Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 05: Golden Axe

"The heroic fantasy action masterpiece is back! "Golden Axe'', which was popular in arcades in 1989 and is still very popular, has been completely revived with 3D polygons for both the characters and the background. An exhilarating heroic fantasy action game where you use a variety of sword techniques and flashy magic to defeat powerful enemies one after another. Of course, 2P can be played simultaneously.

The gameplay and control feel remain unchanged from the original, while the backgrounds and characters are converted into real-time 3D full polygons. It also features a "Duel Mode'' for one-on-one combat, and is a high-spec model that impressed fans at the time. New stages and new enemy characters have been added, and a new volume has been added that has never been seen before. Camera effects and event scenes that utilize motion capture technology and 3D functionality maximize the sense of realism in game play."

Golden axe but 3Dfied. This one didn't turn out so well and ends up being a different game than the one it is based on. The gameplay is quite different especially with the magic that is awarded with every kill and no longer have to wait for the magic elf to show up. The movement is overly fast and some quick reaction are needed when enemies come running in from the sides. Combat can be messy as if you get locked into an animation say from swinging the weapon or landing from a jump, the enemy can get a hit in without being able to react to it.

The game is mostly quite easy but there are times , especially the last level where it just piles the enemies in and with the issue noted above, it can be some work especially as those later enemies can wipe you out in two hits. You get plenty of continues though. The magicians are the most annoying enemies and I don't recall them from the original game as they annoy you with lightning and fire strikes and can be hard to reach, easy to kill though when you do.

Enhancements in this version, if we can call them that are the longer 3Dfied levels and textures that make the game almost hd, or maybe not. There are cutscenes between some levels and an arranged audio track. There are no difficulty settings. The magic animations are nice but lack impact as the enemies are not included in the animation.

For the longplay, I playthrough Arcade mode with Tyris flare as she has the most varied magic to show off. After completing the game I show a stage in Time trial mode using Axe Battler in order to show his magic. Following that, a stage in Survivor mode using Gilious Thunderhead. Gilios has a nice defensive move if you can keep it going that blocks incoming enemy hits as the animation plays out.

00:00:00 Intro
00:02:20 Arcade Mode - Stage 1
00:08:20 Arcade Mode - Stage 2
00:14:45 Arcade Mode - Stage 3
00:19:45 Arcade Mode - Stage 4
00:25:12 Arcade Mode - Stage 5
00:30:58 Arcade Mode - Stage 6
00:36:05 Arcade Mode - Stage 7
00:44:10 Arcade Mode - Stage 8
00:45:50 Arcade Mode - Stage 9
00:49:08 Arcade Mode - Stage 10
00:52:10 Credits
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00:55:05 Time Trial - Stage 5
01:03:25 Survival - Stage 8