<s>
is	O
a	O
side-scrolling	B-Application
beat	I-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
up	I-Application
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Sega	O
,	O
first	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Mega	I-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
in	O
December	O
1991	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
home	O
console	O
sequel	B-Language
to	O
the	O
popular	O
game	O
Golden	B-Application
Axe	I-Application
,	O
marking	O
the	O
second	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
though	O
the	O
arcade	O
did	O
see	O
a	O
sequel	B-Language
of	O
its	O
own	O
in	O
1992	O
,	O
titled	O
Golden	B-Application
Axe	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Revenge	I-Application
of	I-Application
Death	I-Application
Adder	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Golden	B-Application
Axe	I-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
only	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
,	O
while	O
the	O
original	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
many	O
other	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
later	O
appeared	O
in	O
Sonic	B-Application
's	I-Application
Ultimate	I-Application
Genesis	I-Application
Collection	I-Application
for	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
,	O
as	O
an	O
iOS	B-Application
app	O
on	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
Online	I-Application
+	I-Application
Expansion	I-Application
Pack	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
three	O
playable	O
characters	O
from	O
the	O
first	O
Golden	B-Application
Axe	I-Application
-	O
Ax	O
Battler	O
,	O
Tyris	O
Flare	O
and	O
Gilius	O
Thunderhead	O
—	O
return	O
in	O
Golden	B-Application
Axe	I-Application
II	I-Application
to	O
save	O
the	O
people	O
of	O
the	O
land	O
from	O
a	O
new	O
clan	O
of	O
evil	O
warriors	O
and	O
their	O
lord	O
Dark	O
Guld	O
and	O
reclaim	O
from	O
him	O
the	O
legendary	O
Golden	B-Application
Axe	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Golden	B-Application
Axe	I-Application
II	I-Application
is	O
a	O
side-scrolling	O
arcade-style	O
(	O
it	O
was	O
also	O
actually	O
released	O
on	O
arcade	O
machines	O
)	O
hack	B-Application
'	I-Application
n	I-Application
 '	I-Application
slash	I-Application
game	O
,	O
very	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
first	O
Golden	B-Application
Axe	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
of	O
the	O
fighters	O
has	O
a	O
unique	O
elemental	O
form	O
of	O
magic	B-Application
which	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
at	O
any	O
time	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
inflict	O
damage	O
upon	O
enemies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Enemies	O
could	O
now	O
be	O
thrown	O
in	O
either	O
direction	O
by	O
pressing	O
right	O
or	O
left	O
on	O
the	O
D-pad	B-Device
immediately	O
after	O
picking	O
them	O
up	O
,	O
making	O
it	O
easier	O
to	O
hit	O
other	O
enemies	O
with	O
them	O
or	O
throw	O
them	O
off	O
cliffs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
importantly	O
,	O
the	O
magic	B-Application
system	O
was	O
overhauled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Whereas	O
in	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
,	O
pressing	O
the	O
magic	B-Application
button	O
used	O
all	O
of	O
a	O
player	O
's	O
magic	B-Application
pots	O
,	O
one	O
could	O
now	O
use	O
part	O
or	O
all	O
of	O
one	O
's	O
magic	B-Application
by	O
holding	O
the	O
button	O
and	O
releasing	O
it	O
when	O
the	O
meter	O
had	O
reached	O
the	O
desired	O
level	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
magic	B-Application
was	O
also	O
changed	O
;	O
Ax	O
Battler	O
's	O
"	O
exploding	O
"	O
magic	B-Application
from	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
was	O
replaced	O
with	O
wind	O
magic	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Gilius	O
Thunderhead	O
now	O
used	O
rock	O
magic	B-Application
instead	O
of	O
lightning	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tyris	O
Flare	O
retained	O
her	O
fire	O
magic	B-Application
,	O
but	O
was	O
still	O
given	O
entirely	O
new	O
animations	O
for	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ax	O
Battler	O
now	O
has	O
longer	O
reach	O
with	O
his	O
weapon	O
than	O
Tyris	O
(	O
in	O
the	O
first	O
Golden	B-Application
Axe	I-Application
,	O
Ax	O
Battler	O
and	O
Tyris	O
had	O
identical	O
reach	O
)	O
and	O
can	O
throw	O
enemies	O
higher	O
and	O
farther	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Normal	O
mode	O
puts	O
the	O
player	O
into	O
the	O
story	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
where	O
they	O
must	O
recover	O
the	O
golden	B-Application
axe	I-Application
from	O
Dark	O
Guld	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Magic	B-Application
books	O
are	O
also	O
gathered	O
along	O
the	O
way	O
allowing	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
increase	O
their	O
magic	B-Application
meter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
made	O
available	O
on	O
the	O
compilation	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
,	O
known	O
in	O
the	O
U.S.	O
as	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
Collection	O
and	O
in	O
Europe	O
as	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Mega	I-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
Collection	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
and	O
Golden	B-Application
Axe	I-Application
III	I-Application
and	O
many	O
other	O
Genesis/Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
titles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
11	O
,	O
2007	O
,	O
the	O
title	O
was	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
Wii	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
also	O
available	O
on	O
GameTap	B-Operating_System
and	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
1	O
,	O
2010	O
,	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Mega	I-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
and	I-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
Classics	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
Steam	B-Application
and	O
the	O
Golden	B-Application
Axe	I-Application
trilogy	O
became	O
available	O
for	O
PCs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
29	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
the	O
collection	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
Classics	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
and	O
PC	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
version	O
following	O
in	O
December	O
that	O
same	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
15	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
re-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>
<s>
Console	O
XS	O
gave	O
an	O
overall	O
score	O
of	O
75/100	O
and	O
felt	O
that	O
Golden	B-Application
Axe	I-Application
II	I-Application
is	O
easier	O
than	O
its	O
predecessor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Allgame	O
gave	O
a	O
review	O
score	O
of	O
3	O
out	O
of	O
five	O
stars	O
commenting	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
has	O
almost	O
exactly	O
the	O
same	O
graphics	O
,	O
sound	O
,	O
and	O
options	O
and	O
nothing	O
really	O
different	O
that	O
makes	O
the	O
sequel	B-Language
stand	O
out	O
,	O
concluding	O
:	O
“	O
The	O
game	O
is	O
still	O
enjoyable	O
for	O
what	O
it	O
is	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
and	O
fans	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
probably	O
wo	O
n't	O
mind	O
that	O
it	O
's	O
more	O
of	O
the	O
same.	O
”	O
Illusionware	O
praised	O
the	O
game	O
having	O
slightly	O
improved	O
graphics	O
compared	O
to	O
its	O
predecessor	O
although	O
commenting	O
that	O
the	O
gameplay	O
remains	O
unchanged	O
stating	O
:	O
"	O
A	O
nice	O
little	O
sequel	B-Language
with	O
slightly	O
better	O
graphics	O
but	O
nothing	O
really	O
new	O
on	O
the	O
gameplay	O
side.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Mega	O
placed	O
the	O
game	O
at	O
number	O
14	O
in	O
their	O
Top	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
Games	O
of	O
All	O
Time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2017	O
,	O
Gamesradar	O
ranked	O
the	O
game	O
34th	O
on	O
their	O
"	O
Best	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis/Mega	I-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
games	O
of	O
all	O
time.	O
"	O
</s>
