********* The Project 64 etext of Golden Axe Converted to etext by Neil Tomlinson. Supplied to World of Spectrum by Alessandro Grussu in 2005 AD. ********* GOLDEN AXE ---------- The Quest for the Golden Axe: ----------------------------- A terrible scourge has settled on the land of Yuria. The Evil reptilian creature Death Adder invaded the peaceful villages and by ways of this ancient land, putting the population to the sword (and worse!). His armies of thugs and other murderous creatures now run amok in Yuria, terrifying the innocent citizens and exacting crippling taxes from the people. Food is running low, and there is little hope of freedom. The very existence of Yuria is now threatened - Death Adder has kidnapped the King and his daughter, the beautiful Princess, and he is holding them captive in their own castle. Death Adder has also found the Golden Axe, the magical emblem of the land of Yuria, and plans to destroy it and kill the royal family unless all the people of Yuria bow to his will, swearing an oath of allegiance to his evil regime accepting him as ruler. There seems to be little chance of defeating Death Adder and ridding Yuria of his evil hordes - the King's armies were crushed long ago in fierce and bloody battles. But an alliance of three warriors from the farthest corners of the land may just manage the impossible... Ax-Battler; ----------- A barbarian from the far plains of Yuria, Ax-Battler is a fearsome warrior motivated by hatred of Death Adder. Soon after the invading armies arrived in Yuria they put Ax-Battler's mother to a horrible and lingering death. Returning from a quest, Ax-Battler was treated to the sound of his mother's dying screams - and will not rest until he has heard the dying screams of Death Adder. Ax-Battler can command Volcano Magic, which can reach up to four levels of power depending on how many magic pots he is carrying when he casts a destroy spell. Gilius-Thunderhead; ------------------- A dwarf from the mines of Wolud, Gilius-Thunderhead lost his twin brother in the battle to defend their homestead against the blood crazed soldiers of Death Adder. Members of the Dwarvish race are very closely bonded to their relatives by emotional ties - and in the case of twins, this bonding is immensely strong. Gilius-Thunderhead has sworn by all he holds sacred to join his brother in death by killing Death Adder and then committing suicide. Gilius-Thunderhead can command Lightning Magic, which can reach up to three levels of power depending on how many magic pots he is carrying when he casts a destroy spell. Tyris-Flare; ------------ Tyris-Flare is an Amazon warrior queen, the last surviving member of her jungle tribe. She has nothing more to live for - her people were all put to the sword by Death Adder's evil minions and the jungle in which her race has lived for generations was razed to the ground. She has sworn by all that is sacred to her people that she will avenge their deaths by defeating Death Adder and liberating the land of Yuria. Tyris-Flare can command Fire Magic, which can reach up to six levels of power depending on how many magic pots she is carrying when she casts a destroy spell. Golden Axe - The Quest; ----------------------- Your quest is straightforward in nature, but difficult to achieve. Your goal is to kill all of Death Adder's soldiers - and then face up to Death Adder himself in the final showdown. Kill off all the evil creatures in the land of Yuria, and you can liberate the kidnapped king and princess and restore the land that you love to peace and prosperity. Fail, and Death Adder will rule forever. The Woods; ---------- Starting out in the woods outside Turtle village, your aim is to progress to the right of the scrolling screen, clearing each section by killing off all of Death Adder's minions. A sword appears at the top right of the screen with the message 'GO' to show that your journey can continue. In the woods you meet the lowliest of Death Adder's minions - they are the least skilled fighters in his army, but you must stay on guard. They're dumb, but there's a lot of them! And you mseet up with the Twin Sumos and the Lizard Women. While you're in the woods, try to grab and save as much magic as you can - you'll need it later on... Turtle Village; --------------- All the people have been scared away from their homes in the village by Death Adder's marauding hordes. The soldiers you meet on the streets are meaner and tougher than the raw recruits you met in the woods - some of them are riding Bizarrians. Eagle Island; ------------- This island is the back of a huge eagle - with Skeleton Swordsmen hiding in its feathers. They're particularly difficult to beat - being dead, they ahve no further fear of death! Narrow bridges make the battle even more hazardous. Approaching the Castle; ----------------------- On your way to Death Adder's lair you have to fight through cobbled streets, defeating wave upon wave of evil enemies. The Castle; ----------- Prepare for the final battle with Death Adder. If you win this confilct, then your quest will be successful. Riding Bizarrians; ------------------ Death Adder has imported some very strange creatures to the land of Yuria, which some of his soldiers ride as cavalry animals. Called Bizarrians, these creatures can give you a real edge during combat - if you can knock the rider off the back of a Bizarrian, it's possible to climb into the saddle and use the animal itself as a powerful weapon. As an additional bonus, the Bizarrian takes the hits until you are unsaddled. Bizarrians have different attributes, depending on their breed. Some will spit flame or fireballs in the direction they are facing when you press the fire button,while others can inflict damage on the enemy with their sweeping tails - just move the joystick to the left or right to make the creature turn around when one of the Death Adder's soldiers is close by. Although Bizarrians are fairly docile mounts, waiting quietly for a rider to mount them when no-one is in the saddle, after a while they will wander off the current screen area if no-one rides them. Try and stay in the saddle for as long as you can... And if you complete a section of the game while you're mounted on a Bizarrian, it departs when you make camp and rest up for a while before attempting the next section of the quest. Collecting and Using Magic; --------------------------- You start the quest to liberate Yuria with one magic pot - but you're sure to need more than that to complete the battles ahead. Every so often, you'll come across little Elves who scamper around the current screen area clutching sacks. If you chase after them and nudge them, they can be persuaded to drop things - magic pots or strength bars. If you walk over a magic pot, it is added to your character's magic reserves; similarly walking over a strength bar allows you to increase your energy reserves by one unit. Watch out for the Elves that sometimes appear when you are resting up at the end of a section. Under the cover of darkness, they attempt to steal pots of magic from your reserves. Wake up as quickly as you can to get magic pots and strength bars from these visitors... Whenever you use magic, your character will cast a spell that uses up all the magic he or she is carrying in the form of magic pots (shown in the status panel). This may prove powerful enough to kill off all the hostile creatures in the current screen area, but if you are facing particularly strong opponents or your magic level is low when the spell is cast, some of Death Adder's creatures may be able to recover from the spell and fight some more. Strength and Credits; --------------------- You start the game with three lives, divided into units of strength and displayed at the bottom of the screen in a bar readout that is your Hit Meter. Each time your character takes hits, strength is lost, but you can replenish strength if you can persuade an Elf to drop a strength bar... When you finally run oiut of lives the game ends and the Score Board appears. Survival Skills: ---------------- * Practice! Work on your jump and attack skills to get your timing perfect - mastering the attack and all its variations is the best way to win. * Experiment with the joystick to discover all the special moves. * Ride a Bizarrian whenever you can. * Learn the shortcomings of each enemy, then concentrate on defeating them by attacking their vulnerable spots. * Assess each situation to decide whether to retreat to a better position or close in on the attack. * Learn to jump and twirl to get behind an attacker - blows to the back are usually fatal, so make sure you are always facing your foe. Loading; -------- Golden Axe loads and runs automatically. Reset your machine, then follow the instructions for your computer; during play, follow the instructions and change disks appropriately. Combat Controls; ---------------- It is important that you master the controls that are used during combat - quick reflexes are needed to win battles, and you will almost certainly lose a fight if you have to think about what you are doing. Pressing fire while your character is standing still results in a basic slashing motion with the weapon that he or she is holding. Up, down, left and right on the joystick causes the hero you are controlling to walk up, down, left and right in the current screen area. Yoiu can't walk off to the left of the current screen area at any time, and can only walk into a new area to the right when the pointer sword and the word 'Go!' appears at the top right of the current screen area. Up + Fire....................Jump Left + Left..................Run left Right + Right................Run right Space Bar....................Use magic Up + Left + Fire.............Jumping sword swipe left Up + Right + Fire............Jumping sword swipe right RUN STOP.....................Pause Q while paused...............Abort Written by Probe Software Ltd. ©Sega Enterprises Ltd. 1989, 1990. 1992 Vergin Games Ltd 338a Ladbroke Grove, London W10 5AH Tronix packaging design by Definition (London).