Golden Axe - Play Online Free

About Golden Axe

Death Adder has seized the king, the princess and the Golden Axe itself, and three survivors set out after him: Ax Battler with a broadsword, the dwarf Gilius Thunderhead with his battle axe, and Tyris Flare, weak in a brawl but the strongest magic user of the three. You walk right through the stages hacking at skeleton knights and armoured brutes, and you can climb onto the fire-breathing bizarrian mounts the enemies ride in on.

Magic comes from blue pots carried by small thieves who scurry through the levels. Kick one and it drops pots that fill your magic meter, and casting empties the whole meter at once — the more pots you have banked, the longer and more destructive the spell. Between stages you camp, and further thieves creep past to be kicked for food and extra magic before the next fight starts.

Why play Golden Axe

The console version is noticeably bigger than the coin-op it came from. Sega split the castle finale and added areas so the campaign runs eight levels instead of five, with the fight against Death Adder no longer the end of the game. Duel mode, absent from the arcade original, pits you against twelve escalating rounds of enemies in an arena, and a shortened Beginner mode was added for practice. Two-player co-op carries over, complete with the ability to clobber your partner by accident.

Tips for new players

Casting empties your entire magic meter, so a full bar of Tyris's fire is worth banking for Death Adder rather than burning on skeletons.
Kick the blue thieves at the campfire between stages — those interludes are your main chance to refill magic pots and food.
Double-tap forward to run and then attack: the charge knocks enemies off ledges, which ends a fight instantly on the narrow stages.
Remount a bizarrian quickly after being thrown off, because enemies will take the riderless beast and turn its fire on you.
Tyris is fragile up close and should fight at magic range, while Gilius's short axe forces you to stand inside the enemy's swing to connect.

Platform

Sega Genesis

Released

1989

Genre

Hack-and-slash beat 'em up

Publisher

Sega

Developer

Sega

Players

1 player

Price

Free

Default Controls

You can play with keyboard, gamepad, or touch (on mobile). The default keyboard layout is below; remap any key inside the emulator settings.

↑↓←→D-Pad

ZA

XB

CC

EnterStart

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Genesis version of Golden Axe different from the arcade game?

Sega extended it. The campaign runs eight stages instead of five, with the castle finale broken up and extra areas added so the game continues past Death Adder. Duel mode, which the arcade version never had, gives you an arena and twelve rounds, and a shortened Beginner mode was added for practice.

How does magic work in Golden Axe?

Kicking the blue thieves makes them drop pots, and each pot fills part of your magic meter. Casting uses everything in the meter at once, so a fuller bar means a longer, stronger spell. The meters differ by character: Tyris Flare's is the largest, Ax Battler's is smaller and Gilius Thunderhead's is the smallest.

Can you ride the dragons in Golden Axe?

Yes. Knock the rider off a bizarrian and climb on before the creature wanders away. The chicken-legged one attacks with its tail, the blue dragon spits fireballs and the red dragon breathes a stream of flame. A solid hit throws you off again.

Is Golden Axe really free to play?

Yes. Every game on OldGames.Games is free to play in your browser. There are no downloads, hidden fees or account requirement for single-player games.

Can I save my progress?

Yes. The emulator supports save states — you can save the exact moment you're at and resume later from any device by signing into a free OldGames account.