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Arcade conversion; it’s a term that strikes fear and loathing into the heart of every Amiga gamer. Why back in the late eighties, whenever I heard those two words used in conjunction, my eyes would automatically roll in scepticism. (Years later my optometrist would inform me that disbelief wasn’t the cause of this, it was because my retinas were retarded.) Anyway, I can easily recall a dozen times when Amiga gamers were treated to a piss poor port of a extraordinary arcade title (I’m looking squarely at you Street fighter II). But sometimes, just sometimes, someone would take a classic and convert it across more or less intact, which brings us to today’s topic. Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, I give you Golden Axe… A conversion hasn’t been done this thoroughly since biblical times…
Golden Axe is one of the greatest 2 player side scrolling beat‘em ups of all time. The story (like it matters) revolves around three warriors who are seeking their revenge against a murdering tyrant called Death=Adder (no that’s not a typo, or an obscure Pythagorean equation. Its how the game presents the characters names, god knows why). The heroes on offer are as follows:
Ax=Battler: He’s your standard Conan the barbarian type, in blue underpants. Skills: Brute strength/Poor magic
Gilius=Thunderhead: Think Gimili from Lord of the rings but with grey hair, a Viking helmet and a dirty big axe. Skills: Average strength/Average Magic
Tyris=Flare: A scantily clad Amazon warrior armed with a sword. Skills: Average strength/Strong Magic/Sex appeal
Speaking of equations, I have another one for you, it’s a theory that this game quickly instilled in my impressionable young mind, Kicking midgets = Free stuff. It’s true, whenever you need something, just take some time out to kick a hobbit sized creature and steal his belongings (Note: this theory does NOT translate very well into real life).
Essentially, Golden Axe is typical side scrolling fare; you journey through 6 stages of increasing difficulty and destroy any and all that oppose you. Ordinarily this type of game is a bore to review/replay, but Golden Axe still proves to be quite an engaging experience. It sets itself apart from the crowd by the following moments of “coolness”.
1. Kicking a bad guy off his fire-breathing dragon and getting on it yourself. Roast midgets anyone?
2. Dishing out the best combo ever: Two sword slashes, two raps on the head with the butt of your sword and then a boot to the face, for good luck.
3. Having an angry warrior charge at you, deftly jumping over him and watching as he pitches himself off a cliff. Satisfaction plus.
4. Hitting the magic button as Tyris=Flare when at maximum and watching a behemoth dragon barbecue your enemies. Back in the day it was positively awe inspiring.
The only shortcoming with the Amiga version is the absence of 2 extra stages beyond the destruction of Death=Adder (as seen in the Megadrive, PC and arcade versions). It is a bit of a gyp, but then again two extra stages could have made the experience unnecessarily long.
When you compare the graphics of the Amiga version to other systems it’s obvious that, while it is a step down from its arcade parent, it is considerably more vibrant and brighter in palette (even the Megadrive version too). Unfortunately there is a tiny bit of slowdown when too many enemies get on the screen, and the Amiga version pauses sometimes to load sections of the level, but both of these issues are rare in occurrence and as such don’t hinder gameplay. Actually, for the most part, I found myself quite impressed with the speed at which the game ran (I even checked the emulators throttle to make sure it was set correctly).
I’m happy to report that all of the original graphical elements, including the elaborate magic effects, have made it through the conversion process unscathed, even Tyris=Flare’s butt wiggling animation seems to have been accurately reproduced. Or so others have told me…
The music in this game is an absolute pleasure. Sega are well known for their ability to create memorable tunes that get stuck in your head and Golden Axe is no exception. These infectious little melodies, combined with the remarkable sound capabilities of the Amiga, mean you’ll be humming these tunes for days. Similarly the sound effects are faithfully reproduced by the Amiga’s hardware. One of the great downfalls of side-scrollers is when the developers get stingy with the sound effects; thankfully Golden Axe doesn’t fall into this category, as the sound effects are both varied and pleasing to the ear. Especially the meaty effect when your weapon connects with your enemy “whackum!, whackum!”, no onomatopoeia does it any real justice.
Golden Axe is a shining example of how arcade conversions should have been done on the Amiga: Not by lazily porting it from the Atari ST, not by letting a group of underpaid monkeys code it in the dark, but by giving the task to a talented development team that respects and preserves the classic original. Golden Axe is still a fantastic game to play, especially in 2 player mode. I urge all of you to take some time away from aggravated midget assault and revisit the game that had a hand in your upbringing.
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Not as good as the arcade (but that shouldn't shock you). For the most part everything has been faithfully reproduced.
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Tunes that I hadn't heard in 15 years came flooding back through my ears. A nice, watery flood too, no trace of sewerage whatsoever.
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Moments of gameplay genius. One of the best 2 player experiences to be had on a Amiga.
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| Don't waste precious seconds reading this review, find the disk and boot a midget today! |
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Get Amiga Forever with pre-installed Workbench, games, applications, and much more.
It also contains the original Amiga ROM-files, 100% legally!
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