Golden Axe (1989)

The three playable heroes are Ax Battler the barbarian (wielding a broadsword), Tyris Flare the amazon (wielding a short sword and the most powerful magic), and Gilius Thunderhead the dwarf (wielding a battle axe). Each character has different magic capacity, speed, and attack power.

Yes, Golden Axe was ported to the Sega Genesis (Mega Drive) in 1989, the same year as the arcade original, and became one of the system's early standout titles. It was also later released on platforms including the PC Engine CD-ROM² and various Sega compilations.

Each character collects blue magic potions dropped by defeated enemies or found in destructible objects. When you activate magic, the character unleashes a spell whose power scales with how many potions you have banked, with Tyris Flare's fire magic dealing the most damage at maximum potions.

Sega released Golden Axe II for the Sega Genesis in 1991 and Golden Axe III in 1993, which was Japan-only on Genesis but later reached international audiences through compilations. The arcades also saw Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder in 1992, and a 3D reboot, Golden Axe: Beast Rider, shipped on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2008.