If you were a Genesis owner you had Sonic the Hedgehog, Ecco the Dolphin, Streets of Rage, Aladdin (for some reason), and Golden Axe. A classic beat em up starring a male warrior, a female warrior who could cast many spells, and a short gnome that brought down the lightning. Golden Axe has always been a strange series where the better the game gets and moves away from it’s not so great charm the worse fans felt about it. The first two Golden Axe titles are beloved but the third title that made the game cleaner and added in more characters? Despised. Golden Axe Beast Rider missed the point but that game never had a shot taking the series to 3D. Golden Axe fans are like cavemen but these are the same people who enjoyed seeing other Genesis series like Sonic the Hedgehog evolve.
Today we are looking at Golden Axe for Arcade which is a mirror image of the Genesis version and Golden Axe II and III. 
After all these years Golden Axe still is charming. The story cutscenes between levels are from a simpler time but they still just work. The shock of the level you just finished was a freaking giant turtle is a better trick than most of todays games attempt. The game play is still a clunky mess but it has charm. Likewise Golden Axe II just copies where the first stopped. The graphics are slightly better and the game play slightly improves. Golden Axe II adds a Duel mode where you most survive 15 rounds against opponents that increase in toughness.
Finally there is Golden Axe III and this game looks great. The problem right off the bat? Gilius our green dwarf we used in the first two titles has become some kind of military leader sending us into battle. In his place are an ugly caveman that charges and a panther man who grapples and slashes. The combat here has actually improved but the enemy health went up in comparsion. You’ll find yourself being cheap in combat like the other two titles and the differences you’ll notice aren’t really much. The game looks better and is tighter with control but still has the mindless feel you appreciate from the other two.
In all three games there are beasts you can ride. The big thing that seperated this game from every other 2D beat em up of the time. Beasts varied from chickens that attacked backwards to fire breathing dragons depending on the game. They provided instant kills on enemies but you could be knocked off your beast with a single hit. The other element to combat is magic, which can be charged up to level 8 for the female warrrior. You collect magic in the original Golden Axe by beating up thieving gnomes in between stages, in the sequel you punched out mages, and then in the third game you return to picking on small thieving gnomes.
All of these games are under the same system all the Sega Vintage Collection titles have fallen under. Smooth emulation, 
customizable settings, save system, and challenge modes for the very hardcore. The presentation and execution of these ports is so smooth you could swear these were original titles and not 20+ year old titles.
If you were a Genesis owner you had Sonic the Hedgehog, Ecco the Dolphin, Streets of Rage, Aladdin (for some reason), and Golden Axe. A classic beat em up starring a male warrior, a female warrior who could cast many spells, and a short gnome that brought down the lightning. Golden Axe has always been a strange series where the better the game gets and moves away from its not so great charm the worse fans felt about it. The first two Golden Axe titles are beloved but the third title that made the game cleaner and added in more characters? Despised. Golden Axe Beast Rider missed the point but that game never had a shot taking the series to 3D. Golden Axe fans are like cavemen but these are the same people who enjoyed seeing other Genesis series like Sonic the Hedgehog evolve.
Today we are looking at Golden Axe for Arcade which is a mirror image of the Genesis version and Golden Axe II and III. After all these years Golden Axe still is charming. The story cutscenes between levels are from a simpler time but they still just work. The shock of the level you just finished was a freaking giant turtle is a better trick than most of todays games attempt. The game play is still a clunky mess but it has charm. Likewise Golden Axe II just copies where the first stopped. The graphics are slightly better and the game play slightly improves. Golden Axe II adds a Duel mode where you most survive 15 rounds against opponents that increase in toughness.
Finally there is Golden Axe III and this game looks great. The problem right off the bat? Gilius our green dwarf we used in the first two titles has become some kind of military leader sending us into battle. In his place are an ugly caveman that charges and a panther man who grapples and slashes. The combat here has actually improved but the enemy health went up in comparsion. You’ll find yourself being cheap in combat like the other two titles and the differences you’ll notice aren’t really much. The game looks better and is tighter with control but still has the mindless feel you appreciate from the other two.
In all three games there are beasts you can ride. The big thing that seperated this game from every other 2D beat em up of the time. Beasts varied from chickens that attacked backwards to fire breathing dragons depending on the game. They provided instant kills on enemies but you could be knocked off your beast with a single hit. The other element to combat is magic, which can be charged up to level 8 for the female warrrior. You collect magic in the original Golden Axe by beating up thieving gnomes in between stages, in the sequel you punched out mages, and then in the third game you return to picking on small thieving gnomes.
All of these games are under the same system all the Sega Vintage Collection titles have fallen under. Smooth emulation, customizable settings, save system, and challenge modes for the very hardcore. The presentation and execution of these ports is so smooth you could swear these were original titles and not 20+ year old titles.
- The beasts in all three games are cool
- None of the games feel like a chore to play
- These games have not lost their charm
- The Duel is not a great mode and bland
- No Gilius in Golden Axe III
Score: 5/5
