Golden Axe III
Encyclopedia
is the last installment in the Golden Axe series
released for the Sega Mega Drive
on June 25, 1993. The cartridge unit was only released in Japan
while the North American release was a Sega Channel
exclusive.
The game has been subsequently re-released (along with many other Mega Drive
titles) for PlayStation 2
and PlayStation Portable
as part of the Sega Genesis Collection
. It was also re-released on the Wii
Virtual Console
in Japan on September 4, 2007, and in PAL regions on October 5, 2007. It was released on the North American Virtual Console
on October 22, 2007. It also appeared in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
for Xbox 360
and PlayStation 3
.
Damud Hellbringer, the Prince of Darkness, has taken away the Golden Axe and put an evil curse over all the warriors. However, one of the heroes has their curse relieved and is sent to set things straight - lift the curse off the others, defeat the villain and return with the Golden Axe.
The gameplay has been expanded slightly but is essentially the same hack n' slash as the previous games. New features to the series include new characters, new moves (special attacks, teamwork attacks and teamwork magic spells) and junction points where you can choose which path to take.
The characters include a giant, Proud Cragger (プラウド・クラッガー), a humanoid black panther Chronos "Evil" Rait (クロノス・”イビル”・レート), along with a swordsman, Kain Grinder (カイン・グリンダー), who resembles Ax Battler, and a swordswoman Sahra Burn (サラ・バーン) who resembles Tyris Flare. Gilius Thunderhead is the only character who appears from previous games, though he isn't playable and only appears during cut-scenes. Kain Grinder and Sahra Burn are referred to as Ax Battler and Tyris Flare respectively in the Sega Channel
localization of the game.
Some features that were removed in the second game were brought back in Golden Axe III:
The mischievous elves from the original game who carried magic potions and food have returned in place of the enemy mages from the second game in the series.
Extra lives can be earned by freeing a certain number of prisoners scattered throughout the levels; some prisoners are trapped in barrels, or stuck in crystal cells, others are guarded by 1 npc.
The magic system returned to the original version, where you cannot choose the amount of magic to use; Golden Axe Two's magic system allowed you to choose how much magic to use by charging the magic-meter. On the other hand, the characters can use devastating new spells with combined casting; on a whole, magic is more effective in GA3 than the other 2, but there is no diversity in the amount of max damage—each character does the same max magic damage.
The mounts in GA3 have turned into a hybrid snail-ostrich, instead of the chicken-leg or the dragon-raptors in the previous games. The mounts are known as Bizarrans. "There are three types of Bizarrans in Golden Axe 3. All are equally unimpressive - except the firewave Bizarran. One uses its tongue to attack, another will bite and throw enemies over its shoudler. The "best" Bizarran is the red Bizarran that shoots firewaves with each press of the ATTACK button, and has a flame breath to begin with for up close fighting." Jump + attack will dismount a player.
Players are able to choose their own route to the golden axe. Some courses are easier, while others unlock the complete ending.
Sahra Burn: Sahra's short weapon reach is offset by her quickness. Her shortcomings are easily overcome by her powerful spinning kick and elusive nature. Sahra has a double jump; she can also jump off of certain walls to either an avoid attack, or gain some battle leverage. Her magic is Fire.
Proud Cragger: Proud is a slow yet powerful character. He is the only character to have an airslam. He is perhaps the most challenging character to use due to his slow movement speed and lack of a reliable special attack. His magic is Earth.
Chronos "Evil" Lait: Chronos seems to be a humanoid
panther
, arguably the most powerful character in the game, mainly due to his super move in which he lunges across the screen in an unstoppable, unblockable attack. His magic is Wind.
Gilius Thunderhead: The Dwarf retired before this adventure; he dropped his axe into the mithril fires of his home land, and stole a walking staff from one of the elves that tried to rob him while he was camping. Through his ancient wisdom, the Dwarf has adopted the role of sage; he guides you on your quest.
. Whether or not the enemies themselves were intended for actual gameplay use is unclear.
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:...
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...
on June 25, 1993. The cartridge unit was only released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
while the North American release was a Sega Channel
Sega Channel
Sega Channel was a project developed by Sega for the 16-bit Sega Mega Drive/Genesis console. Starting in December 1994, Sega Channel service was provided to the public by Time Warner Cable and TCI, which later was acquired by AT&T during its cable acquisition spree that formed AT&T...
exclusive.
The game has been subsequently re-released (along with many other 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) 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...
as part of the 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...
. It was also re-released on the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
in Japan on September 4, 2007, and in PAL regions on October 5, 2007. It was released on the North American Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
on October 22, 2007. It also 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...
.
Description
The gameplay has been expanded slightly but is essentially the same hack n' slash as the previous games. New features to the series include new characters, new moves (special attacks, teamwork attacks and teamwork magic spells) and junction points where you can choose which path to take.
The characters include a giant, Proud Cragger (プラウド・クラッガー), a humanoid black panther Chronos "Evil" Rait (クロノス・”イビル”・レート), along with a swordsman, Kain Grinder (カイン・グリンダー), who resembles Ax Battler, and a swordswoman Sahra Burn (サラ・バーン) who resembles Tyris Flare. Gilius Thunderhead is the only character who appears from previous games, though he isn't playable and only appears during cut-scenes. Kain Grinder and Sahra Burn are referred to as Ax Battler and Tyris Flare respectively in the Sega Channel
Sega Channel
Sega Channel was a project developed by Sega for the 16-bit Sega Mega Drive/Genesis console. Starting in December 1994, Sega Channel service was provided to the public by Time Warner Cable and TCI, which later was acquired by AT&T during its cable acquisition spree that formed AT&T...
localization of the game.
Gameplay
While the characters in the two previous games had a relatively limited moveset, Golden Axe III included many new moves including: blocking, sweep attacks, projectile attacks, defensive and offensive special attacks, and an updated grappling system. Furthermore, there are several abilities unique to certain characters: Proud possesses an airslam throw that does severe damage, while Chronos and Sahra can double jump and wall jump. In multiplayer mode, the characters can do team attacks similar to a human slingshot. Finally, each character has a super move that sends a projectile across the screen (except in the case of Chronos who leaps across the screen in an unstoppable lunging attack).Some features that were removed in the second game were brought back in Golden Axe III:
The mischievous elves from the original game who carried magic potions and food have returned in place of the enemy mages from the second game in the series.
Extra lives can be earned by freeing a certain number of prisoners scattered throughout the levels; some prisoners are trapped in barrels, or stuck in crystal cells, others are guarded by 1 npc.
The magic system returned to the original version, where you cannot choose the amount of magic to use; Golden Axe Two's magic system allowed you to choose how much magic to use by charging the magic-meter. On the other hand, the characters can use devastating new spells with combined casting; on a whole, magic is more effective in GA3 than the other 2, but there is no diversity in the amount of max damage—each character does the same max magic damage.
The mounts in GA3 have turned into a hybrid snail-ostrich, instead of the chicken-leg or the dragon-raptors in the previous games. The mounts are known as Bizarrans. "There are three types of Bizarrans in Golden Axe 3. All are equally unimpressive - except the firewave Bizarran. One uses its tongue to attack, another will bite and throw enemies over its shoudler. The "best" Bizarran is the red Bizarran that shoots firewaves with each press of the ATTACK button, and has a flame breath to begin with for up close fighting." Jump + attack will dismount a player.
Players are able to choose their own route to the golden axe. Some courses are easier, while others unlock the complete ending.
Characters and Moves
Kain Grinder: Kain is the balanced character of the roster. He boasts excellent reach and priority with his sword. Kain possesses no apparent weaknesses. His magic is Ice and shares similar animations withSahra Burn: Sahra's short weapon reach is offset by her quickness. Her shortcomings are easily overcome by her powerful spinning kick and elusive nature. Sahra has a double jump; she can also jump off of certain walls to either an avoid attack, or gain some battle leverage. Her magic is Fire.
Proud Cragger: Proud is a slow yet powerful character. He is the only character to have an airslam. He is perhaps the most challenging character to use due to his slow movement speed and lack of a reliable special attack. His magic is Earth.
Chronos "Evil" Lait: Chronos seems to be a humanoid
Humanoid
A humanoid is something that has an appearance resembling a human being. The term first appeared in 1912 to refer to fossils which were morphologically similar to, but not identical with, those of the human skeleton. Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it...
panther
Black panther
A black panther is typically a melanistic color variant of any of several species of larger cat. Wild black panthers in Latin America are black jaguars , in Asia and Africa they are black leopards , and in North America they may be black jaguars or possibly black cougars A black panther is...
, arguably the most powerful character in the game, mainly due to his super move in which he lunges across the screen in an unstoppable, unblockable attack. His magic is Wind.
Gilius Thunderhead: The Dwarf retired before this adventure; he dropped his axe into the mithril fires of his home land, and stole a walking staff from one of the elves that tried to rob him while he was camping. Through his ancient wisdom, the Dwarf has adopted the role of sage; he guides you on your quest.
Limited Release
The cartridge unit was only released in Japan, while the US release was a Sega Channel exclusive.Playable enemies
Apparently, the way the game works allows players to control the enemies in the game through the use of patch codesAction Replay
Action Replay is the brand name of a series of video game cheating devices created by Datel. As of 2010, Action Replays are currently available for some of the current major gaming platforms which include the Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi, PlayStation 2, and the PlayStation Portable, and many older...
. Whether or not the enemies themselves were intended for actual gameplay use is unclear.