Golden Axe was one of SEGA's biggest arcade hits, so it's no surprise that its world tried to conquer pocket hardware too. Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe for the Game Gear, however, isn't a plain copy of the arcade brawler. It's a surprisingly ambitious attempt to fuse the Golden Axe fantasy world with elements of action RPG and adventure, tailored for gaming on the go.
Instead of a pure beat 'em up, the game sends you into a side-viewed world where you travel across a map, complete quests and switch into action sequences during battles. Gradually you learn new combat moves and spells, collect equipment and grow stronger. It's a mix that tries to give a pocket title depth and longer longevity than the simple arcade original offered. So instead of one concentrated bout of action, the player gets a little adventure with elements of character growth.
Development-wise, Ax Battler is part of the wave when SEGA was stretching its successful brands across platforms and genres. Golden Axe as a phenomenon gave rise to sequels and spin-offs on various consoles, and this Game Gear version is one of the bolder experiments, because it dared to depart from the original gameplay toward an action RPG.
For players today it's an interesting piece of pocket gaming history: a demonstration of how creators tried to fit a more expansive adventure into a limited format and appeal to an audience hungry for content on longer journeys. Fans of the Golden Axe brand will find familiar motifs in it, but delivered differently than they'd expect from an arcade brawler.
Although it's a title that today is more of a collector's and nostalgic affair than a widely known hit, it represents a valuable reminder of an era when pocket consoles experimented with genres and searched for ways to engage players for longer than just a few arcade minutes.
Why play it: An unusual fusion of the Golden Axe world with an action RPG that turns an arcade brawler into a little pocket adventure.
Game 30 of 39 for SEGA Game Gear
