Golden Axe Guide

Golden Axe is back, this is the Genesis/Mega Drive version that was already released in 2009 but pulled after it had a whammy put on it by too many iOS updates. You can play for free if you don't mind ads interrupting you and having to be online to play, or you can splurge for the IAP to remove the ads and the ability to play offline. Whether you pay or not, you can take advantage of MFi controller support if that is your particular jam. Double-tapping can be a little tricky on the virtual pad, but otherwise Golden Axe doesn't suffer too much if you're playing it with touch controls. The loss of the two-player mode is a far bigger blow.The best games of this sort featured intense-looking action, just enough story to draw you in, interesting characters, and skill-based gameplay that encouraged you to get better so you could play longer for your 25 cents. Golden Axe features the story-driven arcade mode for one or two players, plus a duel mode that lets you take on successively tougher challenges. You can also battle against a friend. The duels were exclusive to the Genesis version of the game and helped make up for the fact that it didn't look or sound as good as the arcade original. The game uses three buttons and is a better fit for the Classic Controller or GameCube controller, though it's playable using the Wii Remote, as well.

Golden Axe was close to being a revolutionary game since it featured three completely different playable characters: Ax Battler, who's basically Conan the Barbarian with a haircut; Tyris Flare, a scantily clad female warrior; and Gilius Thunderhead, a dwarf armed with a scary-looking battle axe. As any of these vengeful characters, your goal is to fight your way through several stages filled with enemy barbarians, arrogant amazons, war-hammer-wielding giants, undead skeletons, and more in an effort to defeat Death Adder, a bloodthirsty villain who's ransacked a once-peaceful fantasy world. The game features a number of memorable enemies and stages, and the combat itself is fast and responsive, affording you a good number of different moves and combos. Of all the different slashes, jump kicks, throws, and magic spells available, probably the best aspect of the combat is how you could bash enemies over their heads with the pommel of your weapon; together with some good-looking animations, this gave Golden Axe the visceral feel of the sword-and-sorcery movies that were popular in the '80s. Golden Axe even let you ride on a few different monsters.

You take on the role of a warrior questing to defeat the villainous Death Adder, the worst of the wicked warlords at work in the world. Because, in addition to tormenting the peasants, he's also responsible for kidnapping the country's king and princess. You can choose from three different fighters, each with the expected differences in style. There's Ax Battler, the middle-of-the-road option who offers a balance between strength, speed and magical ability. There's Tyris Flare, the fast-but-weak choice who's also the most powerful spellcaster. And there's Gilius Thunderhead, the strongest but slowest and weakest at magic, but who wields, of course, a golden axe. The beat-'em-up action is pretty straightforward, as you (or you and a friend playing simultaneous two-player) walk from the left to the right of a set of a half-dozen stages or so, chopping wave after wave of enemies to death. You've got a reasonable array of attack options, considering there's just one attack button combination strikes, leaping assaults, dashing bull charges and the like can be triggered pretty easily. You can use magic attacks to hit all enemies on screen at once, but you need potions to fuel that option -- and more potions means more potent magic

The player is given the choice of three different characters. Ax Battler is a stern barbarian and showcases a decent balance between speed, power and magical ability. Tyris Flare is the token female fighter and is blessed with a impressive command of magic as well as a swiftness of foot, but such talent comes at the expense of strength. Finally we have Gilius Thunderhead, a dwarf who is weak with spells but sturdy and powerful, boasting impressive offensive capabilities.Although the characters are markedly different in appearance their move sets are near identical. All three are capable of devastating multi-part combos, which change depending on your proximity to your opponent. For example, your typical flurry is a couple of slashes, followed by two blows to the head with the butt of your weapon before a final slash is delivered. However, it’s possible to move your character after the initial two attacks, and this results in either a throw or a quick upwards slash, or stab. Tinkering with this combo system is vital when you’re going up against several enemies at once. Often, if you choose to execute the full combo you’ll find that you’re being assailed from all sides before you get chance to complete it.

The beat-'em-up action is pretty straightforward, as you (or you and a friend playing simultaneous two-player) walk from the left to the right of a set of a half-dozen stages or so, chopping wave after wave of enemies to death. You've got a reasonable array of attack options, considering there's just one attack button -- combination strikes, leaping assaults, dashing bull charges and the like can be triggered pretty easily. You can use magic attacks to hit all enemies on screen at once, but you need potions to fuel that option -- and more potions means more potent magic. Then, lastly, you'll occasionally come across rideable creatures like fire-breathing dragons that lend a helping hand.It's a tight design, and one that helped define just what a beat-'em-up was back in the late '80s. With the wealth of other, more modern beat-'em-ups also available for download through the Wii Shop, though, this one might not be quite worth the nine dollars it's asking you to spend -- especially since you might have already bought the Genesis version for one buck less.If your heart's set on owning Golden Axe and it's down to a competition between this version or the Genesis one, though, here are the factors to consider.