Play Golden Axe II Online

Golden Axe II came out for the Sega Genesis in 1991, developed and published by Sega. It was one of those straightforward arcade-style games that felt right at home on the system, a direct follow-up that didn't try to reinvent what worked. You got exactly what you expected: another round of fantasy brawling against screen-filling enemies and big, chunky bosses.

You pick one of three returning heroes—Ax Battler, Tyris Flare, or Gilius Thunderhead—and set out across six side-scrolling stages to defeat the resurrected villain Dark Guld. The core loop is simple: you walk to the right, slash groups of enemies with your weapon, and collect blue and red pots to charge your screen-clearing magic attacks. You can also ride creatures like the chicken-legged scorpion-tailed Bizarrians, which add a bit of tactical variety with their own special moves. The pacing is brisk, the difficulty is manageable but not trivial, and the whole experience feels like a solid, no-fuss continuation of the original's satisfying, weighty combat. It's the kind of game you can pick up and enjoy for twenty minutes without overthinking it.