Golden Axe was developed and published by Sega, released for the Genesis in 1989 as a home conversion of the studio’s own 1989 arcade beat ’em up. Players choose from three warriors, the barbarian Ax Battler, the Amazon Tyris Flare, or the dwarf Gilius Thunderhead, each with different attack speed and strength, fighting through a fantasy kingdom to defeat the evil ruler Death Adder and rescue the king and princess he has taken captive. Beyond standard melee combat, players could mount and ride captured beasts, including dragons and other creatures taken from defeated enemy riders, to unleash powerful area attacks, and each character carried a limited-use magic spell that could be charged up for a screen-clearing effect. Its combination of straightforward hack-and-slash combat, memorable fantasy art direction, and cooperative two-player support translated well from arcade cabinet to home console, and Golden Axe became one of the Genesis’s signature launch-era titles, helping establish the system’s beat ’em up credentials and spawning several console sequels.