Golden Axe II Review (Arcade/Sega Mega Play)
A Silver Followup to a Golden Game
~by tankMage (September 2025)
Score: 80/100 (Good)
Note: This review is for the Sega Mega Play version of Golden Axe II, which was released in the PAL region.
I had high hopes for Golden Axe II. The first game was very good, but left a lot of room for improvement, so I figured the followup had it in the bag. After all, Sega only had to improve on the original formula a little bit to make a really great game. Sadly, Golden Axe II proved to be mildly inferior to its predecessor. While it boasts superior graphics, it lacks much of the personality that made the first game special and did nothing to improve upon its weaknesses. Fighting still lacks the visceral feeling that’s so important to Beat ’em Ups, the story is boring, the enemies are even more repetitive, and there are fewer opportunities to ride mounts, which was one of the coolest aspects of the series’ debut.
Inadequacies aside, Golden Axe II is still a solid fantasy beat ’em up. Ax Battler, Gilius, and everyone’s favorite thiccums, Tyris, are back for more fantasy action. They have reworked spells (I have to say the magic system for this game is slightly better) and a few new moves. The graphics are also better than those of the first game and I think there are one or two more stages than in the original.
If you liked Golden Axe, this sequel should be satisfying as long as you don’t expect too much from it.
Story
Not long after their victory against Death Adder, the heroes learn of a new threat: Dark Guld. Once again, the peaceful kingdom of what-its-name is being invaded by the forces of evil and its up to the heroes to save everyone. I was kind of curious about the name of the villain, so I looked up the word Guld. Death Adder was a cool (if not over the top) name for a bad guy, but Guld just doesn’t hit right. I figured the name might redeem itself if it had a cool meaning. Turns out guld is an archaic word for flower, so the boss is named Dark Flower…uh OK.
Players are given a quick breakdown of the story during the attract mode and there are journal entries between stages. I found the story to be far less amusing than that of Golden Axe. All of the cool ideas, like the village built on the back of a giant turtle, were not present in Golden Axe II’s plot. Consequently, the journal entries are really bland and lifeless. Sega still gets points for trying, I suppose.
Graphics
Visually, Golden Axe II is a big step forward for the series. All three heroes were redesigned with more detail and the game world looks cool. The bad guys also got touched up or replaced altogether. And the magic spells look cool.
Despite all of the improvements, enemies are still repetitive and there are some really weird pallette swap choices. Also, I realized that this game could have really used a little effect to indicate that something is taking damage. You know, something like a blood spatter or a starburst…or anything. I’m not sure why Sega weren’t willing to put a little extra effort in the enemy designs and visual effects considering how the first game was popular enough to merit a sequel.
Gameplay
Golden Axe II is nearly identical to the first title in terms of basic gameplay. You hit things with a sword (or ax of you’re Gilius) cast spells, and hit things some more. Ride-able creatures make a return as well. The magic system was touched up a bit and feels more streamlined. Players don’t get as many of the spell casting items, as they did in the first game, but fewer are required to power up each hero’s magic and spells seem more powerful in general. Each hero also has a special attack that is pulled off by hitting A and B at the same time if memory serves me correctly.
While Sega were smart to leave the basic structure of the gameplay alone and fix a few things, they still managed to mess some stuff up. First off, mounts are less common in Golden Axe II and they are less fun to use. Two of the mounts are just variations of the melee lizard from the first game and there’s only one ranged mount. The mounts also seem to run away sooner than they did in the original. I’m not sure why they were so stingy with the mounts, but it was likely because they were over-powered and players weren’t dropping enough coins in the machine as a result.
There’s also the problem of sparse enemy variety. You pretty much fight guys with claws/clubs, skeletons, little wizards, and lizard men throughout the game. The bosses are also highly repetitive. A few archers and flying enemies could have added a lot of depth to the action.
Somehow, the AI in this sequel is inferior to that of the first game. It was far too easy to win using jump and dash attacks, which were also very effective in the past. Worse yet, bad guys often blindly walk into pits. To make up for this, a few of the bosses and even regular enemies had some very cheap moves that seem like they were designed to foil certain strategies. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it does pose a threat to new players who have to deal with enemies that sometimes have ridiculous reach or insanely quick attacks.
User Interface
I’m getting to the point where I’m not sure why I even critique arcade game controls, because every game I’ve reviewed so far controls beautifully. Golden Axe II is no exception, because the controls work great. The only issue I had was pulling off the special attack, which requires players to press the jump and attack buttons simultaneously, but this may have been a me problem and not an actual issue with the controls.
Music and Sound Effects
If there is one thing they got right, it’s the soundtrack. Every song is a glorious Sega tune from the early nineties. From what I was able to research, the System 32 board was used for this game and it sounds very much like a beefed up Genesis, which is awesome.
The sound effects are kind of weak when it comes to hitting baddies and I really wish they used something crunchier than the “swish swish” they went with. Aside from that, the sound work is OK. I forgot to comment on the “bluhhh!” sound bad guys make when they die and how hilarious it is when I reviewed the first game. It’s back in this one and even skeletons go “bluhhhh!!” when they re-die, which is great in my opinion. Legend has it that the sound is from the Conan movie. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to confirm this, but maybe I’ll watch the movie to see if I can find it and update this review.
Final Thoughts
Golden Axe II didn’t live up to the first game, but it’s still a perfectly enjoyable Beat ’em Up. It looks nice, plays well, and has some good tunes. If you like the first game and can go into this one without expecting any improvement, you’ll have some fun with it. It would have been great if they gave the player some more opportunities to ride mounts, added a little graphic to indicate hits (you know like a little blood splat or spark or something) and had better bosses. While Golden Axe II may have fallen short of its predecessor, let alone greatness, it likely ushered in future Beat ’em Ups of its kind, so it’s also worth playing if you are interested in gaming history.
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