World peace is at stake! Death Adder, a wicked giant, has stolen the nine crystals from the kingdom of Firewood and has hidden them in nine labyrinths that he has created. These nine magic crystals protected the people from evil – especially from Death Adder's grasp. But now that the crystals are lost, the world is defenseless! Someone must put an end to the fiend's realm of darkness, death and destruction! Do you have what it takes to bring back peace and happiness? Trek through deep, dark forests and sail across vast, stormy seas. Chop down trees with your Battle Axe and move rocks with your magic spells to find secret caves. When you take on Death Adder's gruesome monsters, think only of winning – or else you won't find the nine crystals. And when you do, you'll find the Golden Axe – the only weapon that can crush Death Adder!
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A very cool inclusion on the Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, this is a game I've been meaning to get to for a very long time. Given that I played through Neutopia 1 and 2 earlier this year (and that I already had the PS3 hooked up), this seemed a good a time as any given that GAW, like Neutopia, is a pretty shameless clone of Zelda 1. It does have its own spins on the formula it brings to the table, but to paraphrase someone in the Slack chat, Sega were very content to rest on Nintendo's laurels ^^;. The game doesn't keep play time, but I reckon it took me around ten hours to beat with very heavy save state usage (for reasons we will get to later, oh don't you worry XD).
Long ago, a race of giants threatened to take over the world, but the mighty hero wielding the Golden Axe slew darn near all of them. But one, Death Adder, yet remains and has come back and conquered two kingdoms. The kingdom of Firewood (yes, really) is a peaceful nation protected by its nine sacred crystals, but one day a greedy minister sells the crystals to Death Adder and the country is quickly overrun by his armies. You play as the titular Golden Axe Warrior (whom you give a name to) in his quest to save Firewood and the world from Death Adder's reign of terror. There isn't really a meaningful story in the game, per se, but it does have a smattering of towns, named NPCs, and information givers who help you in your quest (using some of the best looking text I think I've ever seen on an 8-bit console).
In grand old Zelda-clone fashion, you've gotta go to each of those 9 dungeons collecting each crystal gem and getting new items in each as well as exploring around the world map for more items as well. It has some pretty neat things over Zelda 1, but mainly its use of both a sword AND an axe as usable weapons, as well as a series of magic spells you can acquire, is the biggest leg-up this has over the game it takes so much from. It also incorporates things like towns and shops from Zelda 2 and such, so you can buy consumable items if you need them (although the main one that matters is the single full-heal you can buy). That said, I think GAW brings a lot more negative to the table than positive.
While the dungeons are competently designed enough and the world map is big and varied, the biggest issue GAW has is its difficulty. The game's puzzles and cryptic clues for new items aren't quite as bad as Zelda 1's (save for the pretty dick move of being unable to upgrade any of your equipment in the hidden dwarf caves until you happen upon the ONE dwarf that you gotta help before any of the others), the game is very routinely difficult to a fault. I used save states a TON in this game because you are constantly being overwhelmed with very powerful enemies who can rush down your health really quick if you aren't suuuuuper careful and lucky. This is all down to a number of compounding factors.
Your character is right-handed, so he actually sticks his sword out directly in front of him slightly to the right. His sword also isn't very thick, so it can be very tricky to hit things unless they're directly in front of you and to the right. The axe, by contrast, has a swinging motion allowing you to hit things in front of you and to the side, but it also has half the range of the sword, and this is a big problem when combined with how very fast both you and all the enemies move. Running around so fast that you bump into an enemy (especially the ones that need to be hit from only one side) is a very common experience, and a lot of the enemies in the game (particularly earlier ones) have AI that make them randomly bumble around. They don't go for you in particular, so trying to hunt them down with your too-fast running (which is made even faster halfway through the game) and short ranged weapons is a real pain to deal with in a game where health is such a scarce and valuable resource.
This is further worsened by just how aggressive all the enemies are, how weak your weapons often are, and how many enemies you're usually fighting at once. Dungeons are not only full of rooms where killing the enemies MIGHT give you something you need to progress (but you have no idea if they do or not), but also rooms that are simply dead-ends full of enemies to beat you up. This extends to the bosses as well, with basically all of them across the board being various levels of miserable to fight for similar reasons (too fast, random AI, tons of health), with the red giant in particular being a really horrible slog of RNG and you've gotta fight him 3 times in the game. Death Adder, paradoxically enough, is actually one of the easiest boss fights in the game, and he took me 1 whole try with no save states to beat ^^;. I had to constantly use save states to have any hope of finishing this game in any reasonable length of time because it is just so constantly obsessed with spilling your blood in any way it can.
The magic spells in the game are interesting, but ultimately repeat the mistake of bombs in the original Zelda in that they're not much use as a weapon because you need them for puzzles. The earth magic, one of the first ones you get, is needed to break destructible rocks, and these rocks very often are the triggers to unlock doors in dungeons. You need to kill enemies to replenish magic, so it's quite a precious resource you can't afford to waste. It's nice that you have magic and all, but you're really heavily discouraged from using it with how dangerous it is to fight enemies for more magic and how little magic you can afford to waste.
The presentation of the game is adequate to quite good in many ways. It's quite funny seeing 8-bit, Zelda-ized versions of so many familiar Golden Axe enemies, and this is a very pretty Master System game. The text, as I mentioned earlier, is really really well detailed and they can fit a ton on screen at a time, and the sprite art too looks quite nice as well. Even down to the little speedy swishing of your character's feet below them (like a Peanuts character X3), this is a really nice looking 8-bit game (which you'd hope for one released when the Genesis was about to have its 3rd birthday). The music is pretty forgettable on the whole, but it's not actively bad or anything. It's very standard fantasy fare that sets the mood as well as it has to.
Verdict: Hesitantly Recommended. Though I certainly criticized far more than I praised in this review, there is still some fun to be had here. If you don't mind a much harder Zelda-like experience, this game might be right up your alley. Aside from the difficulty, it's a really well done Zelda clone, but because the difficulty IS there, it's at the bottom of the barrel of Zeldas or Zelda clones of the 8-bit era. If you've got one of the collections it's on, it's certainly worth giving a look, but it's physical cart is a really pricey pick up, and I certainly can't recommend it at that price.
Long ago, a race of giants threatened to take over the world, but the mighty hero wielding the Golden Axe slew darn near all of them. But one, Death Adder, yet remains and has come back and conquered two kingdoms. The kingdom of Firewood (yes, really) is a peaceful nation protected by its nine sacred crystals, but one day a greedy minister sells the crystals to Death Adder and the country is quickly overrun by his armies. You play as the titular Golden Axe Warrior (whom you give a name to) in his quest to save Firewood and the world from Death Adder's reign of terror. There isn't really a meaningful story in the game, per se, but it does have a smattering of towns, named NPCs, and information givers who help you in your quest (using some of the best looking text I think I've ever seen on an 8-bit console).
In grand old Zelda-clone fashion, you've gotta go to each of those 9 dungeons collecting each crystal gem and getting new items in each as well as exploring around the world map for more items as well. It has some pretty neat things over Zelda 1, but mainly its use of both a sword AND an axe as usable weapons, as well as a series of magic spells you can acquire, is the biggest leg-up this has over the game it takes so much from. It also incorporates things like towns and shops from Zelda 2 and such, so you can buy consumable items if you need them (although the main one that matters is the single full-heal you can buy). That said, I think GAW brings a lot more negative to the table than positive.
While the dungeons are competently designed enough and the world map is big and varied, the biggest issue GAW has is its difficulty. The game's puzzles and cryptic clues for new items aren't quite as bad as Zelda 1's (save for the pretty dick move of being unable to upgrade any of your equipment in the hidden dwarf caves until you happen upon the ONE dwarf that you gotta help before any of the others), the game is very routinely difficult to a fault. I used save states a TON in this game because you are constantly being overwhelmed with very powerful enemies who can rush down your health really quick if you aren't suuuuuper careful and lucky. This is all down to a number of compounding factors.
Your character is right-handed, so he actually sticks his sword out directly in front of him slightly to the right. His sword also isn't very thick, so it can be very tricky to hit things unless they're directly in front of you and to the right. The axe, by contrast, has a swinging motion allowing you to hit things in front of you and to the side, but it also has half the range of the sword, and this is a big problem when combined with how very fast both you and all the enemies move. Running around so fast that you bump into an enemy (especially the ones that need to be hit from only one side) is a very common experience, and a lot of the enemies in the game (particularly earlier ones) have AI that make them randomly bumble around. They don't go for you in particular, so trying to hunt them down with your too-fast running (which is made even faster halfway through the game) and short ranged weapons is a real pain to deal with in a game where health is such a scarce and valuable resource.
This is further worsened by just how aggressive all the enemies are, how weak your weapons often are, and how many enemies you're usually fighting at once. Dungeons are not only full of rooms where killing the enemies MIGHT give you something you need to progress (but you have no idea if they do or not), but also rooms that are simply dead-ends full of enemies to beat you up. This extends to the bosses as well, with basically all of them across the board being various levels of miserable to fight for similar reasons (too fast, random AI, tons of health), with the red giant in particular being a really horrible slog of RNG and you've gotta fight him 3 times in the game. Death Adder, paradoxically enough, is actually one of the easiest boss fights in the game, and he took me 1 whole try with no save states to beat ^^;. I had to constantly use save states to have any hope of finishing this game in any reasonable length of time because it is just so constantly obsessed with spilling your blood in any way it can.
The magic spells in the game are interesting, but ultimately repeat the mistake of bombs in the original Zelda in that they're not much use as a weapon because you need them for puzzles. The earth magic, one of the first ones you get, is needed to break destructible rocks, and these rocks very often are the triggers to unlock doors in dungeons. You need to kill enemies to replenish magic, so it's quite a precious resource you can't afford to waste. It's nice that you have magic and all, but you're really heavily discouraged from using it with how dangerous it is to fight enemies for more magic and how little magic you can afford to waste.
The presentation of the game is adequate to quite good in many ways. It's quite funny seeing 8-bit, Zelda-ized versions of so many familiar Golden Axe enemies, and this is a very pretty Master System game. The text, as I mentioned earlier, is really really well detailed and they can fit a ton on screen at a time, and the sprite art too looks quite nice as well. Even down to the little speedy swishing of your character's feet below them (like a Peanuts character X3), this is a really nice looking 8-bit game (which you'd hope for one released when the Genesis was about to have its 3rd birthday). The music is pretty forgettable on the whole, but it's not actively bad or anything. It's very standard fantasy fare that sets the mood as well as it has to.
Verdict: Hesitantly Recommended. Though I certainly criticized far more than I praised in this review, there is still some fun to be had here. If you don't mind a much harder Zelda-like experience, this game might be right up your alley. Aside from the difficulty, it's a really well done Zelda clone, but because the difficulty IS there, it's at the bottom of the barrel of Zeldas or Zelda clones of the 8-bit era. If you've got one of the collections it's on, it's certainly worth giving a look, but it's physical cart is a really pricey pick up, and I certainly can't recommend it at that price.
The existence of this obscure Master System title seems to raise some very interesting questions in regards to general gaming discourse. Those questions being:
What constitutes a ripoff? Is a derivative title able to stand on its own? Is mimicry really the highest form of flattery?
Ultimately I dislike drawing comparisons when it comes to different titles from different series by different developers but in this instance I seem to struggle in not doing so, mainly because for better or worse this game is blatantly aping on the formula established by The Legend of Zelda half a decade prior. For the most part.
Golden Axe Warrior is a semi-open ended exploration focused adventure game made by Sega for the Master System. A system that holds very little weight outside of South America due to a variety of factors I don't want to go into for fear of taking focus away from this particular title.
So when it comes to gameplay I must ask:
Have you played The Legend of Zelda? Particularly the NES game? If so you have a good idea how this game functions with a few differences. The game starts with you not only having 3 hearts but 3 magic bottles as well. You are able to use magic in this game for combat, exploration and healing.
There is Lightning for damaging a singular enemy, earth for revealing secrets and stunning enemies, fire for screen wide damage and water for healing. Having these spells in lieu of tools like bombs or arrows creates a different feeling of resource management since they share the same Magic meter. Healing can cripple your ability to explore dungeons unless you get magic bottle drops as an example. This layer of strategy you have adds a fun layer that separates itself from its clear inspiration.
It's a shame combat in this game is suffering at times. Enemies come in droves and they can be ruthless. Mix that in with a constantly escalating power level of your opponents can leave the player in a daze. Exploring is key to find upgrades. You also have two weapons. Your sword and axe. Both get upgraded including to the mythical Golden Axe itself. Both weapons have their unique uses in combat as well. Your sword attacking in a straight line in the four directions while the axe swings in front of you in an arc.
Dungeons are rather simple as well. One thing to note is that the player cannot push blocks rather you can push candles instead. Took me some time to figure that one out. I was shocked at how small and simple the final dungeon actually was as well. Same with the overworld as well. The game pens you in at the start giving you a small chunk of the world to explore and with upgrades and items you open more of the world piece by piece.
Ultimately how I can encapsulate the playing experience through the lens of Zelda is this: Combat is more difficult while exploration is more limited and focused. Now that should give you a decent idea on whether or not you will enjoy this game.
Another factor is a degree of references to the main series of games. Not only do you meet the playable characters from Golden Axe, they also teach your their magic. That and Death Adder being the obvious villain makes this atleast feel like a Golden Axe adventure game. This level of fanservice feels a little more niche in the current year where Golden Axe sits in a sphere of antiquity but those of us who are nostalgic will enjoy the small nods.
Musically things are simplistic but hey I appreciate the remix of the theme to the first level of the original game. The rest of the OST is rather small though. I was surprised when there was no final dungeon or final boss theme, something I feel was standard for 1991.
A key note I should mention is that this game was made for English speakers and that is a big deal for one primary reason: The dialogue won't be garbage. Typically in 8-bit games there is a layer of lost in translation that is missing here. NPCs in towns talk in a very nature way that doesn't feel alien and doesn't lack in punch. Hints are blunt, clear and to the point. No real guesswork in that regard.
The NPCs do make the world feel lived in. You feel a certain level of fear and uncertainty in the population with Death Adder throwing the world into disarray and the game isn't afraid to show this to you. People are melancholic and destroyed architecture houses cold corpses. The story isn't filled with nail biting anticipation or anything. Instead things just feel, to a degree, authentic in a way.
Ultimately though in the end this game sits slightly above the middle in my eyes. I had plenty of fun with this title but it really isn't for everyone. The 8-bit crust is there with its rather annoying at times combat and rather obtuse progression. Your mileage may vary but fans of the original Zelda game will feel at home here. To those who are fans of that style of game I can recommend this to you but to others I can ensure you that you aren't missing out on some underrated masterpiece.
What constitutes a ripoff? Is a derivative title able to stand on its own? Is mimicry really the highest form of flattery?
Ultimately I dislike drawing comparisons when it comes to different titles from different series by different developers but in this instance I seem to struggle in not doing so, mainly because for better or worse this game is blatantly aping on the formula established by The Legend of Zelda half a decade prior. For the most part.
Golden Axe Warrior is a semi-open ended exploration focused adventure game made by Sega for the Master System. A system that holds very little weight outside of South America due to a variety of factors I don't want to go into for fear of taking focus away from this particular title.
So when it comes to gameplay I must ask:
Have you played The Legend of Zelda? Particularly the NES game? If so you have a good idea how this game functions with a few differences. The game starts with you not only having 3 hearts but 3 magic bottles as well. You are able to use magic in this game for combat, exploration and healing.
There is Lightning for damaging a singular enemy, earth for revealing secrets and stunning enemies, fire for screen wide damage and water for healing. Having these spells in lieu of tools like bombs or arrows creates a different feeling of resource management since they share the same Magic meter. Healing can cripple your ability to explore dungeons unless you get magic bottle drops as an example. This layer of strategy you have adds a fun layer that separates itself from its clear inspiration.
It's a shame combat in this game is suffering at times. Enemies come in droves and they can be ruthless. Mix that in with a constantly escalating power level of your opponents can leave the player in a daze. Exploring is key to find upgrades. You also have two weapons. Your sword and axe. Both get upgraded including to the mythical Golden Axe itself. Both weapons have their unique uses in combat as well. Your sword attacking in a straight line in the four directions while the axe swings in front of you in an arc.
Dungeons are rather simple as well. One thing to note is that the player cannot push blocks rather you can push candles instead. Took me some time to figure that one out. I was shocked at how small and simple the final dungeon actually was as well. Same with the overworld as well. The game pens you in at the start giving you a small chunk of the world to explore and with upgrades and items you open more of the world piece by piece.
Ultimately how I can encapsulate the playing experience through the lens of Zelda is this: Combat is more difficult while exploration is more limited and focused. Now that should give you a decent idea on whether or not you will enjoy this game.
Another factor is a degree of references to the main series of games. Not only do you meet the playable characters from Golden Axe, they also teach your their magic. That and Death Adder being the obvious villain makes this atleast feel like a Golden Axe adventure game. This level of fanservice feels a little more niche in the current year where Golden Axe sits in a sphere of antiquity but those of us who are nostalgic will enjoy the small nods.
Musically things are simplistic but hey I appreciate the remix of the theme to the first level of the original game. The rest of the OST is rather small though. I was surprised when there was no final dungeon or final boss theme, something I feel was standard for 1991.
A key note I should mention is that this game was made for English speakers and that is a big deal for one primary reason: The dialogue won't be garbage. Typically in 8-bit games there is a layer of lost in translation that is missing here. NPCs in towns talk in a very nature way that doesn't feel alien and doesn't lack in punch. Hints are blunt, clear and to the point. No real guesswork in that regard.
The NPCs do make the world feel lived in. You feel a certain level of fear and uncertainty in the population with Death Adder throwing the world into disarray and the game isn't afraid to show this to you. People are melancholic and destroyed architecture houses cold corpses. The story isn't filled with nail biting anticipation or anything. Instead things just feel, to a degree, authentic in a way.
Ultimately though in the end this game sits slightly above the middle in my eyes. I had plenty of fun with this title but it really isn't for everyone. The 8-bit crust is there with its rather annoying at times combat and rather obtuse progression. Your mileage may vary but fans of the original Zelda game will feel at home here. To those who are fans of that style of game I can recommend this to you but to others I can ensure you that you aren't missing out on some underrated masterpiece.
An uninspired and boring trudge which blatantly rips off The Legend of Zelda, a 5-year-old game at the time, yet somehow manages to be less engaging and more redundant. I do have some bias toward Zelda, but I think it had a pretty solid world map that was fun to navigate due to how well they were able to differentiate it's parts. Golden Axe Warrior does not achieve this at all. Every screen feels poorly thought out or lazily slapped together. The dungeons have about the same amount of complexity as the original Zelda, but this game was made in the same year as A Link to the Past, so the bar has completely shifted at this point. You do get to use multiple weapons like in Final Fantasy Adventure, which is neat, but this game doesn't have the stat growth or unique combat mechanics in that game, and that game was already pretty boring regardless. I'm not sure why this had Golden Axe branding either, since it's just an intentional aesthetic similarity. Maybe it was to sell more copies since it was released on a dead/dying console? Probably, actually. Regardless, this is a fairly inoffensive though completely forgettable experience. 2/6
On the one hand, this is a shameless Zelda clone. On the other hand, it's always neat to see another company's take on a well-known game. Loved the soundtrack.