GOLDEN AXE looks old, short, and limited now, of course, but I think compared to its contemporaries, it's actually pretty impressive. Gentle difficulty curve, fun, charming art, an easy-to-grasp and satisfying super-move system, and the excellent beast-riding are all a real step ahead of everything else that came before it in how they all come together. It's very cohesive and holistically-designed - it feels complete. It's not particularly long or mechanically complex at all, but that's kind of not why I play brawlers anyway. It's all about aesthetics and feel for me, with these things. Playability, art, music. I just wanna have a good time with it. This one's a good time! I think that's why it caught on and enjoys its minor-classic status - intangibles.