In this video originally published in our Gaming Room channel in September 10, 2025, we have the demo plays, the bios of the main characters, and a few quickplays from the original version of Golden Axe, developed by Sega and released to arcades in 1989. For those who don’t know it, this is a classic beat ’em up where a barbarian, an amazon, and a dwarf travel through a medieval fantasy world known as Yuria — now infested with bandits, skeletons, ghosts, and other murderous creatures — in their fight against the diabolical tyrant Death Adder, who murdered their loved ones.
Golden Axe features side-scrolling action with eight-directional movement. It can be played solo or in two-player mode (in most versions), with each player choosing one of the three protagonists: Ax Battler, the barbarian wielding a sword and the power of earth; Tyris Flare, the amazon also armed with a sword and the power of fire; and Gilius Thunderhead, the dwarf with an axe and the power of lightning. Powers are activated by blue magic pots you collect, and the more you gather, the stronger your spells become. Like other medieval fantasy brawlers, you cannot pick up new weapons along the way, but you can ride mounts like dragons and Chicken Legs (a creature that also appears in Altered Beast), which provide powerful attacks and some protection. Players can also dash, jump, and combine moves, including a devastating spiking blow that deals heavy damage if it lands.
One of Sega’s biggest successes of all time, both critically and commercially, Golden Axe was ported to several other systems (there’s even a glimpse of the MS-DOS version in this video), started a franchise with multiple sequels and spin-offs, inspired other fantasy-themed beat ’em ups, and even motivated fans to create their own games — some of them being quite good. Truly, it’s a unique game with a dark, mysterious atmosphere, a memorable soundtrack, and engaging gameplay that will make you want to revisit it sooner or later.
Enough babbling! If you enjoy classic arcade games, watch now, relive the nostalgia of Golden Axe, and don’t forget to comment and share with your retro gaming friends!
Cheers!
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- Length: 23:49
- Channel: Gaming Room
- Categories: Gameplays, Videos
- Views: 2