This game was released back in 91 and was a sequel to the highly rated Golden Axe. Having not played the previous version i was bought this version as a youngster and for a while was probably my favourite game on the mega drive. The story is very basic, you are tasked with retaining the golden axe from the dark guld, who you will meet at the end of the game.
The game is quite a simple side scrolling hack em up beat em up set in fantasy medieval times where at the end of each level you met an end boss and battled til the death. Simple but effective!
You could take control of one of three characters, a dwarf wielding a massive axe (well for his size anyway) called Gilius Thunderhead, a male barbarian type who used a sword but was named Ax Battler and a female character called Tyris Flare who also used a sword. Each one had their own magical powers which you could use at different stages in the level, the dwarf being able to manipulate falling rocks, the barbarian being able to use wind to destroy baddies and Tyris Flare using fire. The magic was picked up through hitting one of the many wizard like umperlumpas either during the game or in between levels while resting. I remember they come to steal your food (used for life) and wake you from your sleep in the process hence getting your food back and taking some magic just for the cheek of it.
Back in the day all my friends used to pick the dwarf just purely for the fact that his weapon was bigger (stop it with your filthy minds!). Some combinations could be done in fighting but they were limited to the normal swipe of the axe or sword jumping or standing. It was also popular to try to complete the story mode on hard as the game hadnt got much more difficult since the first release.
Graphics for its time were as you would expect, the scenery didnt have much thought put behind it but the enemy characters looked good and were a nice change to other enemies of its time.
The game does have a two player option and is a lot of fun using two to defeat the many enemies that come your way. 'Come help, use your magic' was always shouted when one of you were in trouble. However if you failed to make it through to the end as a pairing you could actually fight out your differences in the one v one mode. Here you will just be put in a scene and given the chance to batter each other to death. Again simple but effective. What i did think was quite innovative was the duel game which you could crack on with. This had a one or two player version but basically threw you up against each and every different type of enemy you could face during the story mode of the game, ranging from simple skeleton warrior to end bosses. Obviously as you go on the harder they get but its quite a testing gauntlet to get involved in.
Overall a really good game back in the day, i believe it was well received as another was made after this, so it couldnt have been bad! If i still had my mega drive i reckon i could have friends queuing up at my door ready to join me in two player story mode on hard! Get involved for the price it is and live the dream!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: New characters, optional routes through levels, enjoyable two-player mode, nice level-design Disadvantages: Lacks the sparkle of the original, runs out of ideas quickly, gameplay gets repetitive, unoriginal
very helpful by (100%):
