Developer: Red, Atlus Publisher: NEC Released: 1990 Genre: Action
Legendary Axe was the star of the Turbo Grafx-16 launch lineup. It showed off the hardware and was a good game to boot. I was especially fond of it because it reminded me of Astyanax. Little did I know that they were made by the same guy. When Legendary Axe II was released I anticipated it heavily. Honestly looked forward to any new Turbo Grafx game; the pickings were slim. But I digress. It took less than a few minutes for my disappointment to set in. Legendary Axe II barely resembles its predecessor and while it has its good points it is a lesser game overall.
The intro tells you all you need to know about the game. King Brace has died, leaving it uncertain who will succeed him. Prince Sirius duels his brother Prince Zach to see who will ascend to the throne. Unfortunately Sirius loses and his knocked off a cliff to begin the game. Where Legendary Axe resembled a brighter Astyanax the sequel looks closer to Rastan. Now if only it were as interesting as that game.
The first things you will notice are the drab graphics. Legendary Axe II loses the bright aesthetic of the first game and is full blown grim dark. The color palette is dark, dreary, and incredibly dull. The level themes are at times creative but the muted palette saps any life out of it. The sprites are ugly outside of the bosses. The game delights in having your near naked barbarian pose after each boss kill to show off his concave chest. It is downright laughable. I have no problem with the game going darker in its theme but it could at least be interesting to look at. Legendary Axe II is such a step back technically it is hard to believe it is part of the same series.
Where the graphics have regressed the gameplay has been improved. The removal of the charging mechanic has a significant impact on gameplay. It makes the game faster, which is welcome as the game now has a clock. You no longer charge your attacks but you can still increase the power of your weapons, up to level five. Speaking of, despite the title you now have four weapons at your disposal. The default sword is balanced between reach and power. The morning star has the longest reach and can attack in multiple directions. But it lacks power. The titular axe in the title is by far the strongest but has short range. It’s a similar system to Astyanax although the sword wins out by far due to its increased range when powered up.
The general gameplay has improved unfortunately the level design is not as interesting. Legendary Axe II is less of a platformer and more of a straight action game. With the removal of the charge bar combat is incredibly simple. Most enemies die in a single hit and are stupid. It may have been tedious at times but managing the strength of your attacks against stronger enemies made Legendary Axe compelling. The level design similarly suffers. With less platforming most levels are very straightforward. What little platforming feels rudimentary, even though your agility has increased. The clock leaves little room for exploration as well. The final level is a giant maze that shows what could have been if the developers had put that much care into the rest of the game.
As much as I liked Legendary Axe it was a frustrating game. Legendary Axe II is much easier in comparison. Most enemies are very weak and attack in a straight line. Item drops are frequent, including life restoring moons. The boss battles can be tricky but if you have the axe they end in seconds. There is a significant difficulty spike in the final two levels that feels unfair at times due to wack enemy placement. But as a whole most will have little trouble with this game.
In Closing
This is a tough one. On one hand Legendary Axe II is an improvement. But on the other it is a regression that fails to hold your interest for long. The bland aesthetic and uneven level design of Legendary Axe II mean this one is only for those truly hard up for an action game on this system. If that is the case there are better options.
