Golden Axe

For the home computer versions, see Golden Axe (home computers). For the free Android and iOS versions, see Golden Axe (Sega Forever).

n/a

Golden Axe
System(s): Sega System 16, Sega Mega Drive, Sega Master System, CD-ROM², WonderSwan Color, PlayStation 3, Virtual Console, Xbox 360, iOS, Windows PC, Steam, PlayStation Now
Publisher: Sega, Telenet Japan, Bandai
Developer: Sega R&D 1 Sega R&D 2 Template:CDROM2 Telenet Japan
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1-2, 1
Release Date RRP Code JP 1989-05 ¥? ? US 1989 $? ? UK 19xx £? ? JP 1990-03 ¥? TJCD0005 JP 2002-02-28 ¥5,040 with tax SWJ-BANC2B JP 1989-12-23 ¥6000 G-4018 US 1990-02 $? US (Classic) 1992 $29.95 1106C CA 199x $? ? UK 1990-11 £34.99 FR 1990-11 369F DE 1990-11 DM ? ES 1990-11 ?Ptas AU 199x $? ? BR 1990 R$? ? KR 199x ₩? GM4005JG US 1989 $39.95 9004 UK 1989 £29.95 9004 FR 1989 329F 9004 DE 1989 DM ? 9004 ES 1989 ?Ptas 9004 BR 19xx R$? 028060 KR 19xx ₩? ? JP ▼ 2006-12-02 600pts US ▼ 2006-11-28 800pts EU ▼ 2006-12-08 800pts DE ▼ 2006-12-08 800pts AU ▼ 2006-12-07 800pts JP ▼ (Arcade) 2009-06-23 800pts US ▼ (Arcade) 2009-10-26 900pts EU ▼ (Arcade) 2009-09-18 900pts AU ▼ (Arcade) 2009-09 900pts JP ▼ 2007-07-11 400MSP JP ▼ (Otameshiban) 2007-07-11 FREE US ▼ 2007-07-11 400MSP US ▼ (Trial Game) 2007-07-11 FREE EU ▼ 2007-07-11 400MSP EU ▼ (Trial Game) 2007-07-11 FREE DE ▼ 2007-07-11 400MSP DE ▼ (Trial Game) 2007-07-11 FREE UK ▼ 2007-07-11 400MSP UK ▼ (Trial Game) 2007-07-11 FREE AU ▼ 2007-07-11 400MSP AU ▼ (Trial Game) 2007-07-11 FREE JP ▼ 2009-06-23 ¥571 (600) 9+ US ▼ 2009-06-18 $4.99 9+ EU ▼ 2009 9+ US ▼ 2010-06-01 $2.99 34276 EU ▼ 2010-06-01 €2.49 34276 DE ▼ 2010-06-01 €2.49 34276 UK ▼ 2010-06-01 £1.99 34276 AU ▼ 2010-06-01 $3.49 34276 US ▼ 2019-02-01 $0.99 34276 EU ▼ 2019-02-01 €0.99 34276 DE ▼ 2019-02-01 €0.99 34276 UK ▼ 2019-02-01 £0.79 34276 AU ▼ 2019-02-01 $1.35 34276 US ▼ 2019-02-01 $0.99 34276 EU ▼ 2019-02-01 €0.99 34276 DE ▼ 2019-02-01 €0.99 34276 UK ▼ 2019-02-01 £0.79 34276 AU ▼ 2019-02-01 $1.35 34276 JP ▼ 2011-07-28 ¥571 (600) NPJB-00129 US ▼ 2011-07-26 $4.99 NPUB-30441 EU ▼ 2011-07-20 €4.49 NPEB-00509 DE ▼ 2011-07-20 €4.49 NPEB-00509 UK ▼ 2011-07-20 £3.69 NPEB-00509 AU ▼ 2011-07-20 $6.75 NPEB-00509 KR ▼ 2011-07-28 ₩5,500 NPHB-00380 JP 2015-09-16

Golden Axe (ゴールデンアックス) is a beat-'em-up developed by Sega and released in 1989 for Sega System 16 arcade hardware. The development team was headded by Makoto Uchida, who also led the team behind Altered Beast.

The game was the first in the long-running Golden Axe series. It is said to be heavily inspired by the Conan the Barbarian films, and that the game took roughly one year to make. The game also "borrows" voice data from said movie and other Hollywood blockbusters.

Story

The game takes place in the fictional land of Yuria, in which an evil entity known as Death Adder has kidnapped Yuria's King and his daughter, holding them captive in his castle. Perhaps more importantly, Death Adder has stolen the "Golden Axe", a magical emblem of Yuria, and is threatening to destroy it if the people of the land do not accept him as their ruler.

It is up to a band of three heroes to venture to Death Adder's castle and stop him, rescuing the captives, avenge their losses and save the land: Ax Battler, Tyris Flare and Gilius Thunderhead.

Gameplay

Golden Axe supports a maximum of two players. Any character can be selected but both players cannot play as the same character.

The Golden Axe arcade cabinet assigns one button for attacking, another for jumping and a final button for using magic. Using magic will cause all of the enemies on screen to be damaged and effectively acts as crowd control. Each player carries a limited supply of magic (indicated by a meter at the top of the screen) and will use it all at once when the magic button is pressed. Some magic can also re-kill already defeated enemies, adding extra score. This bug is only present in the arcade version. More magic can be collected by attacking the short thieves clothed in blue who appear at certain points throughout the game. Green thieves carry life energy, also represented in the HUD.

Golden Axe is also notable for its ability to allow players to ride "beasts", often giving them an offensive advantage at the expense of speed.

Similar to Altered Beast, the ending is less serious and has characters from the game breaking out of the arcade machine and causing havoc in the real world. Most ports replace this ending.

Playable characters

	Ax-Battler
	Ax Battler is a male barbarian fighting to avenge the murder of his mother. Despite his name he uses a two handed broadsword and carries earth magic. Ax Battler is one of the constants of the series, appearing in most Golden Axe games (including Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe, a game based entirely around him).
	Gilius-Thunderhead
	Gilius Thunderhead is a dwarf whose brother was murdered by Death Adder. Gilius is the only character to actually carry an axe, as well as thunder magic.
	Tyris-Flare
	Tyris Flare is an amazonian woman whose parents were killed by Death Adder. She also uses a sword but carries fire magic.

Stages

	Stage 1 - Wilderness
	Bonus Stage 1
	Stage 2 - Turtle Village
	Bonus Stage 2
	Stage 3
	Bonus Stage 3
	Stage 4 - Fiend's Path
	Bonus Stage 4
	Stage 5 - Death Adder's Castle
	Stage 6 - The Palace Gates
	The Mega Drive version of the game adds three more levels. This is the first, which is part of stage 5 in the arcade version.
	Stage 7 - The Dungeon
	Also a Mega Drive exclusive.
	Stage 8 - The Battle with Death Bringer
	Also a Mega Drive exclusive.

Achievements

Main article: Golden Axe/Achievements.

Versions

Golden Axe has been ported to a number of systems over the years, though many cuts were made in the process.

The game has enjoyed many years of success on the Sega Mega Drive, and was used in the early days of the console to advertise the system's power over its then-main rival, the Nintendo Entertainment System. Some levels were shortened, but an extra level was added which includes another boss, "Death Bringer", a recolored version of Death Adder. Also in this version is a "duel" mode, which allows players to fight a succession of enemies one-on-one, 12 rounds. "Beginner" is another new mode, allowing you to play the first three stages with easier enemies. A single use of magic takes away only two magic pots and you fight "Death Adder Jr" as the last boss.

This game saw a software revision. The original release had a graphical bug after defeating the final boss: his axe, while spinning around in the air, displays as garbage graphic data. Much of the text was also slightly rewritten to make more grammatical sense.

The Mega Drive version of the game has been included in numerous compilations, such as 6-Pak, Mega Games 2, Mega Games 6 and Mega Games 10. The game has also been emulated and sold in the form of Sega Smash Pack Volume 1, Sega Smash Pack, Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection, Sega Archives from USA Vol. 1 and Sega Mega Drive Classic Collection Volume 1, as well as services such as PlaySega and built-in to numerous consoles by AtGames.

This version was so popular that it got direct sequels in the form of Golden Axe II and Golden Axe III. In the arcades, the "true" sequel is Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder. A Sega Mega-Tech version also exists, which is based on the Mega Drive version, as is the version released for the Wii's Virtual Console service.

The Mega Drive Golden Axe was enhanced for the Sega Mega-CD and delivered as part of Sega Classics Arcade Collection. This version is single-player only, although offers numerous improvements in terms of audio and some graphical tweaks.

The Sega Master System version is also one-player only, forcing you to play as Ax Battler (named "Tarik" in this version and presented as a different character story-wise). You can still select one of the magic elements that each of the three original characters had.

There is also a NEC PC Engine CD port which takes a big hit in terms of aesthetics, has very poor sound effects and is only single-player. It was also ported to the WonderSwan Color and as part of Sega Smash Pack for the Game Boy Advance.

Golden Axe was also remade as part of Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 5: Golden Axe, and has been brought to Xbox 360 XBLA, Wii Virtual Console, PlayStation 3 PSN, and is available for iOS and other mobile devices. The iOS version was removed from sale on iTunes in 2015.

In August 2017, Golden Axe was added to the Sega Forever collection, bringing it back to iOS and adding a new Android version. Both versions are the Mega Drive game running on emulators.

Version history

Main article: Golden Axe/Changelog.

System	Version	Size	Date	Comment	Ref	Icon
	0000040000000000000000000000004.0	4.8MB	201211292012-11-29	iOS 6 Support.
	0000030000000000000000000000003.0	4MB	201107022011-07-02
	0000020000000000000000000000002.0.0	4MB	201012032010-12-03
	0000010000020000070000000000001.2.7	3.9MB	201007302010-07-30
	0000010000000000010000000000001.0.1	2.1MB	200907032009-07-03
	0000010000000000000000000000001.0.0		200906172009-06-17

Production credits

Arcade version

• Katsuhisa Sato

Mega Drive version

• Software Design: Takosuke, Moto CBX1000, Ham Tak, Waka
• Visual Effects: Kyonsy Kyonsy, Cane, Chisuke, Roco
• Sound: Nankyoku, Decky, Imocky
• Assistant Programmer: S2, Yang Watt, Vinyl Boy
• Producer: Kan
• Director: Bros 400
• Assistant Director: Opa‑Opa
• English Messages: Niya, Tsugu
• Arcade Game Design: Team Shinobi
• Presented by: Sega

Source: In-game credits

• Japanese cover artist: Yoshiaki Yoneshima

Source: Sega TV Game Genga Gallery

Digital manuals

• 

  Steam manual

• 

  Mega Drive Mini US Manual

• 

  Mega Drive Mini EU Manual

• 

  Mega Drive Mini JP Manual

Magazine articles

Main article: Golden Axe/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Main article: Golden Axe/Promotional material.

Artwork

• 
• 

Physical scans

System 16 version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source Computer & Video Games (UK) 80 Commodore User (UK) 89 Your Sinclair (UK) 81

	83
Based on 3 reviews

System 16, US
Manual

System 16, JP
Instuction card(s)

Mega Drive version

Sega Retro Average

Publication Score Source Aktueller Software Markt (DE) 75 Beep! MegaDrive (JP) 68 Beep! MegaDrive (readers) (JP) 77 Complete Guide to Consoles (UK) 96 №2, p100/101 Complete Guide to Consoles (UK) 94 Computer & Video Games (UK) 95 Famitsu (JP) 78 №91, [1] The Games Machine (UK) 92 Joystick (FR) 91 Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) 86 Mega Action (UK) 85 №1, p64 MegaTech (UK) 94 Mean Machines (UK) 91 Micromanía (ES) 90 Player One (FR) 93 Power Play (DE) 76 Raze (UK) 92 Sega Power (UK) 82 Sega Power (UK) 80 Sega Pro (UK) 91 Sega Pro (UK) 72 №18, p65 Tilt (FR) 85 Zero (UK) 94

	86
Based on 23 reviews

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual Poster

Mega Drive, US (Sega Classic)
Cover
Cart

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart

Mega Drive, JP
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, AU
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, BR
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, KR
Cover

Mega Drive, KR (re-release)
Cover
Cart

Mega Drive, CA
Cover

Master System version

Sega Retro Average

Publication Score Source ACE (UK) 89 Complete Guide to Consoles (UK) 92 №2, p28/29 Complete Guide to Consoles (UK) 92 The Complete Guide to Sega (UK) 92 Computer & Video Games (UK) 89 Game Mania (UK) 92 The Games Machine (UK) 80 Joystick (FR) 90 Micromanía (segunda época) (ES) 80 №25 Mean Machines Sega (UK) 92 Player One (FR) 85 S: The Sega Magazine (UK) 88 №4 Sega Power (UK) 75 Sega Power (UK) 80 Sega Power (UK) 76 Sega Pro (UK) 81 Sega Pro (UK) 74 №13, p24-25 Tilt (FR) 80 Zero (UK) 85

	85
Based on 19 reviews

Master System, US
Cover
Manual

Master System, EU
Cover
Manual

Master System, BX†
Cover
Manual

Master System, GR (Zegetron)
Cover
Manual

Master System, AU
Cart Manual

Master System, BR (cardboard)
Cover
Cart Manual

Master System, BR
Cover
Cart

Master System, KR
Cart

CD-ROM² version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

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Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score Complete Guide to Consoles (UK) 88 Génération 4 (FR) 75 Joystick (FR) 65

Template:CDROM2	76
Based on 3 reviews

CD-ROM², JP
Cover
Spinecard Disc Manual

WonderSwan version

WonderSwan, JP
Cover
Card Manual

Mega-Tech version

Mega-Tech,
Cart

Technical information

ROM dump status

System	Hash	Size	Build Date	Source	Comments
✔	CRC32 665d7df9 MD5 e4263c39487f0b55e8f33cbd5acd9b93 SHA-1 2ce17105ca916fbbe3ac9ae3a2086e66b07996dd	512kB	1989-10	Cartridge	v01
✔	CRC32 e8182b90 MD5 04d2c7da9aac3fbeadf6bb8ccd27b560 SHA-1 564e51f6b7fe5281f281d5fcb66767ab83ecf7b9	512kB	1989-10	Cartridge	v00
?	CRC32 3E640C09 MD5 0DD362213FC29A54AB08527A98686CDD SHA-1 89A548E326B1AFBD597DDCC59139487A2F9DFD51		1989-11-22					Page
?	CRC32 b01b26ff MD5 25e93047f0ee89d8df2ead8f2e710a50 SHA-1 c3018ac76d55bebdf178a7938dca8cddce60f05e		1989-10-14					Page
?	CRC32 C08132FB MD5 B4911AD6A9D2BA56497CD5B01DA3938A SHA-1 D92538CB16A7A456255FA0DA2BD8D0F588CD12AB	512kB		Cartridge (EU/US)
?	CRC32 BC944A98 MD5 55C9CC830000F0AAF721EAC69D1703CC SHA-1 87661841CA63E99B04C0F6DC4BA3454C897E0C6D	2MB

External links

• Sega of Japan Virtual Console pages: Mega Drive, Arcade
• Nintendo catalogue pages: Virtual Console: US, UK, AU; Virtual Console Arcade: US, AU
• Sega of Japan catalogue pages (Japanese): PlayStation 3 (PlayStation Network version)
• Golden Axe on Xbox Marketplace: JP, US, UK, AU
• Golden Axe on iTunes: US, UK; JP (offline)
• Golden Axe on Steam
• Bandai's page for the WonderSwan version
• Golden Axe on PlayStation.com: US
• Golden Axe on PlayStation.com: JP, US, KR
• Golden Axe on PlayStation Store: JP, US, UK, AU, KR

References

NEC Retro has more information related to Golden Axe.

Golden Axe series of games
	Golden Axe (1989) | Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder (1992) | Golden Axe: The Duel (1994) | Golden Axe (slot machine) (2010)
	Golden Axe (1989) | Golden Axe II (1991) | Golden Axe III (1993)
	Golden Axe (1989) | Golden Axe Warrior (1991)
	Golden Axe (1990)
	Electronic Golden Axe (1990)
	Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe (1991)
	Golden Axe: The Duel (1995)
	Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 5: Golden Axe (2003)
	Golden Axe: Beast Rider (2008)
	Golden Axe (2009) | Golden Axe (2017)
	Sega Vintage Collection: Golden Axe (2012)
Golden Axe related media
	Golden Axe The Music (2008) | Golden Axe I & II (2016)
	Tatsujin & Golden Axe Attack Manual Book (1990) | Golden Axe (1992) | Golden Axe: Beast Rider Official Strategy Guide (2008) | The Art of Golden Axe: Beast Rider (2008)