Golden Axe II
Encyclopedia
Golden Axe II is a side-scrolling fighting game
(or side-scrolling beat'em up) released for the Sega Mega Drive
. It was released on December 26, 1991. It is the home console sequel to the popular game Golden Axe
, marking the second game in the series
, though the arcade did see a sequel
of its own called Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder
a few years later. Golden Axe II was only released on the Mega Drive, while the original was released on many other platforms. The game has most recently appeared in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
for Xbox 360
and PlayStation 3
and as an iPhone
port on iTunes
.
The box art was created by Boris Vallejo
.
hack 'n' slash game, very similar to the previous Golden Axe
. The player is given a choice of three fighters: a battle axe
-wielding dwarf, Gilius Thunderhead; a barbarian
, Ax Battler, wielding a two handed broadsword; and long-sword wielding Tyris Flare, an amazon
. Each of the fighters has a unique magic
which can be used at any time in the game to inflict damage upon enemies. Each player is given a set of life bars which are lost one by one if the player is hit.
Though the characters and gameplay were virtually unchanged from the first game, there were a few improvements. The "back attack" (performed by pressing the Jump and Attack buttons simultaneously) for each character was changed to a more useful attack that hit enemies on all sides. Enemies could now be thrown in either direction by pressing right or left on the D-pad immediately after picking them up, making it easier to hit other enemies with them or throw them off cliffs. Most importantly, the magic system was overhauled. Whereas in the first game, pressing the magic button used all of a player's magic pots, one could now use part or all of one's magic by holding the button and releasing it when the meter had reached the desired level. The magic was also changed - Ax Battler's exploding magic from the first game was replaced with wind magic, and Gilius Thunderhead now used rock magic instead of lightning. Tyris Flare retained her fire magic, but was still given entirely new animations for it. Finally, there were small cosmetic changes in the form of a shoulder guard for Ax Battler and black gauntlets for Gilius Thunderhead.
There are two types of game modes. One is "The Duel
", where players are pitted against enemies in one arena, battling one after the other and gradually getting more difficult. The other is normal mode, where players must navigate through different areas battling various enemies.
Between each level a rating is awarded to the player(s) based on their performance, with a final rating awarded at the end of the game. A small exposition
of the main story is also given.
where the player must battle a large group of enemies at once. Magic books are also gathered along the way allowing the player to increase their magic meter
.
gameplay
and little improvement over the first game. Another criticism was that it was easier to beat than the original (setting the game to hard mode restores the challenge). Others felt that the graphics were a major improvement, utilizing some clever FX in later levels and although the music was well written and catchy, the extremely poor sound effects took away from the atmosphere. Overall most felt that the game's small changes made it a more refined and enjoyable experience despite the lack of any real character or technique improvements.
Recently, the game has been made available on the compilation for PlayStation 2
and PlayStation Portable
known in the U.S. as Sega Genesis Collection
and in Europe as Sega Mega Drive Collection, along with many other Genesis/Mega Drive
titles (including both Mega Drive/Genesis prequel and sequel). On June 11, 2007 the title was added to the Wii Virtual Console. Its also available on GameTap
and iTunes.
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
(or side-scrolling beat'em up) released for the Sega Mega Drive
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
. It was released on December 26, 1991. It is the home console sequel to the popular game Golden Axe
Golden Axe
Golden Axe is a side-scrolling beat 'em up and hack & slash arcade video game released in 1989 by Sega for the System 16-B arcade hardware. It is the first game in the Golden Axe series....
, marking the second game in the series
Golden Axe (series)
The series is a side-scrolling arcade hack 'n' slash series developed by Sega. The series takes place in a medieval-fantasy world where several heroes have the task of recovering the legendary Golden Axe, the mainstay element of the series.-Characters:...
, though the arcade did see a sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
of its own called Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder
Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder
Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder is a side-scrolling arcade hack 'n' slash game released in 1992 by Sega. It was the first 32-bit game in the series. It still remains an arcade exclusive as of 2011....
a few years later. Golden Axe II was only released on the Mega Drive, while the original was released on many other platforms. The game has most recently appeared in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, known as the Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection in PAL regions, is a compilation of video games developed by Backbone Entertainment for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles...
for Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and as an iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
port on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
.
The box art was created by Boris Vallejo
Boris Vallejo
Boris Vallejo is a Peruvian-born American painter. He immigrated to the United States in 1964, and he currently resides in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He frequently works with Julie Bell, his wife, painter, and model....
.
Plot
The three playable characters from the first Golden Axe, Ax Battler, Tyris Flare, and Gilius Thunderhead, return in Golden Axe II to save the people of the land by defeating the new evil clan, led by Dark Guld, and reclaim the Golden Axe, which is in his possession. The game features a total of seven levels: six scrolling levels and a final end of game boss battle against Dark Guld.Gameplay
Golden Axe II is a side-scrolling arcadeArcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
hack 'n' slash game, very similar to the previous Golden Axe
Golden Axe
Golden Axe is a side-scrolling beat 'em up and hack & slash arcade video game released in 1989 by Sega for the System 16-B arcade hardware. It is the first game in the Golden Axe series....
. The player is given a choice of three fighters: a battle axe
Battle axe
A battle axe is an axe specifically designed for combat. Battle axes were specialized versions of utility axes...
-wielding dwarf, Gilius Thunderhead; a barbarian
Barbarian
Barbarian and savage are terms used to refer to a person who is perceived to be uncivilized. The word is often used either in a general reference to a member of a nation or ethnos, typically a tribal society as seen by an urban civilization either viewed as inferior, or admired as a noble savage...
, Ax Battler, wielding a two handed broadsword; and long-sword wielding Tyris Flare, an amazon
Amazons
The Amazons are a nation of all-female warriors in Greek mythology and Classical antiquity. Herodotus placed them in a region bordering Scythia in Sarmatia...
. Each of the fighters has a unique magic
Magic (gaming)
Some role-playing games or game systems can include a set of rules that are used to portray magic in the paranormal sense. These rules simulate the effects that magic would have within the game context, according to how the game designer intended the magic to be portrayed...
which can be used at any time in the game to inflict damage upon enemies. Each player is given a set of life bars which are lost one by one if the player is hit.
Though the characters and gameplay were virtually unchanged from the first game, there were a few improvements. The "back attack" (performed by pressing the Jump and Attack buttons simultaneously) for each character was changed to a more useful attack that hit enemies on all sides. Enemies could now be thrown in either direction by pressing right or left on the D-pad immediately after picking them up, making it easier to hit other enemies with them or throw them off cliffs. Most importantly, the magic system was overhauled. Whereas in the first game, pressing the magic button used all of a player's magic pots, one could now use part or all of one's magic by holding the button and releasing it when the meter had reached the desired level. The magic was also changed - Ax Battler's exploding magic from the first game was replaced with wind magic, and Gilius Thunderhead now used rock magic instead of lightning. Tyris Flare retained her fire magic, but was still given entirely new animations for it. Finally, there were small cosmetic changes in the form of a shoulder guard for Ax Battler and black gauntlets for Gilius Thunderhead.
There are two types of game modes. One is "The Duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
", where players are pitted against enemies in one arena, battling one after the other and gradually getting more difficult. The other is normal mode, where players must navigate through different areas battling various enemies.
Exposition (plot device)
At the beginning of a narrative, the exposition is the author's providing of some background information to the audience about the plot, characters' histories, setting, and theme. Exposition is considered one of four rhetorical modes of discourse, along with argumentation, description, and narration...
of the main story is also given.
Normal mode
Normal mode puts the player into the story of the game, where they must recover the golden axe from Dark Guld. The player must navigate through multiple areas until eventually they reach Dark Guld's castle. Each area ends with a bossBoss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
where the player must battle a large group of enemies at once. Magic books are also gathered along the way allowing the player to increase their magic meter
Measuring instrument
In the physical sciences, quality assurance, and engineering, measurement is the activity of obtaining and comparing physical quantities of real-world objects and events. Established standard objects and events are used as units, and the process of measurement gives a number relating the item...
.
Duel mode
The duel mode consists of multiple rounds where the player must defeat an enemy, or a group of enemies. Every round is set in the same scenery and the player must be victorious over 15 levels in order to complete the duel.Reception
Upon release, opinion was split over whether the game was superior to the original. Many critics felt the game was a rehash of the original, citing very similar hack and slashHack and slash
Hack and slash or hack and slay, abbreviated H&S or HnS, refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat. "Hack and slash" was originally used to describe an aspect of pen-and-paper role-playing games , carrying over from there to MUDs, MMORPGs, and video games in general...
gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
and little improvement over the first game. Another criticism was that it was easier to beat than the original (setting the game to hard mode restores the challenge). Others felt that the graphics were a major improvement, utilizing some clever FX in later levels and although the music was well written and catchy, the extremely poor sound effects took away from the atmosphere. Overall most felt that the game's small changes made it a more refined and enjoyable experience despite the lack of any real character or technique improvements.
Recently, the game has been made available on the compilation for PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
known in the U.S. as Sega Genesis Collection
Sega Genesis Collection
The Sega Mega Drive Collection is a video game compilation for the PlayStation 2 and PSP, compiled and emulated by Digital Eclipse and released in the U.S. in 2006 and Europe and Australia in 2007...
and in Europe as Sega Mega Drive Collection, along with many other Genesis/Mega Drive
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
titles (including both Mega Drive/Genesis prequel and sequel). On June 11, 2007 the title was added to the Wii Virtual Console. Its also available on GameTap
GameTap
GameTap is an American online video game service established by Turner Broadcasting System . Dubbed by TBS as a "first of its kind broadband gaming network", the service provides users with classic arcade video games and game-related video content...
and iTunes.