After the first Golden Axe was a success, Sega pumped out various sequels and spin-offs on the Genesis, Master System, and Game Gear. But it wasn't until 1992 that we would see a "true" sequel to the original game in the form of Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder. This game has remained an arcade exclusive since then, although it's more accessible these days after being included in an Arcade1Up cabinet.

Truth be told, I have very little nostalgia towards the Golden Axe games. Sure, I played the first one back in the day, but I wouldn't really dig into the series until much later on the various Sega compilations and digital re-releases. I enjoy them for what they are, but I'm more of a TMNT kinda guy when it comes to beat 'em ups from that era. Nevertheless, I wanted to play this one just so I could kinda close out the original beat 'em up style games in the series.

If you've played Golden Axe I, II, or III, then you know exactly what you're getting with The Revenge of Death Adder. It makes a few changes here and there and the graphics are noticeably better than the Genesis games, but this is still very much a Golden Axe game. Perhaps its just my own personal nostalgia talking, but frankly, I can't believe this game came out a year after Turtles in Time. Don't get me wrong, this game is still fun and all, but it feels stuck in 1989 with the original game a bit too much and lacks the flash and control responsiveness that Turtles in Time had. But hey, like I said, maybe I'm just bias here.

Anyways, the action in this game is standard beat 'em up fare. You have several characters you can choose from and tons of enemies to slay. My favorite thing about the Golden Axe games is that you can ride different beasts and luckily, this game has lots of them to tame. I can't get enough of riding on a giant scorpion and electrifying defenseless enemies!

I think I've made it clear that this isn't exactly my favorite beat 'em up game, but it's still fun if you like the genre. It's amazing to think that Sega would only release ONE more beat 'em up Golden Axe game after this (Golden Axe III in 1993). Well, I guess there are two, if you're willing to count the Golden Axed prototype. I wish we could've seen a new game in the series in the mid to late '90s, something akin to the Dungeons & Dragons arcade games developed by Capcom....but alas, it wasn't meant to be.

Played On: Arcade (MAME)
Completion Date: 1/8/23
Time: 41 minutes
Rating: 6/10