Golden Axe

27.01.1989
Critic 65/100
Users 75/100
Progress is made through the game by fighting through Death Adder's henchmen, including men armed with clubs and maces, skeleton warriors, and knights. Players are able to attack using their weapon, jump and cast spells that hurt all enemies on the screen. The force of this magic depends on the number of "bars" of magic power currently available. The bars are filled by collecting blue 'magic potions' attained by kicking little sprites who then drop the potions. These sprites appear during regular levels and during bonus stages in between levels. The male warrior Ax is able to cast earth spells. The dwarf Gilius, casts lightning spells and the female warrior Tyris casts fire magic. Each character has a different number of maximum magic bars and varying ranges of attack. Various steeds known as bizarrians are found in the game. These can be ridden when the enemy rider is knocked off, or if one is found dormant. The least powerful steed is known as the Cockatrice, which can be used to knock down enemies with a swipe of its tail. The more powerful dragon, which can either shoot fireballs or breathe fire, is found later in the game.
The game takes place in the fictional land of Yuria, a Conan the Barbarian-style high fantasy medieval world. An evil entity known as Death Adder has captured the King and his daughter, and holds them captive in their castle. He also finds the Golden Axe, the magical emblem of Yuria, and threatens to destroy both the axe and the royal family unless the people of Yuria accept him as their ruler. Three warriors set out on a quest to rescue Yuria and avenge their losses at the hands of Death Adder. The first is a battle axe-wielding dwarf, Gilius Thunderhead, from the mines of Wolud, whose twin brother was killed by the soldiers of Death Adder. Another is a male barbarian, Ax Battler, wielding a two-handed broadsword, looking for revenge for the murder of his mother. The last is a longsword-wielding Tyris Flare, an amazon, whose parents were both killed by Death Adder. The warriors rescue the inhabitants of the ransacked Turtle Village, which turns out to be situated on the shell of a giant turtle. The turtle takes the characters across the sea, and they then fly to the castle itself on the back of a giant eagle. Once at the castle they defeat Death Adder, who is wielding the Golden Axe, and save the land. In the Mega Drive and PC versions, and also in other ports, the characters also battle Death Adder's mentor, Death Bringer, as the true final boss. After the final battle, the warriors receive a magical golden axe that imbues the player with immortality.

Buy

Expanded games

22.12.1989

The Sega Genesis/Mega Drive port of Golden Axe has two additional modes, a training mode (Beginner) and an enemy Battle mode (Duel).

Part of collection:
Golden Axe (last 3 games)

18.10.2020

A one-level vertical slice created as proof of concept for a reboot of the Golden Axe series, released eight years after its creation by the now-defunct SEGA Studios Australia.

30.08.2017

A bundle containing mobile ports of the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive versions of main Golden Axe trilogy.

14.10.2008

Beast Rider is the first Golden Axe game in 3D as opposed to side scrolling hack and slash. While this is a major shift in game style from the previous games, Beast Rider maintains many of the elements from the originals such as magic and riding beasts, as well as sending the player on a quest to defeat Death Adder.

Part of franchise:
Golden Axe (last 3 games)

13.12.2018

Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the SEGA Genesis, SEGA Classics is the most extensive SEGA collection available on any streaming media player! SEGA Classics is a bundle of 25 SEGA games that you can play right on your Fire TV without having to purchase a console, buy a controller, or juggle HDMI outlets. Play your favorite games like Sonic The Hedgehog, Streets of Rage, and Golden Axe with your friends and family this holiday season! Rediscover retro titles from SEGA’s heyday including games with multiplayer support. All games in the SEGA Classics collection can be played using your Fire TV remote or by pairing your device with a HID Bluetooth controller.

14.11.2018

Collect Sega heroes from your favorite games to fight in epic match 3 RPG puzzle battles. Sonic the Hedgehog, Shinobi, Streets of Rage and more unite in this strategy match 3 RPG game. Build an all-star team in this match 3 RPG game of epic proportions, battle by completing match 3 puzzles and defeat iconic Sega villains!

30.08.2017

A bundle containing mobile ports of the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive versions of main Golden Axe trilogy.

Could be interesting

25.06.1993

Chaos is spreading across the land once again as the Prince of Darkness arises to conquer the world. To stop him and retrieve the legendary Golden Axe, four heroes step forward to accept the challenge.

05.09.1991

The Lord of Darkness, Dark Guld, has arisen again. Wielding the famous Golden Axe, he has destroyed entire countries with his evil clan, forcing the world into chaos. Once again, three brave warriors stand up to face the oppressors, and won’t rest until the Golden Axe is returned to its rightful place.

02.08.1991

Streets of Rage is a side-scrolling beat 'em up video game developed and published by Sega in 1991 for Mega Drive/Genesis. It is the first installment of the Bare Knuckle/Streets of Rage series which was followed by Streets of Rage 2 and Streets of Rage 3.

01.12.1992

Mr. X and the Syndicate are back, this time taking Adam hostage! Take on the role of Axel, Blaze, Skate, or Max to rescue Adam, and destroy Mr. X once and for all.

08.03.2019

Devil May Cry 5 is a brand-new entry in the legendary over-the-top action series Devil May Cry. The game features three playable characters, each with a radically different stylish combat play style as they take on the city overrun with demons. Developed with Capcom’s in-house proprietary RE engine, the series continues to achieve new heights in fidelity with graphics that utilize photorealistic character designs and stunning lighting and environmental effects.

15.10.1985

The players, up to four at once in the arcade version, select among four playable fantasy-based characters; Thor the Warrior, Merlin the Wizard, Thyra the Valkyrie, or Questor the Elf. Each character has his or her own unique strength and weaknesses. For example, the Warrior is strongest in hand-to-hand combat, the Wizard has the most powerful magic, the Valkyrie has the best armour and the Elf is the fastest in movement. Upon selecting a playable character, the gameplay is set within a series of top-down, third-person perspective mazes where the object is to find and touch the designated exit in every level. An assortment of special items can be located in each level that increase player's character's health, unlock doors, gain more points and magical potions that can destroy all of the enemies on screen. The enemies are an assortment of fantasy-based monsters, including ghosts, grunts, demons, lobbers, sorcerers and thieves. Each enters the level through specific generators, which can be destroyed. While there are no bosses in the game, the most dangerous enemy is "Death", who can not only drain a character's health, but is difficult to destroy. As the game progresses, higher levels of skill are needed to reach the exit, with success often depending on the willingness of the players to cooperate by sharing food and luring monsters into places where they can be engaged and slaughtered more conveniently. While contact with enemies reduces the player's health, it also slowly drains on its own, thus creating a time limit. When a character's health reaches zero, that character dies. The character can be revived in place with full health by spending a game credit (i.e. inserting a coin) within a certain short time window after it died. This allows even the least proficient players to keep playing indefinitely, if they are willing to keep inserting coins.

28.02.2025

The unbridled force of nature runs wild and relentless, with environments transforming drastically from one moment to the next. This is a story of monsters and humans and their struggles to live in harmony in a world of duality.

09.06.2018

Unravel Two is the sequel to the 2015 puzzle platforming game Unravel. In the game there are two Yarny's (made out of yarn) which can be controlled by one player, though the game can also be played in co-op. Together the Yarny's explore area's and solve the puzzles within them.

23.01.2000

“METAL SLUG 3”, the masterpiece in SNK’s emblematic 2D run & gun action shooting game series, still continues to fascinate millions of fans worldwide to this day for its intricate dot-pixel graphics, and simple and intuitive game controls!

01.08.1987

Double Dragon is a 1987 beat 'em up video game developed by Technōs Japan and distributed by Taito for arcades across Asia, North America and Europe. It is the first title in the Double Dragon franchise. The player character has a repertoire of martial arts techniques which they can perform using the joystick and three action buttons (kick, jump, and punch) individually or in combination. Techniques range from basic punches and kicks to more elaborate manoeuvres like hair-grabbing moves and elbow strikes. When playing with another player, one can assist the other by grabbing their partner's opponent from behind. Caution should be taken, though, as some enemies can do the same thing to the players. The player begins the game with a certain number of extra lives and a life gauge which depletes as the player takes hits. If the life gauge runs out or the time limit reaches zero, the player will lose a life. There is a small variety of enemy characters that the player will face through the course of the game. Certain enemies carry melee weapons, which can be knocked out of their hands and picked up to use against them. Available weapons include baseball bats, whips, throwing knives, and dynamite; in addition, rocks, oil drums, and boxes can be found in certain places. The game is divided into four stages or "missions," consisting of a city slum, a factory, the woods, and the gang's hideout. The game normally ends if a single player defeats the final boss alone. However, if two players complete the game together, they are forced to fight each other to determine who will win Marian's affections.