We also get introduced to the black(?) dragon. And I won't spoil it here, but I'm getting suspicious about Turtle Village. If there was a guy with a mace wearing bright pink leather, I'd run away too. So is this just poor art design and perspective, or are the people of Turtle Village very short? Maybe it's this map just being generally terrible, but I fail to see how this is a shortcut. And then beat more magic out of them for a magic profit. If you have any magic, these gnome bastards will steal some of it. Gilius has some of the worst magic, but at least it maxes out pretty quickly.Īnd then bonus stages. Hey guys, maybe you shouldn't be standing out in the open with sledgehammers during a thunder storm. If you think they're smug, annoying bastards here, wait until they get sound clips in the sequel. On our way to Turtle Village we run into the Chuckle Brothers. thing can do a tail swipe and is generally stupid and ugly. It's so famous that Sega tried to make a shitty racing game out of it. Specifically, the random peasants who are being terrorized by Death=Adder's troops.Īnother thing that Golden Axe is famous for is the mounts you can ride. While not unique to Golden Axe, it was probably the first in the genre to suggest the world isn't divided exclusively into "you" and "things trying to kill you". These gnome things run around, and when you beat them (it's your moral obligation to beat gnomes) they drop magic. That's why these little presentation things can make all the difference between a competent but boring game and a great game.Īnother thing Golden Axe is famous for are these little fuckers. Presuming you don't horribly botch your design or gameplay balance (UNDERCOVER COPS!!!!) then every beat 'em up is pretty much the same. Stun your opponent and you bash his head in instead. Golden Axe has contextual attacks so you're not just doing the same combo on everyone. While you could stun enemies in other games, most of them simply gave your character an attack combo. Here's one of the things that made Golden Axe stand out in a crowd. In theory it's nice to have the option of spamming weak magic attacks, but I think everyone stored up for the boss fights anyway. The more you fill the magic meter, the more powerful your magic attack becomes. That's the magic meter, which is the most defining characteristic between the playable characters. In any case, note the meter at the top of the screen. And that Death=Adder kidnapped the royal family to get the Golden Axe from them.
What isn't explained is who the Hell the late, great Alex is. And it's only getting worse from here.Īnd that's the only in-game explanation you're getting.
The game opens with this guy reaching the end of the worst day of his life. He's from the Glen Cook school of villain design: he's nine feet tall, is ripped enough to crush your skull in one hand, AND he's a wizard with enough magic to destroy a continent. If Golden Axe: The Duel taught me anything, it's that the Golden Axe is effectively Soul Edge.Īnd of course Death=Adder. For my part, I thought he was wielding the titular Golden Axe. Maybe it's because he's a dwarf with a viking helmet. Maybe because, despite being the strong but slow guy, the game didn't differentiate too much between characters so the speed issue wasn't a big deal. And I'd like to know who her parents were or where she went after this game, because one of her descendants is princess of the Kingdom of Winwood.Īnd Gilius=Thunderhead, the guy everyone played as. She's twice as tragic as Ax=Battler because she lost both her parents. I meant in terms of gameplay, not being a well rounded character. He's also the "average" guy of the group, being the most well rounded. Of course, heroes come out of the woodwork to kill the bad guy for poorly written reasons.Īx=Battler (I know it's Axe Battler, but this is funnier) is a generic half-naked Conan type. Royal family has magic weapon evil wizard wants magic weapon evil wizard starts killing everyone. But between those two (being older than Final Fight by six months) was a game that would somehow become damn near a household name, known and recognized by gamers who have never even played it. I know that Double Dragon was the game that popularized the genre, and then Final Fight created a standard formula that everyone ever after would try to duplicate. I honestly can't say what the first beat 'em up was.