Particularly present at the end of the year 2021 with no less than 14 games coming out between September and December, Microids is expected for several titles. To begin with, there is Asterix & Obelix: Slap them All, the 2D beat'em all that crystallizes high expectations, Alfred Hitcock Vertigo which is none other than the new game from Pendulo studios, and Syberia: The World Before which will be the last work of Benoît Sokal, unfortunately deceased last May. But there is another title that managed to get noticed during the reveal of its gameplay: it is Marsupilami: The Secret of the Sarcophagus. Drawing inspiration from Donkey Kong Country, Sonic and with a hint of Ori, the game was approached during a preview event in the premises of Microids. After a good half hour of play, it's time to give you our impressions of the controllers in hand.
Creature born from the imagination of Franquin in the Spirou and the heirs comic strip in 1952, the Marsupilami had to wait until the end of the 80s to become a full-fledged character and in turn benefit from a comic book which was entirely devoted to him. . In a few years, the popularity of Marsupilami is such that SEGA decides in 1995 to launch a video game adaptation on its Mega Drive, with the good care of Apache Software during development. The English studio arrives with an interesting pitch: mix platform and gameplay taken from Lemming, since our Marsupilami must guide his elephant friend through levels strewn with obstacles. Thanks to its prehensile tail and powers obtained by collecting items on the road, the Marsupilami can, for example, form a staircase to make its companion go trumpet, create a rope to hoist it on a platform or even create a shelter in case of falling rocks. For his comeback in video games twenty-six years after its debut, Franquin's creature abandons the strategic guide side of the Lemmings to focus on outright platforming. And to be sure to hit the nail on the head, the designers decided to take inspiration from big names, and in particular from a certain Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.
HOUBA HOURRA
Exit SEGA and Apache Software, in 2021, it is the French who manage the comeback of Marsupilami on PC and consoles. Indeed, it is Microids and the Ocellus studio which have teamed up to offer a gameplay more lively than the game of 1995. If Nintendo's Donkey Kong Country Returns has undoubtedly served as inspiration, we find all the mechanics inherent in usual platformers. Our three Marsupilami can run, jump, bounce on certain walls, cling to defined attachment points, kick their tail, all with the objective of completing the level by collecting the most items. on his way. It is even possible by tapping on the appropriate button to curl up to sprint and suddenly go even faster, a bit Sonic does in his eponymous games. It would have been better to hold the button down rather than hammering it, at least for common sense. By going to draw mechanics here and there, Marsupilami: The Secret of the Sarcophagus does not take any risk it is true, but offers suddenly an effective playability and especially immediately understandable. We navigate in familiar territory and we link the levels with a certain pleasure. While it is true that the title is above all intended for a younger audience, the more informed players will also have a good time, especially as three degrees of difficulty make it possible to heighten the challenge, especially if you are keen on high-scores. This is all the more true as Marsupilami: The Secret of the Sarcophagus is also full of hidden bonuses and other secret rooms that allow you to collect additional bonuses for Completists.
Our degree of expectation 
Visually, the title of Microids scores points, with a colorful universe that amazes the retina, but also thanks to the decorations provided in animated elements. The game also plays on the differences in focal lengths, with blurred backgrounds that make it possible to bring out the action in the foreground; which is rather well seen. To this festival of visual good humor, we can add a soundtrack that has its effect, with very Caribbean sounds, which give the impression of being on vacation, and indeed, in this autumn period when the cold and the rain invite themselves by us, it changes a lot. While it is obvious that Marsupilami: The Secret of the Sarcophagus is aimed above all at the youngest, at no time does the game take them down, and impose a certain challenge which forces them to understand the game well; a bit like the first platformers were when we were kids. And that is both respectable and appreciable.