Golden Axe

There is a sound that every Mega Drive owner recognizes instantly: the booming roar of a giant axe swing and the crackle of lightning as the hero spends his gathered magic. Golden Axe is the essence of what arcades did best at the turn of the eighties and nineties — fast, readable and brutally satisfying brawling wrapped in a fantasy garb that borrows so much from Conan the Barbarian that Robert E. Howard might be jealous.

The game was created at Sega and conquered arcades in 1989, from where it headed straight to the Mega Drive as one of the titles meant to sell the console. And sell it did. You pick one of three heroes — the barbarian Ax Battler, the dwarf Gilius Thunderhead with a thirst for revenge, or the amazon Tyris Flare — and set out after the evil Death Adder, who holds the king and princess captive. Each character wields a different type of magic and differs in strength and reach, so the choice is not cosmetic.

The heart of the fun is gathering magic. At night, little thieves and goblins with pouches of potions sneak between the levels, and whoever kicks them squeezes out blue vials. The more you collect, the more devastating the spell you can unleash — from a tiny spark to a screen-filling apocalypse. This creates an eternal dilemma: waste the magic right away, or save it for the boss? Added to this is the joy of riding beasts. Goblins can be knocked off their lizard steeds and off a fire-breathing dragon, and the saddle instantly changes the pace of the fight.

Golden Axe comes alive best with two players. The shared screen, joint kicks into enemies and the occasional accidental hit on your teammate — that is exactly the kind of cooperation that created arcade legends and later countless home evenings at the console. The battles are simple, built on the trio of attack, jump and magic, but it is precisely that simplicity that makes the game so accessible and timeless.

Culturally, Golden Axe ranked among the pillars of the beat 'em up genre alongside Final Fight and Streets of Rage, while its fantasy coat gives it a distinctive identity to this day. The series continued with further installments and later reboot attempts, and the game became a staple of Sega's retro compilations, so even today's player can easily reach it. It is a title that ages with grace — it may not be deep, but it is honest, energetic and immediately intelligible.

Why play it: For pure, ageless arcade brawling in a fantasy setting that, with two players, is still among the best the Mega Drive has to offer.