Golden Axe

- Reviewed on PS4 -

Golden Axe released on January 27th, 1989.

Although released a long time ago, I got the pleasure of reliving one of SEGA's most enjoyable Side-Scrolling, Beat 'em Up games (in my opinion), Golden Axe, as a part of the SEGA Genesis Classics title for PS4.

With memorable music and fun / creative enemy designs, Golden Axe is a great retro classic to visit (or revisit) as a gamer.

This review WILL have Major Spoilers so keep that in mind before continuing...

This retro title released originally back in 1989, and still, to this day, has an absolutely terrific soundtrack from beginning to end!

Definitely the best aspect of Golden Axe is the music, and during your short, one hour, playthrough of the whole game, you'll listen (and battle) to intense boss fight tracks and even fun and relaxing tracks. 

The music is, of course, what you'd expect with old, retro games, with its very repetitive rhythms and short tempo beats, but Golden Axe's orchestral war anthems keep the player(s) going across the nine stages. 

Golden Axe can be played alone or with one other player. The main characters include...

    - Ax Battler

    - Tyris Flare

    - Gilius Thunderhead

What I admire about these characters is that they each stand out with their unique appearances, skills, combat, and magic abilities.

Not only does this benefit with replayability, but also allows your multiplayer playthroughs to feel different and special each time. 

And with Golden Axe's short length, it is easier than ever to pick this game up and see everything it has to offer!

Ax Battler, or Tarik, fights with a long sword and is a Barbarian. 

Tyris Flare is a scantily clad woman, who fights with a blade and is an Amazon. 

Lastly, Gilius Thunderhead is a white-haired Dwarf Hero who battles with a broad axe. 

What I absolutely love about Golden Axe and these characters specifically, is that each of them has unique backstories and are all neatly detailed even for a 1989 pixelated game. 

They all share one goal in this game, and that is to defeat the evil Death Adder, save the King and his daughter, and most importantly, acquire the stolen Golden Axe and restore balance to the fictional world (land) of Yuria. 

As you complete stages in Golden Axe, you'll encounter cut scenes of the characters narrating where they're about to end up on a pixelated map, and eventually getting to the castle. 

Now, for gamers who didn't grow up on these retro titles, we all (at least for me) tend to get angry and surprised at the difficulty of these retro titles. Golden Axe is no exception to that... especially the final boss fight (more on that later).

The game throughout gets gradually tougher with enemies who increase in Attack, Speed, Dash, and Combo Power, and their difficulty is also apparent by their uniform colors.

There is a plethora of enemies in Golden Axe, which include...

    - Heninger

    - Longmoan

    - Amazons

    - Skeletons

    - Bad Brothers

    - Knights

    - Death Adder / Death Adder Jr.

    - Death Bringer (Final Boss)

There are also rideable creatures to use and attack enemies that include...

    - Chicken Leg

    - Blue Dragon

    - Red Dragon

You can / will be knocked off when attacked (whilst riding the creatures), and after too many received attacks, the creature(s) will run off. So be wary of this permanent outcome to a temporary combat booster. 

The bonus levels (after completing one level at a time) will show the chosen character(s) sleeping by a campfire and then small Thieves running around. Hitting these Thieves will grant you either Magic or Food. 

Blue Thieves drop Magic and Green Thieves drop Food. They also appear during the stages and majority of the time, before upcoming fight zones. 

My major gripe with Golden Axe however, despite the many positives of this title, is the lack of defense your characters have during combat. 

There is no blocking in this game, and so if you mess up slightly, you're all of a sudden taking major damage with no room to maneuver around. 

You must take advantage of the magical abilities (and when to use them) and your dashing / jumping attacks.

Veterans to the Side-Scrolling, Beat 'em Up genre might not have issues with this title, but the final boss, known as Death Bringer, might give you a hard time, and with its ability to use magic (like the player) and its annoying Skeleton helpers, Golden Axe does provide however, a stress relieving, well fought victory for the player(s) afterwards. 

The game will also grade you afterwards on your overall player strength. The scale ranges from class rank F all the way to A+++, or numerically, 35 to 100.

In the end, this very short title is a great way to sit back, relax, and enjoy the retro wonders of the Side-Scrolling, Beat 'em Up genre!

Pros: 

    - Amazing / Memorable Soundtrack

    - Great Level Design

    - Unique Characters, NPCs, and Enemies

    - Replayability

    - Multiplayer

    - Outstanding Game Lore

Cons:

    - Short Game Length

    - Incredibly Tough Final Boss

    - No Credible Defense during Combat

My Rating for Golden Axe (on PS4):

4 / 5

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Disclaimer

All Reviews, Ratings, Pros, Cons, and Opinions Shared on this Blog (Press A Reviews) are my (Connor Butler) own Thoughts and Feelings.