Britxbox writes: "There's no such thing as a forgotten Sega franchise, but as to whether we want them reinvented or simply remembered, that's much less certain. The reputation of Golden Axe has outlived the genre to which it was king, so venturing back now to the land of Yuria is harder than merely mounting a cockatrice saddle once more. Two decades on, can Golden Axe still fight?
Secret Level (the developer of Iron Man) has acknowledged the problem, sensibly looking to the likes of God of War for a modern template. Taken outside of an arcade context, the genre has evolved to embody a more story-driven experience. Heavenly Sword shows a particular influence here, with Golden Axe's triumvirate of heroes now reduced to its one female (and red-headed) protagonist.
Contrastingly, Tyris Flare never possessed much character beyond her amazon archetype, and neither does she here. This is a real problem: while much was made of Ninja Theory's expository cut scenes and digital actors, there is little story here to justify framing Beast Rider around only a single character. The resultant loss of the barbarian and dwarf (save for a brief cameo appearance from each) will leave fans feeling dismayed by the compromise."
