SEGA Master System

Golden Axe Warrior

Despite critics premature dismissals back in the early 90's when this gem came out, Golden Axe Warrior is a great game. It's one of the best games of the 8-bit era. If Nintendo hadn't monopolized the 8-bit U.S. market back in the late 80's, this game might have been as popular as Zelda was (though it should not be ignored that this game came out five years after the original Zelda release, and this is part of the reason it was so ignored). So, is Golden Axe Warrior just another Zelda knock- off? Absolutely not. And while I'm not claiming it's a better game than the original Zelda, I will say that Golden Axe Warrior adds enough to the genre to make it an excellent adventure RPG. Too bad nobody noticed.

Wohl dem, der ein Master System besitzt: Golden Axe Warrior ist das beste Action-Adventure, das mir in letzter Zeit vor das Joypad kam. Als überzeugter Zelda-Fan muß man dieses Modul einfach mögen. Alles ist wohl vertraut, vom "Bildschirm umblenden" über die Angriffsschemen einiger Monster bis hin zu den neun prächtigen Dungeons. Dank ausgefeiltem Spielablauf, Dutzenden von versteckten Kammern, praktischen Extras, feschen Bösewichten und nachvollziehbaren Puzzles steht Golden Axe Warrior ein Ehrenplatz in meiner Modulsammlung zu. Farbenfrohe Grafik und meist stimmungsvolle Musik begleiten die motivierende Suche nach den Kristallen.

Slap the Golden Axe realm on to a decent action/RPG and you get Golden Axe Warrior for Master System. Think of Golvellius combined with Zelda and that's what you'll get with this game. It's very hard to find these days so snag it right away if you see and want it.

There isn't much else to say about this experience. Walk around, fight monsters, explore dungeons, get new items. It's all here, and it's been waiting for you, but not like the way the Army's waiting for you. The good kind of waiting.

In conclusion, I have to say this is one of the most disappointing games ever released. Why? Simply because nobody knows about it and if it had any advertising at all no one remembers it. Sadly released right at the end of the Master System’s life on the NTSC market, hardly anyone realized it was around and thus it’s one of the rarest titles to find in the United States. I’ve seen this game catch upwards of one hundred dollars in the past, so expect this to go up in the future if gamers become more aware of its existence. If you watch, though, it was also released in Europe and is not nearly as hard to find so if you’re just in it for the gaming, go that route. Regardless, it will be money well spent in my opinion because this game deserves plenty more attention than it’s received so far.

Don't be misled by the "Golden Axe" in the title of this game, because this has got absolutely nothing in common with Golden axe, the brilliant beat 'em up conversion. Golden Axe Warrior is a tedious role playing game with very little action. It starts out with promise, but unfortunately the rather unexciting gameplay – there are long periods where you have little to do – coupled with the awkward combat sequences make for a game that doesn't take long before it gets very dull. Some role playing fans might find some fun in there, but there are plenty of better games of this type - try Y's or Lord of the Sword instead. Arcade fans should steer well clear.