Publisher: Sega
Developer: Secret Level
System: Xbox 360
Genre: Fantasy Adventure
Release date: Available now
Reviewer: Christopher J. Troilo

I remember the original Golden Axe for Sega – a relatively simple fantasy-adventure beat-em-up for multiple players. The game was fairly well received because it was similar to the style of games that were popular in arcades, such as X-Men or TMNT. There have been many additions to the Golden Axe series since then, but now it’s finally making its debut on the Xbox360 in a new game, Golden Axe: Beast Rider.

Beast Rider’s main character is Tyris Flare, the heroine from the first installment of the series. Tyris finds that most of the members of her tribe have been brutally massacred by the magical villain Death Adder and his minions. Tyris vows revenge, but in order to stand a chance against Death Adder, she must reconstruct the fabled Golden Axe, which is needed to destroy him. Her only allies in this battle are the wild magical beasts of the land, each of which has their own unique abilities, such as cloaking or shooting fireballs.

Until Tyris recovers all of the Golden Axe fragments, her main weapon is her giant sword. Players can choose from light and strong attacks, which can be chained together into combos. A dodging and counterattacking system is also available to repel magical blasts or evade heavy strikes. Along with the sword, Tyris also has a small arsenal of magic at her disposal. When her magic meter is full, Tyris can unleash fireball projectiles or smash the ground, generating a ring of fires that scorches enemies in close proximity.

At the beginning of the game, the player selects a difficulty level, and after each stage, scores are awarded based on criteria such as time, enemies killed and damage taken. Later they can replay each level in a time trial to see how quickly they can navigate the stage. The final unlockable mode is an endurance test in which the player sees how many enemies they can defeat during an endless attack.