Tyris Flare returns for another adventure.
But after playing around in the world of Beast Rider for a few hours, you soon realise that the game is not trying to replicate the original series. Instead developer Secret Level was trying to throw new things into the mix, while leaving out those that fundamentally made the Golden Axe experience. The most glaring omission from the game is the fact that there is no co-op mode whatsoever - which is quite disappointing when you consider that co-op gameplay is tacked on to so many titles these days - taking away the social aspect that the series had thrived on. Sadly, this also results in the game only containing one playable character, Tyrus Flare - the Amazon heroine that appeared in the original Golden Axe game.
The story of the title is simple enough, Tyrus is urged to journey forth on a quest to reassemble the Golden Axe. That's about as deep as it gets, from here the game pretty much boils down to killing enemies, putting together the axe and saving the world from evil - the usual stuff that we expect from a hack ‘n’ slash adventure.
This sword is made for hacking.
While the plot is decidedly ho-hum, the game's visuals are not. Visually, the game looks superb, the stunning details showing the time that the artists have taken to create some detailed character models and enemies. The gameplay is smooth and fluid, and the loading times are quite short in comparison of some other titles. While the character models show great attention to detail, the level design is just as good if not better. A lot of time and effort has gone into creating some unique levels which just blow you away with how they have captured the game world. The only downside to their beauty is the invisible walls that prevent you from wandering off the beaten path and exploring the wonder of the artist's creations. It's also a shame that the game rewards you for completing a level in a certain amount of time, as the emphasis on these speed bonuses tends to keep players from truly experiencing the game's visuals, which really is a shame.
The game's combat is pretty straight forward - players have access to a few basic attacks, some heavy attacks, a knock back attack and magical attacks. While the basic moves make slim pickings of the little minions, players will really need to master the counter attack system if they want any chance of taking on the big boys. To do this the enemy will flash a particular colour (orange for dodge attacks, blue to parry and green to perform either) and to perform a counter you need to press the correct trigger (left for dodge, right for parry) for that colour. Initially, this system can take a bit of getting used to and by the time you've mastered it the game throws another spanner in the works when you are faced with multiple enemies, making a simple control mechanic quite cumbersome. It's these moments where you really get to see just how frustratingly repetitive the gameplay is - wait for enemy to attack, counter the attack and repeat. It also takes some of the skill away from the title as new enemies are almost a little too easy to finish off thanks to the game telling you which move (by colouring the enemy) to use on an enemy to take them down. The only real heartache you'll get from this game is the unpredictable boss battles, but essentially the gameplay all boils down to the same thing.
A counter attack would be great right about now.
Whether you're a Golden Axe fan or not, a couple of hours with Golden Axe: Beast Rider will almost certainly have you of the opinion that it just isn’t a very good game. Though, it’s not quite as bad as some critics have claimed, the fun within this title is so short-lived that fans of the long-running series would be better off dusting off a copy of the original title to reminisce of the days when Golden Axe was king.
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