 6 Passwords 1 Characters Asterix Easily the best character; he's small and easier to manoeuvre. Obelix He is slightly harder to play as, since he is so large, he has to crawl to get through small gaps. 2 Items Weapons These are found in the potions that you can pick up around the game; activate them with C and toggle through them with C and up. You can carry up to three of any item at a time. Fireball - You can blast away enemies at a distance and blow up walls. Ice Block - Looks more like a cloud actually, but can be used for crossing hazards and climbing walls. Disguise - Only Asterix can pick this up; when you select it, you will be invisible to all enemies. Levitation - For a short time you will be able to float into the air. Coins Earns you 50 points Money Bag It appears to only carry two coins, though - you get 100 points. Helmet 500 points! Chicken You get 2 health points (you have six of these, though it only looks like three). Chalice Pretty rare, this restores you to full health. Sickle You will be temporarily invincible. Bomb You will be invincible, faster and you can bump off enemies just by touching them. Heart Gives you an extra life. 3 Baddies Romans Found on just about every level, these come in many shapes and sizes; most take one or two hits to kill, but the centurions (wearing the gold armour) will take three (usually). The exceptions to that rule are the ones that stand under a platform, trying to stick a sword up your rear end (these take one hit). Archers These will pop out of the ground to fire horizontally at you; invulnerable. Spearmen These guys hand around above - usually in a tree - and try and throw spears down at you. Invulnerable. Village Idiots These people will go around dressed as trees! Fish They just jump up out of the water every few seconds, and can be killed with fireballs. Seahorses Only a few exist and they're dead easy to kill! Rabbits/Squirrels These appear occasionally, and rush at you. They're invulnerable, but are easy to avoid. Dogs Take two hits to kill. Horses Only two exist (thank goodness); they will constantly kick out and if they hit you, you will be knocked back a long way, losing energy as you land. Invulnerable. Birds Unlike the rabbits and squirrels these can be defeated with a punch. Giant Beetle Another easy bad guy... Rushing Animal I'm not really sure what this is, but it tries to charge you on one level. It is hard to avoid, but can be killed. Dandelion Clocks These shoot out buds that are VERY hard to avoid. Invulnerable. Owls These sneeze at you, and if the word "ATCHOO" hits you, you lose energy. Baby Birds They appear out of nests on one level and try to eat you. Invulnerable. Bees These will attack you constantly on one level. Their only method is to fly straight at you, though. Spiders The small ones take a couple of hits to kill; the big ones take a few more. They're best avoided, though. Man Eating Plants These will come towards you, chomping , but can be killed easily with two hits. Spitting Plants These rather lame enemies will spit pods at you. Only a really poor player would get hit, though. Large Rabbits For some reason, these just stand still, tapping their feet! Exploding Valkyries These are the women that you see all over Germany, with the horned helmets on. When you pass them, they will swell up, and explode in your face unless you get away fast. Midget Soldiers There are a few of these; they come roughly half way up Asterix. They are no problem at all. Dwarves They will mill around, usually in groups, on one level. Mad Axe Man They will stand still, hurling axes and stuff at you. Snowmen Some will throw their heads at you (these can only be killed with fireballs) and others will just walk towards you. Snowballs They will explode when you punch them, but form several other small snowballs, which you must avoid (they'll either fly up in the air or roll towards you). Condors Simply fly overhead, but can catch you in mid - jump (very annoying). Rats Run at you in the sewers. Food Fighters Found on the banquet level, they will try and hurl stuff at you, but it is dead easy to avoid. Invulnerable. 4 Walkthrough Level 1: Gaulish Village Oddly enough, this is the longest level in the game (and icncludes some of the most annoying areas). It contains eleven rooms in total. Room 1 This is just a warm up; walk along, killing a few village idiots, and drink the potion/eat the boar's heat at the end. Hut 1: The Lake Room 2 This is slightly harder. Crawl left under the pier to collect the fireballs, then stand next to the man holding a fish and throw the first one at the first fish. You can now cross the the next platform. Keep killing fish this way, and collect more fireballs, and ice blocks, which you can use to climb up the last wall. Use the button to pen up the sewer, which you must crawl though, avoiding the collapsing surfaces. Room 3 The only level that is entirely underwater; be careful, as it makes jumping harder. Pretty straightforward, but avoid the bricks that try and fall on you (when you see a sticking out tile, stop and it will usually fall). At the end, there is a seemingly impassable wall, but go left and you will come to a switch, which activates a platform for you to climb up. Room 4 Run along, killing Romans and jumping over the rocks that appear from nowhere. Drop into the water and go left into a secret passage (crawl if you're Obelix), and collect the bonuses (including a chalice). Go through the lake, avoiding the gaps and avoiding the whirlpools which can suck you up and throw you somewhere, maybe to your death. At the end, use the eels as platforms to reach the ship at the end (which fires spears at you) and reach the exit. Hut 2: The Castle Room 5 Play this one as Asterix, as Obelix will have to crawl a lot here. Go left and collect the key (killing bad guys), and go back and open the door. Go left, watching out for the rock that chases you and jump over the gap before flames spew out. The rock will fall down. Go up to get the fireballs, then jump through the secret passage on your right and head right. Use the fireballs to destroy the grey block over the coloured platform and use this, and the other one to ride up the shaft. Get the next key and carry on, avoiding Romans and flames, and open the next door. Jump over a few gaps, destroy the last wall and finish the level. Room 6 A weird level, this. It is full of stone faces that have the power to warp you to other locations. The quickest way to do this is to go right, and jump on the stone table. You will be warped to another table. On the right is a bridge. Go onto it, and jump over so it doesn't all collapse. Get the levitation potion, then go left. Drop under the bridge and there will be a stone face, which warps you to a power up and a heart. Go to the end of the platform and use your potion to float to the end of the level (its in front of what looks like someone shouting). Room 7 This is probably the most frustrating room in the whole game (except maybe the third boss - see boss section). It isn't that hard, except you have to keep moving because you only have just about enough time. Play as Asterix, as Obelix's size is so restrictive here, it will drive you insane. Go right, killing Romans and drop down a shaft. Go right again, jumping over platforms. Watch out for the flaming torches and the lamp that keeps dripping boiling oil. Try and only take two hits here, then go right to the potions, avoiding the large sickles (not the power up type), and grab the potions, killing the centurion. Go left and you will find a wall you can blow up. Cross the next floor, watching out for the retracting spikes, then grab the chicken and press the button. Enter the shaft and you will be able to rise up it and exit left. Blow up the wall and finally get the first key. Head right, drop down the shaft again, and rise up it (tap left, and it usually works). Open the door and blow up the next wall. Now grab the bomb and race through the level, going onto the over head platform. Avoid the lamps as you will be losing your power now, and fling a fireball at the last Roman. If your timing was good, you will now have destroyed part of the floor, revealing the second key (if you haven't keep trying; the part of the floor that can be destroyed has cracks in), the go right and blow up another wall. Use an ice cube to pass the spikes, kill the Roman and open the door. Drop down a shaft and press the button, then go up and head right. Use an ice block to pass the first spikes, then avoid the traps, with for the next set to retract; avoid some more torches and lamps, then reach the potions. Collect the one on the right first. Go back the way you came, only using an ice block on the spikes that don't retract and go down the shaft. Go right, and use the levitation spell you should now have. Avoid another torch and throw a fireball at the Roman over the spikes, then use an ice cub to pass. Avoid more spikes on the steps and cross the last gap, avoiding even more boiling oil. Finally, this @£$%^ level is over. You should just make it if you don't hesitate, and you should just scrape through with a few energy bars. Hut 3: The Mill Room 8 This is slightly easier. Head right, and kill the Romans. Pass through the tunnel (crawl), avoiding spikes. Drop down and go left to pick up fireballs. Throw one at the wall on the right, releasing the rock, which you must jump over. It will serve as a platform to get up the the next bit. For the rest of the level, you must keep opening gates by using the semicircular switches. Go left, avoiding the lava that fills the room and press the switch, then jump over the lava on a series of platforms. In the next lava section, run left and climb up to the top. As well as pressing the switch, collect some potions; one of these lets you float over the lava. The rest of the level is fairly straightforward, but watch out for the retracting spikes near the end. Jump over the potion/boar at the end to collect a ton of bonuses. Room 9 At the start, drop the the platform underneath to get a heart. Then cross the spikes using the wheels. Drop down and watch out for the statue, which throws stuff (guess what) from its nose. Use the pump on the left to blow the statue's chin back to open p a space for you to pass. Collect the bomb and go down the steps, then deal with another statue. Avoid the guillotines, and reach the exit. Room 10 There is fire practically everywhere here. Asterix is easier, again, because of the low ceilings. Run along, passing the first low ceiling fast, before a fireball appears. Go right,. avoiding the fire the appears from the tripods and killing the Romans. Get the levitation potion, but don't use it. Go back until the first tripod and take the lower route. Pass a section with a fireball roaming about, drop down and either go right, or left and drop down (but you will probably be hit doing this, by one of the patrolling Romans). Go along the bottom passage, heading left and float over the massive gap, avoiding the fireballs). The exit is on the other side. Room 11 Fight the boss (see boss section for details). Level 2: Roman Fort This level, while not the most exciting, contains a further nine rooms. Not surprisingly, practically every enemy here is a Roman. Fortunately this level is a lot more straightforward than the last. Hut 1 Room 12 At the beginning, you will keep needing to avoid archers and stuff as you go along (crawling is best). Then, follow the path; there are lots of Romans and rocks. Throwing fireballs a them will clear a lot at a time, though. You can pass the fences by simply punching them, so you do not need to waste a fireball or ice cube. Room 13 Not much harder than the last, this level is the first opportunity to use the disguise option (if you're Asterix). At the end, you can use the cart - like thing as a spring to launch you to the trampoline, by throwing an ice cube next to it (but it isn't essential). Room 14 This level is best played as Asterix. Mostly its straightforward, as you get to grab a sickle (this means you can avoid most of the fish and rocks). Use the catapults as ... catapults, guess what, and reach higher levels. You need to blast the final wall from below (Obelix will need to hit it more times than Asterix to get his fat belly through.) Hut 2 Room 15 This is another weird level; it takes place over water (don't fall in or you die). Simply keep moving up the levels. Crawl under the giant helmets and avoid the cauldron flames. When you come to a wall of shields, punch the bottom one and then move away as the others will fall down, and hit you if you're too close. Your path will now be clear. When you see the emperor's big sedan chair thing, crawl, as the emperor's bodyguard will look out and try to stab you. I have no idea how to get the coins over the broadswords at the end, but if anyone can, please tell me. Room 16 This is an annoying level, with a very tight timer. The main problem is the two horses, which try and kick you into yesterday. The first one is easy to avoid (jump over its leg). The second one is tougher; it may not seem to kick harder, but it does. You must have one ice cube, and should throw it immediately after clearing the first horse. It will land just behind the second horse. Jump onto it and you should be able to get past. The next section involves crawling under several fish that are hanging up (some have water dripping off them, which for some reason can hurt you). There are goodies up above, but its hard to get to them, so I recommend you simply run to the finish (time is tight). Also, avoid the rotating spikes on - whatever those things are meant to be. Room 17 Start off above ground, and follow the path. Take a few detours to get some items, and then use the bubbles from the washtubs (?) to reach higher levels and cross over the washing lines. Before you have to go underground, go up and grab a chalice, then go down. Punch the fence, then go up for a heart. Make your way through the caves, using ice blocks to get up walls. Simply kill the buddies and reach the end quickly. Hut 3 Room 18 This is another hard room; the large, grey slabs will fall away after you touch them. To pass the first gap, step on the grey slab and jump right, landing on one below, and collecting a levitation potion. Immediately use it or you will die. Use ice to pass the spikes, then drop down and go left. At the last part, be careful, and you will have to cross over several collapsing slabs, with spikes in - between (I suggest you jump to the middle of the first slab, then jump over the spikes, and so on). You will probably take some hits doing this. Room 19 For some reason this room makes me think of Australia! This is fairly simple, as long as you do not stand on the clouds for too long, or they will fall onto the spikes. Make sure you get to the platform high above the exit to receive a chalice. Room 20 Destroy the fort (see boss section). Level 3: The Forest Not a particularly exciting level, this is also one of the hardest. This also has nine rooms. Hut 1 Room 21 A straightforward level. Walk along, avoiding attacks, until you get to a point where you can go up. Grab the levitation spell and go to the left of the platform, then float to the left, gathering coins and receiving a heart at the end. Make your way back to the levitation potion and float right, to get more items. You will now be at the beanstalks, so drop down, and cross, using the platforms and killing the Romans with fireballs. The rest is pretty straightforward. Room 22 What a weird level! What were the writers on? (Looks like 1960s Asterix, or something). Trying to ignore the ridiculous colour scheme, climb up using the flowers and fireball the first Roman, then spring into the tree. Make your way down and left and cross a chasm using the flowers as springs. When you land on the square flower, jump QUICKLY or it will fall away and you will die. In the next tree, grab a heart, and go up. Use clouds to get to the top branch. Go left, punch the last owl and end the level. Room 23 All you do is make your way down a large tree. There are plenty of side routes where you can get stuff. Avoid the spikes and (massive) baby birds. Be warned, also, that the spikes at the bottom will take a life, not just energy. Hut 2 Room 24 I recommend you play this as Asterix. Go right, and kill all the bees. Use clouds to cross the stag's antlers and ice blocks to get the levitation potion at the top of the level. Go on and you will see a swarm of bees heading for you. If you're Obelix, then tough - you're going to get hit. If you're Asterix, you will have collected a disguise, so use it. Shortly after this, you can use the levitation spell to reach a cluster of high up coins. Head to the exit now. Room 25 A very hard room, full of spiders. Try and avoid them and just head right and use the levitation potion the moment you get it, or the leaf you are on will fall. Float up to the final platform and simply kill all the spiders and Romans blocking your way. Room 26 This is sooo easy! I've actually managed to get through this on just one energy portion. Go right, killing the man eating plants and throwing a fireball at the Roman guarding the other side of the chasm. Now you come to the seed spitting plants, which are dead easy to avoid. Grab the ice blocks and make your way up, then go left and get the levitation potion to sail to the exit. Kill the man eating plants guarding it. Hut 3 Room 27 Play this as Asterix, as it makes it a lot easier. Make your way through the cave, jumping on switches to raise the spikes and avoiding the falling rocks. Kill the rabbits (not hard at all, as they just stand there). The only hard part is getting up to the steps at the bottom right - hand corner (use an ice block). On the steps, beware of some falling rocks and jump over the ones that roll towards you. Then keep crawling through the tunnels, avoiding the falling spikes and you'll reach the exit. Room 28 Another difficult room. Make your way right, and eventually drop down and go left, avoiding falling to your death, for a heart. Make sure you know won to go down, or you'll waste time, and cross the gap using the mushroom as a spring. Cross the beanstalks (cross over the top, then drop down at the end), killing the Romans with fireballs. Then make your way up to the exit, avoiding the archers and spearmen. Room 29 Defeat the log -rolling boss (see boss section). Level 4: Germany This is not only one of the easiest levels, but also the shortest, with just five rooms! Hut 1 Room 30 Asterix is best for this, as Obelix will have to crawl through the cages. Go right, avoiding the exploding valkyries, and go up for some coins, before continuing. When you get to the bit where there is a drop down to some flames, fall onto the platform with the valkiry on, and head left into a secret passage containing coins. Go down to the bottom of the level and head left, crossing the blue platforms, which will either rotate or fall. Do this quickly as the time limit is very short. Room 31 After killing the enemies, jump onto he eagle's back and be carried through the sky, but jump off quickly at the end, as the eagle will fall away. Spring onto the next one. Avoid the treetops (they're spiky) and get the levitation, which you can use to pass through the tunnel of spikes. Cross the next section using the clouds. The next part is tricky, as you must use a spring to cross a tree and reach the passage ahead, but more often than not, you will miss. Its easiest if you let yourself be hit by the tree and you will go flying and land on the platform (it has a chicken, anyway). Cross the spikes using the clouds and use an ice block or two at the end. Level 32 Germany's weird level takes place in the land of sausages. Make your way through them, avoiding the bad guys (no Romans though, which makes a pleasant change). Go up at first, then head left. Use a cloud to pass the sausage that's in your way, then head down and left and get a chicken. Head progressively upwards, taking a detour at one point to grab a bomb, which helps no end). At the top, head right, killing all the dwarves and reach the exit. Hut 2 Room 33 Simply make your way through the mountains, destroying the snowballs, then avoiding the three small ones they create. Use the alpenhorn to get up into the clouds (it's that big thing the German man's puffing away at; jump inside). There are loads of bonuses here; go right and when you reach the clouds again, jump into them and use them as platforms (watch out for the lightning which appears under them, though. Drop off the last cloud to find the exit (but beware of the snowman). Room 34 Drop down straight away to get a bomb, and you will be able to storm the level (for a little while anyway). Then make your way up the shaft, killing all the buddies. All the time, you must hurry as the water at the bottom will rise and kill you instantly if you are immersed in it. Near the top, you must get a levitation potion (crawl if you're Obelix), and you can levitate up to the exit. There is no boss! Level 5: Roman Galleon This is harder, but not much. There are also six stages here. Once again, there are no "puzzles" to complete (and this is my least favourite level). Hut 1 Room 35 Despite being called "Roman Galleon", this level actually takes place in snow; was it meant to be in Germany? I recommend you get fireballs and go and kill the snowman that throws its (regenerating) head at you, then go grab the sickle. Most of the level is straightforward, but watch for the condor when you get to the first jump. Wait until it flies overhead, then jump. If you land in the water, you will get hit and fly out. Unless you make it to land, you will die. You can go onto some lower platforms and get items, including a heart, but beware of the falling (and camoflagued) stalactites). After this, take the upper route, or you will need to cross some very hard, melting pillars. Also, the upper route has a bomb. Room 36 Play as Asterix here; kill the Romans, and get the fireballs, but be careful, as the platform holding them will collapse. Jump on the blue platform that's overhead, and ride it through the level, killing the Romans and avoiding the moving spike balls. You should save the fireballs for the Romans that are most difficult to get at. At the end of this ride, use the horns on the dragons to spring up towards the finish. Room 37 Use the green platforms to cross the sea, but watch out as the brown ones collapse. Use the otters' heads too, but be careful as they will bob up and down. Then jump onto the turtle (it will probably hit you at first), which catapults you onto a higher platform, and you will grab a chicken on the way. When passing the last two otters, jump just as the first one is about to pop up, and you should make it. Hut 2 Room 38 Another short time limit; play this as Asterix and grab the sickle, then run past several enemies. Continue on, and you will see some Romans charging back and forth with spears below you; they are guarding a disguise (useful, for later). Climb onto deck and get past the hordes of Romans, then cross a tricky gap (don't miss as you'll end up back in the ship's hold and you will run out of time). Jump to the exit potion/boar. Room 39 Simply cross over the ship's masts, avoiding the rocks and spearmen. Use the eagle at one point, then cross over the spinning platforms and climb up another mast to the end. Room 40 For some reason the game makers omitted to use the level's boss music here (which can be heard in the sound test) - which is kinda stupid. Fight the ONLY conventional boss in the game (see boss section). Level 6: Rome Most of Rome is surprisingly easy; this level contains seven rooms, including three of the five shortest levels in the game. There are a few neat puzzles, though. Hut 1 Room 41 This may look impossible, but it isn't; grab the fireballs and throw them at the wall on he left, which will explode, revealing a potion containing ice blocks, which you should use to clear the wall. Then, grab the bomb, and charge to the exit, obliterating every Roman in your path (the last centurion will have to be killed normally, though. Room 42 You're now on that massive aqueduct that can be seen near Rome (if you've ever been there). You can either go up or down, it doesn't matter, then use fireballs to kill most of the Romans near the end, and you will need plenty of ice to pass the large gaps and climb up to where the exit is. Room 43 You're in the sewers! All you need to do here is run forward, killing the rats and avoiding the fish. Also, jump over the sludge and avoid what comes out of the pipes. Hut 2 Room 44 Simply cross the banqueting table, avoiding the food that's being flung at you, and also avoiding the ribs on the table (which act as spikes). The jellies can be used as trampolines. This is the easiest stage in the game (apart from the first one). Room 45 Pass through the construction site; this level should be no problem at all, exact for some tricky jumps. Use the slave - activated lift at the far right, then head left, avoiding the spiders and killing the centurions who appear to be trying to carve their names in the ceiling. Room 46 Do NOT play this as Obelix; it is impossible, as far as I can gather! Head right, after collecting fireballs and you will see a man hanging on a platform, blocking your way. See the target at the edge of the platform? Hit this with a fireball and the man falls to his death. Jump over the gap. As far as I know, you cannot jump over with Obelix (but if you've managed it, write in and tell me). Repeat this, then you will come to some sets of spikes and a coconut. Throw a fireball at the coconut and the spikes will retract. Next, you will come to a wall blocking your way, but if you hit the switch before it, another wall overhead will open, allowing you access to the switch to raise the first wall. After a very tricky jump (you may lose a few lives here), go past what appear to be a set of coins and half a coconut (presumably the programmers screwed up here), and grab ice blocks to climb another wall, and head for the exit. Room 47 Fight the last boss and free Getafix. Be warned though, the end sequence is pretty disappointing, and you will complete the level in the same way as any other. You will then see a picture of Getafix at a feast (I can't see Asterix or Obelix there though), and the Level 1 boss tied to a tree. 5 Bosses Stop that Racket!!! (Gaulish Village) This is pretty weird! A man will come out of his treehouse, and start playing a lyre (badly). The notes that appear can harm you. However, Asterix is loaded with infinite exploding fish (!). Every few seconds, a man in a fish suit will run by; leap on his back and throw fish at the man in the treehouse. After several hits, he finally gets the message, and slinks back in (well actually, thanks to the poor animation, walks past the door and vanishes into thin air). Destroy the Fort (Roman Fort) The fort (in the background) will fire rocks at you; don't let them hit the ground if you can help it, or they will break up and be hazardous). Keep punching them and they will hit the fort. After about 30 hits, a white flag will appear and you've beaten them. Log Rolling Roman (The Forest) This is ridiculously hard. You have to somehow push the Roman towards the right before he pushes you to the left, but I can't figure out how to (I had to use passwords to get past this level). However, Bu||et writes: "I figured out how to beat the log boss. Press A and B back and forth continiously." DvD also told me: "Anyway, what you have to do:I picked Asterix. Then, imediately hold the joypad right (don't let go until you win) AND AT THE SAME TIME(Only because I picked my controls to be C B A) VERY quickly toggle back and forth between buttons A and B (as done in Track-n-Field, etc.) and you will run quickly to the right and win. If you don't remap your controls but leave them at the default, I'd imagine that you'd have to hit C and B instead, special weapon and punch, respectively. BTW, if you just hold right and tap B as fast as you can you still won't win, but you won't die imediately either. That's how I knew I was on the right track." N.B. I managed it finally by pressing A and B really fast, while mashing the right button on the control pad The Alligator (Roman Galleon) Stand on one of the upper platforms and the alligator will appear and cross the screen, snapping at you. Get behind it, and punch (but don't get too close or you'll be hit). He will start on the left, then pop up on the right, and repeat this. Don't fall into the water of you will die. You need to be quick too, or you will run out of time, so don't make too many misses. Battle the Two Tigers (Rome) Caesar has (evidently) challenged you to fight two tigers to get back Getafix. Simply hit them when they look out of one of the two side arches, and avoid them when they charge past. They take about ten to twelve hits each to kill. 6 Passwords If you are really stuck, use these to bypass levels (on the options screen): Level 2 - INSULA Level 3 - CONDOR Level 4 - VIENNA Level 5 - AVALON Level 6 - DULCIS End of FAQ. If you have any comments, complaints or hints, please email GavLuvsGA@aol.com (so long as its nothing patronising like pointing out a speeling mistace!)