<s>
is	O
a	O
side-scrolling	O
hack-and-slash	B-Application
video	O
game	O
released	O
by	O
Sega	O
for	O
arcades	O
in	O
1989	O
,	O
running	O
on	O
the	O
Sega	B-Application
System	I-Application
16B	I-Application
arcade	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Makoto	O
Uchida	O
was	O
the	O
lead	O
designer	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
also	O
responsible	O
for	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
the	O
previous	O
year	O
's	O
Altered	B-Application
Beast	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
casts	O
players	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
three	O
warriors	O
who	O
must	O
free	O
the	O
fantastical	O
land	O
of	O
Yuria	O
from	O
the	O
tyrannical	O
rule	O
of	O
Death	O
Adder	O
,	O
who	O
wields	O
the	O
titular	O
Golden	B-Application
Axe	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
well	O
received	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
release	O
,	O
Golden	B-Application
Axe	I-Application
was	O
later	O
converted	O
for	O
play	O
on	O
many	O
different	O
home	O
systems	O
,	O
including	O
Sega	O
's	O
own	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive/Genesis	I-Operating_System
and	O
Master	O
System	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
success	O
spawned	O
an	O
entire	O
franchise	B-Application
consisting	O
of	O
several	O
sequels	O
and	O
various	O
spin-offs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
takes	O
place	O
in	O
the	O
fictional	O
land	O
of	O
Yuria	O
,	O
a	O
Conan	O
the	O
Barbarian-style	O
high	O
fantasy	O
medieval	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
also	O
finds	O
the	O
Golden	B-Application
Axe	I-Application
,	O
the	O
magical	O
emblem	O
of	O
Yuria	O
,	O
and	O
threatens	O
to	O
destroy	O
both	O
the	O
axe	O
and	O
the	O
royal	O
family	O
unless	O
the	O
people	O
of	O
Yuria	O
accept	O
him	O
as	O
their	O
ruler	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
is	O
a	O
male	O
barbarian	B-Application
,	O
Ax	O
Battler	O
,	O
wielding	O
a	O
two-handed	O
broadsword	O
,	O
looking	O
for	O
revenge	O
for	O
the	O
murder	O
of	O
his	O
mother	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
last	O
is	O
a	O
longsword-wielding	O
Amazon	B-Application
,	O
Tyris	O
Flare	O
,	O
whose	O
parents	O
were	O
both	O
killed	O
by	O
Death	O
Adder	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
turtle	O
takes	O
the	O
characters	O
across	O
the	O
sea	O
,	O
and	O
they	O
then	O
fly	O
to	O
the	O
castle	O
itself	O
on	O
the	O
back	O
of	O
a	O
giant	O
eagle	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
at	O
the	O
castle	O
they	O
defeat	O
Death	O
Adder	O
,	O
who	O
is	O
wielding	O
the	O
Golden	B-Application
Axe	I-Application
,	O
and	O
save	O
the	O
land	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive/Genesis	I-Operating_System
and	O
PC	O
versions	O
,	O
and	O
also	O
in	O
other	O
ports	O
,	O
the	O
characters	O
also	O
battle	O
Death	O
Adder	O
's	O
mentor	O
,	O
Death	O
Bringer	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
true	O
final	O
boss	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
final	O
battle	O
,	O
the	O
warriors	O
receive	O
a	O
magical	O
golden	B-Application
axe	I-Application
that	O
imbues	O
the	O
player	O
with	O
immortality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
arcade	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
concludes	O
with	O
a	O
fourth	O
wall	O
breaking	O
end	O
sequence	O
with	O
some	O
children	O
playing	O
Golden	B-Application
Axe	I-Application
at	O
an	O
arcade	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
are	O
able	O
to	O
attack	O
using	O
their	O
weapon	O
,	O
jump	O
and	O
cast	O
spells	B-Application
that	O
hurt	O
all	O
enemies	O
on	O
the	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
male	O
warrior	O
Ax	O
is	O
able	O
to	O
cast	O
earth	O
spells	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
dwarf	O
Gilius	O
casts	O
lightning	O
spells	B-Application
and	O
the	O
female	O
warrior	O
Tyris	O
casts	O
fire	O
magic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
least	O
powerful	O
steed	O
is	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
Cockatrice	O
(	O
which	O
also	O
appeared	O
in	O
Altered	B-Application
Beast	I-Application
)	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
knock	O
down	O
enemies	O
with	O
a	O
swipe	O
of	O
its	O
tail	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Uchida	O
's	O
"	O
idea	O
was	O
to	O
come	O
up	O
with	O
a	O
Double	B-Application
Dragon	I-Application
that	O
was	O
not	O
a	O
Double	B-Application
Dragon	I-Application
…	O
Technos	O
was	O
an	O
experienced	O
rival	O
who	O
had	O
been	O
working	O
on	O
the	O
Kunio-Kun	O
series	O
,	O
so	O
there	O
was	O
no	O
way	O
we	O
could	O
compete	O
if	O
we	O
did	O
the	O
same	O
thing	O
as	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
I	O
had	O
a	O
feeling	O
that	O
arcade	O
games	O
should	O
be	O
competitive	O
against	O
the	O
great	O
hit	O
console	B-Application
title	O
Dragon	B-Application
Quest	I-Application
(	O
created	O
by	O
Enix	O
)	O
and	O
therefore	O
studied	O
the	O
world	O
of	O
magic	O
and	O
swords	O
,	O
combined	O
this	O
with	O
the	O
gameplay	O
of	O
Double	B-Application
Dragon	I-Application
,	O
and	O
finally	O
came	O
up	O
with	O
the	O
concept	O
of	O
Golden	O
Axe.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Uchida	O
also	O
cited	O
the	O
original	O
Street	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
(	O
1987	O
)	O
as	O
an	O
influence	O
,	O
particularly	O
how	O
players	O
could	O
combine	O
button	O
moves	O
and	O
stick	O
presses	O
to	O
perform	O
individual	O
attacks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive/Genesis	I-Operating_System
version	O
remained	O
largely	O
faithful	O
to	O
the	O
arcade	O
game	O
,	O
adding	O
a	O
level	O
and	O
a	O
duel	O
mode	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
a	O
new	O
ending	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
IBM	B-Device
PC	I-Device
compatible	O
port	O
released	O
in	O
1990	O
is	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive/Genesis	I-Operating_System
version	O
,	O
but	O
includes	O
a	O
256	O
color	O
VGA	B-Protocol
mode	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
support	O
for	O
EGA	B-Device
,	O
CGA	B-Device
,	O
and	O
Hercules	B-Device
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
and	O
Amiga	B-Device
ports	O
released	O
in	O
late	O
1990	O
by	O
Virgin	O
Software	O
are	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
arcade	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Amiga	B-Device
port	O
is	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
arcade	O
game	O
,	O
with	O
some	O
palette	O
changes	O
and	O
without	O
parallax	O
scrolling	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Master	O
System	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
retells	O
the	O
original	O
story	O
from	O
the	O
perspective	O
of	O
Tarik	O
,	O
a	O
barbarian	B-Application
with	O
resemblances	O
to	O
Ax	O
Battler	O
(	O
much	O
like	O
all	O
the	O
other	O
barbarian	B-Application
in	O
the	O
entire	O
series	O
:	O
Kain	O
Grinder	O
,	O
Stern	O
Blade	O
and	O
Kain	O
Blade	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
Golden	B-Application
Axe	I-Application
was	O
released	O
by	O
Telenet	O
for	O
the	O
PC	B-General_Concept
Engine	I-General_Concept
CD-ROM	I-General_Concept
in	O
1990	O
with	O
high-quality	O
resampled	O
music	O
and	O
cut	O
scenes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
Game	O
Machine	O
listed	O
Golden	B-Application
Axe	I-Application
on	O
their	O
1	O
July	O
1989	O
issue	O
as	O
being	O
the	O
second	O
most	O
successful	O
table	O
arcade	O
cabinet	O
of	O
the	O
month	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
18th	O
highest-grossing	O
arcade	B-Application
game	I-Application
of	I-Application
1989	I-Application
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
the	O
highest-grossing	O
arcade	O
game	O
of	O
January	B-Application
1990	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
version	O
went	O
to	O
number	O
2	O
in	O
the	O
UK	O
sales	O
charts	O
,	O
behind	O
Teenage	B-Application
Mutant	I-Application
Ninja	I-Application
Turtles	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	I-Device
Arcade	I-Device
digital	O
version	O
of	O
Golden	B-Application
Axe	I-Application
sold	O
167,935	O
units	O
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
console	B-Application
,	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
award	O
from	O
Computer	O
and	O
Video	O
Games	O
,	O
the	O
"	O
Star	O
Buy	O
"	O
award	O
from	O
The	O
One	O
for	O
Amiga	B-Device
Games	O
,	O
the	O
"	O
Zero	O
Console	B-Application
Classic	O
"	O
award	O
from	O
Zero	O
magazine	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
Gold	O
Medal	O
from	O
Zzap	O
!	O
64	O
magazine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1991	O
,	O
PC	O
Format	O
named	O
Golden	B-Application
Axe	I-Application
one	O
of	O
the	O
50	O
best	O
computer	O
games	O
ever	O
,	O
describing	O
it	O
as	O
"	O
deliciously	O
animated	O
hacking	O
,	O
slashing	O
and	O
generally	O
whaling	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1993	O
,	O
the	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
voted	O
number	O
60	O
in	O
the	O
Your	O
Sinclair	O
Readers	O
 '	O
Top	O
100	O
Games	O
of	O
All	O
Time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1995	O
,	O
Flux	O
magazine	O
rated	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
version	O
70th	O
in	O
their	O
"	O
Top	O
100	O
Video	O
Games.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1996	O
,	O
GamesMaster	O
ranked	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
version	O
100th	O
on	O
their	O
"	O
Top	O
100	O
Games	O
of	O
All	O
Time.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewing	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
appearance	O
in	O
Sega	O
Arcade	O
Classics	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
CD	I-Device
in	O
1993	O
,	O
Glenn	O
Rubenstein	O
commented	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
had	O
become	O
outdated	O
in	O
the	O
years	O
since	O
its	O
original	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Retrospectively	O
,	O
GameRankings	O
gave	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
version	O
an	O
aggregate	O
rating	O
of	O
69%	O
based	O
on	O
six	O
reviews	O
published	O
online	O
in	O
the	O
2000s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Metacritic	O
gave	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
version	O
an	O
aggregate	O
rating	O
of	O
68	O
out	O
of	O
100	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TouchArcade	O
rated	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
version	O
3.5	O
out	O
of	O
5	O
stars	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive/Genesis	I-Operating_System
version	O
was	O
later	O
released	O
in	O
other	O
compilations	O
–	O
Sega	O
Smash	O
Pack	O
,	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
Collection	O
(	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Mega	I-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
Collection	O
)	O
,	O
Sonic	B-Application
's	I-Application
Ultimate	I-Application
Genesis	I-Application
Collection	I-Application
(	O
Sega	B-Application
Mega	I-Application
Drive	I-Application
Ultimate	I-Application
Collection	I-Application
)	O
–	O
and	O
on	O
the	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
one-player	O
only	O
Sega	B-Device
CD	I-Device
version	O
released	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Sega	O
Classics	O
Arcade	O
Collection	O
,	O
with	O
CD	O
audio	O
background	O
music	O
and	O
voice-overs	O
from	O
the	O
arcade	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
arcade	O
version	O
is	O
also	O
on	O
the	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	I-Device
Arcade	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
handheld	B-Device
TV	I-Device
game	I-Device
Arcade	B-Operating_System
Legends	I-Operating_System
Sega	I-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
Volume	O
1	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
enhanced	O
remake	O
with	O
3D	O
graphics	O
and	O
orchestral	O
music	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Sega	O
Ages	O
line	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2017	O
,	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive/Genesis	I-Operating_System
version	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
Android	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
now	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Sega	B-Application
Forever	I-Application
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
25	O
October	O
2021	O
,	O
The	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive/Genesis	I-Operating_System
version	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
Online	I-Application
+	I-Application
Expansion	I-Application
Pack	I-Application
.	O
</s>
