The digital delights of Sony’s scrumptious PlayStation Network service know no bounds. Aside from letting punters compete in online gaming, stream films, browse the Internet and more, its premier attraction rests in the copious supply of downloadable games ripe for the picking. From PSN exclusives to PSOne Classics, minis and plain old add-on content, Sony’s online space is chock full of goodies battling it out for your hard-earned digital dollars.
Welcome back to another installment of Inside PlayStation Network, where every Monday – Friday we’ll pluck a PSN release—be it new or old—and put it in the spotlight for a thorough dissection. Fancy getting a new PSN game but don’t know what one to plump for? Perhaps this feature will help. Didn’t realize that a game was available in your region until now? We’ve got you covered. Or, perhaps you were musing over what those lucky Japanese folk were tucking into over in the Land of the Rising Sun? You can be sure our coverage will extend to those rare regional exclusives as much as those firmly embedded on the public consciousness.
Our latest entry shines the spotlight on the Sega Genesis classic Golden Axe.
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Developer: SEGA Probe
Region(s) available: Europe
Players: 1-2
The brainchild of Altered Beast creator Makoto Uchida, Golden Axe helped popularise the hack-n-slash genre upon its release at the tail end of the 1980s. Alongside the likes of Shinobi and Streets of Rage, the medieval-flavoured actioner represented a distinct mature edge that you couldn’t get in the cutesy platformers of the day such as Mario and Sonic. Inspired by Conan the Barbarian, Golden Axe sees three warriors – dwarf Gilius, barbarian Ax and amazon Tyris – on a quest to save the King of Yuria and his daughter from the clutches of the nefarious Death Adder.
Golden Axe is your quintessential side-scrolling hack-em-up. Players progress from one side of the screen to the other, slashing, calving and bashing up Adder’s flunkies, which include the likes of skeleton warriors, knights and barbarians. Each character possesses their own unique weapon; Gilius is armed with an axe, Ax a broadsword and Tyris a long-sword. Furthermore, the trio are capable of unleashing powerful elemental-based magic upon their foes, damaging all enemies on screen with spells including earth, fire and electricity.
The potency of these attacks depend on how much magic power you are wielding, which can be restored by collecting blue potions dropped by thieving sprites. Players can also mount creatures known as bizarrians, which can be used to not only navigate stages faster than on foot, but slay enemies using their unique abilities (fire for a dragon, a tail whip for the Cockatrice). Levels themselves are spread over several different locales, including a village, surrounding wasteland and a castle, and typically culminate in a boss scrap.
In addition to the main campaign, Golden Axe also chucks in a rudimentary Duel Mode, pitting gamers against increasingly tricky adversaries, or one-on-one battles against a friend. Furthermore, the main quest itself allows for two-player co-op, allowing you and a mate to team up and take down Adder’s hordes as opposed to going on your lonesome.
That’s all for this week, folks. Join us again on Monday for another glimpse Inside PlayStation Network.