Golden Axe Warrior
Encyclopedia
is an action-adventure
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...

 spin-off of the popular 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....

video game series. The game was released on the Sega Master System
Sega Master System
The is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan , 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe....

 in 1991. The game follows a young warrior who tries to avenge the death of his parents by exploring ten labyrinths, collecting nine missing crystals, and battling with Death Adder. All the major characters from Golden Axe—the warrior Ax Battler, the amazon Tyris Flare, and the dwarf Gilius Thunderhead—help the player throughout the game by bestowing him with magic.

Although some gaming magazines derided it for being a rip-off of The Legend of Zelda, the game is commonly welcomed as a SEGA
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...

 classic. Although it is certainly derivative of Zelda, many Sega fans feel that it is also a fitting follow-up to the original Golden Axe, wherein the player needs to cross a big world, fight enemies, seek mysterious labyrinths, fight bosses, and obtain crystals guarded by many monsters.

It is often speculated that Golden Axe Warrior was meant to kick-start a series, but rumors of any planned sequels are baseless. A Game Gear title was planned, but became another game instead (not to be confused with the Golden Axe themed Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe
Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe
Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe is an action-adventure video game spin-off of the popular Golden Axe series. The game was released on the Sega Game Gear in 1991.-Plot:...

, which has several similarities to Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, released as in Japan and often mistakenly called The Adventures of Link, is an action role-playing video game with platforming elements. The second installment in The Legend of Zelda series, it was developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment...

).

Story

The evil giant, Death Adder, has invaded the continents Firewood, Nendoria and Altorulia and killed the royal families. A young hero from Firewood sets out on a quest to destroy Death Adder. To counter the evil magic of Death Adder he has to find the nine crystals of the royal family from Firewood. These crystals warded off Death Adder until the king was betrayed by a minister who sold the crystals to Death Adder. Death Adder has hidden the crystals in nine labyrinths. On his quest the hero visits numerous villages, discovers numerous people hiding from Death Adder. He can learn the Thunder, Earth, Fire and Water magics. He learns that the princess of Firewood is still alive and that he is the son of the king of Altorulia. After finding all nine crystals the hero is able to enter the tenth and final labyrinth where he must find the mythical Golden Axe, the only weapon that can harm Death Adder before facing the giant himself.

Difficulty

The game had a commendable difficulty curve in the classic RPG style, which involves constantly strengthening enemies being offset by constantly improving weapons and magic. The magic was almost entirely optional as the people who could bestow the player with attacking spells had to be discovered, and then paid, before they would teach him.

The game featured a 15x15 grid with over 200 unique screens.

The tenth labyrinth was only accessible after collecting the nine crystals.

Reception

Although initially dismissed as a Zelda clone upon first release, the game has since been highly revered by Master System fans, recently being voted the 11th best game for the entire system from Sega8Bit users. http://www.smstributes.co.uk/view_page.asp?articleid=69

Re-release

The game is included as an unlockable game in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection/Sega Mega Drive Ultimate 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 the 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 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...

.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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