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Golden Axe
Text Review
There isn’t much of a story behind Golden Axe. Sure, the manual gives character names and tells you that the evil Death Adder kidnapped the king and his daughter, and that he is threatening to destroy the titular Golden Axe. But this is all window dressing. All that matters is that you want to get from point A to point B, and you have to kill everyone who gets in your way. Golden Axe is a classic arcade beat ‘em up.
The game starts off with you picking your character, each with their strengths and weaknesses. The barbarian is the most balanced, the dwarf has longer reach but less magical power, and the Amazon has powerful spells but has to fight at closer range. From there you’re thrown into the thick of it as you begin to hack and slash your way through enemies on your journey from the left to the right.
Periodically you’ll encounter sack wielding gnomes, or maybe hobbits, either way they’re shorter than the dwarf that you attack in order to yield magic potions. You use these potions to fill your magic meter in order to unleash increasingly powerful magical spells. In addition to beating up just about everything that moves and accosting little people, the game encourages you to steal from others by knocking your enemies off of their beasts then riding them. These beasts range from tail-whipping cockatrices to fire breathing dragons.
In addition to the standard arcade mode, Golden Axe also has a beginner mode that is easier and shorter and “The Duel” mode. In The Duel you face off against ever increasing enemies in a survival mode battle or one on one against a friend.
But everything isn’t all sunshine and puppies in Golden Axe land. The gameplay is dated and repetitive. There are simply better beat ‘em ups that have been released since Golden Axe. If you have fond memories, it’s the same game it has always been but your remembrance may be kinder than your experience. Still Golden Axe is a classic that’s worth playing at least once.
- Brian Easton
Developer: Sega
Publisher: Sega
Platform(s): PC, Sega Genesis, Virtual Console, XBLA
The game starts off with you picking your character, each with their strengths and weaknesses. The barbarian is the most balanced, the dwarf has longer reach but less magical power, and the Amazon has powerful spells but has to fight at closer range. From there you’re thrown into the thick of it as you begin to hack and slash your way through enemies on your journey from the left to the right.
Periodically you’ll encounter sack wielding gnomes, or maybe hobbits, either way they’re shorter than the dwarf that you attack in order to yield magic potions. You use these potions to fill your magic meter in order to unleash increasingly powerful magical spells. In addition to beating up just about everything that moves and accosting little people, the game encourages you to steal from others by knocking your enemies off of their beasts then riding them. These beasts range from tail-whipping cockatrices to fire breathing dragons.
In addition to the standard arcade mode, Golden Axe also has a beginner mode that is easier and shorter and “The Duel” mode. In The Duel you face off against ever increasing enemies in a survival mode battle or one on one against a friend.
But everything isn’t all sunshine and puppies in Golden Axe land. The gameplay is dated and repetitive. There are simply better beat ‘em ups that have been released since Golden Axe. If you have fond memories, it’s the same game it has always been but your remembrance may be kinder than your experience. Still Golden Axe is a classic that’s worth playing at least once.
- Brian Easton
Developer: Sega
Publisher: Sega
Platform(s): PC, Sega Genesis, Virtual Console, XBLA
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