Golden Axe Revenge on Death Adder

Golden Axe: Screenshot from vgmuseum.comSega developed and released Golden Axe in 1989 and the 2D side scrolling fantasy hack and slash affair was soon popular across the globe. You could choose from three characters and had to defeat loads of weird and wonderful enemies in your quest to defeat the evil Death Adder and rescue the King and his daughter. It looked great, the developers added a few features to a well established game-play style and it was an addictive title.

All of the principal characters had good reasons for seeking revenge against the evil Death Adder and each had different abilities and weaponry. First up was the diminutive Gilius Thunderhead, an angry bearded dwarf wielding a big battle axe and seeking to avenge the murder of his twin brother. Then there was Tyris Flare the muscular Amazonian woman equipped with a long sword and driven to violence after the brutal killing of her parents. Finally there was the classic Conan clone, the barbarian Ax Battler. Despite his name he fought with a broad sword and like Conan he was looking to avenge his mother’s murder.

The characters were each handled slightly differently with unique special attacks and their own brand of magic. Tyris could use fire to burn her enemies, Gilius could rain down lightning and Ax could shake the foundations of the earth. In order to get to Death Adder tucked away in his castle you had to wade through loads of nasty henchmen. There were basic goons with spiky clubs, skeletons with swords and shields, giant bald dudes with big hammers and dark knights. Sometimes they would enter the screen riding on fire breathing dinosaur creatures and you could knock them off and steal their steeds.

The action looked great with colourful creatures and characters who were well animated and some classic special effects for the magical attacks. On release it definitely stood out as a good looking game. The production values were generally high and the art and game-play were complimented by a soundtrack (there was even a Golden Axe album). They also used sound effects from Rambo and Conan the Barbarian mostly screams to accompany the violent deaths of baddies.

The game was released as a stand up cabinet and there were two sets of controls with an eight way joystick and three buttons each. You had the option of playing with a friend co-operatively or taking on the challenge alone. It was designed by Makoto Uchida who also worked on Altered Beast. A team of six knocked Golden Axe out in just six months and it was popular enough to be ported to everything in sight and spawn a string of sequels. In fact the last sequel, Golden Axe: Beast Rider was released last year but sadly it was terrible and got deservedly panned by the critics. The original Golden Axe was a different matter entirely and it was a lucrative franchise for Sega. There was a comic book based on it in the UK and it continued to be a favourite into the 90’s.