My Played Video Games Review: Golden Axe III for the Sega Mega Drive
Golden Axe III is a side-scrolling hack and slash, beat 'em up video game developed and published by Sega for the Sega Mega Drive in Japan in 1993. It is an indirect/standalone sequel to Golden Axe II of which I posted a review before.
Many in my country during the mid-1990s favor this over the prequel Golden Axe games. This one has got more characters, multiple paths, and cool cooperative moves.
The Story
The once-peaceful kingdom is under threat once again. The Prince of Darkness has stolen the magical Golden Axe, taken over the kingdom, and rendered all of its warriors into harmless zombies thanks to an evil curse. Break free from the curse and you must defeat the prince and regain the Golden Axe to save the kingdom. Play as a big brute, a panther, or a sword-wielding warrior and slash your way to victory!
The Graphics and Sound
The graphics could be a little better, but you can notice some new animations, some differences in the characters' look, and the graphics are slightly improved, but nothing special. The magic power effects are not better than the previous games. I like the level design and the enemy designs. Overall, the graphics are ok, but its nothing special.
The music is great. The songs are very well made, with some medieval effects and they feel a bit nostalgic. The sound effects are also improved. When you hit a shield, you can hear the sound of the clanging metal. The OST of this game is memorable.
The Gameplay
You get to choose from 4 characters. A basic macho male warrior, a hot lady Amazon, a panther/cat man, and what seems to be a wrestler giant. Each character has many attack moves to use and can block. There are even co-op attacks to use if played on 2 player mode.
Your warriors must move on, kill the enemies that try to stop your quest, and go to the next levels until you finally fight the final boss.
However, unlike the previous games, this time, you get to choose paths when you come to a crossroad. The path you choose will determine your next level or your next part of the level. Also, you can now free hostages by killing the enemy that was guarding them. Free some 5 hostages and you get a life!
About magic, the first game's magic system is used. And another thing is that everyone can get the same amount of magic pots. And there are two different endings.
Replayability is great. Mastering each character's moves or playing with a 2nd player means this game won't get boring easily.
My Verdict
Golden Axe III is the longest, most varied, and diverse Golden Axe game on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. There are many alternate routes, the music is great and the difficulty is well balanced. The gameplay and enemy A.I.is also better than the previous games. Give this game a chance If you like 2D beat-'em ups.
Have fun playing it on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis console or play it on an emulator.