It has been fifthteen years since we last saw Golden Axe in the form of Golden Axe III, and a rare attempt at reviving what is rightly considered a classic series has been made by developers Secret Level, with the release of Golden Axe: Beast Rider.

Taking on the challenging of bringing such a renowned game series back to life on today’s modern, extremely powerful gaming consoles is a brave move, and is even considered by many to be a touch taboo as it put’s the reputation of the series in question under pressure if it all goes pear shaped - and I am afraid to say my gaming friends, Golden Axe has just gone pear shaped.

The series has been stripped out and started from scratch, which I am sure you would have expected given the 15 year gap since the last Golden Axe title, so the classic side scrolling fighter format is nowhere to be seen in Golden Axe Beast Rider - of course this is a good thing, as a side scrolling fighter in most cases would be laughed at nowadays, with the notable exception of Castle Crashers. Everything else though remains pretty much the same as it did all those years ago.

You play the part of Tyris Flare, a hero. Why she is considered a hero from the start is unknown, but take it from me, she is a hero. This girl has incredible combat skills and is faced with a seemingly impossible quest, much like countless other action adventure titles you may have come across over the years, but unfortunately Golden Axe Beast Rider lacks anything which could be considered unique, or which sets it apart from similar titles.

As Tyris you must travel through a vast array of trying environments, each of which are littered with numorous enemies and strongholds to overcome as you progress through your quest. Before long you will begin to feel a sense of de-ja-vous, as many of the levels have a similar feeling and a very similar appearance with a lack of color on display throughout the game. Everything looks dusty, dull and dingy from beginning to end and only the battle scenes serve as a brief respite from this as the blood adds a welcome splash of color - which could be considered a slightly twisted way of looking at things, but once you play the game yourself I am sure you will agree completely.

With similar games released lately you may have come to expect the now seemingly standard open-plan game world where practically everything in sight can be explored, damaged or destroyed which is something else Golden Axe Beast Rider has overlooked. The game takes you back to the days of invisible walls, which were still around just a year or two ago, but with the advances in console power these is little or no excuse for the environments in Golden Axe Beast Rider not being completely explorable. Shame on you Secret Level!

The combat system is actually a small glimmer of hope, as it is intuitive and allows you to inflict some highly satisfying and damaging attack combo’s on your enemies, and there are plenty of them around. Some are certainly more difficult to dispose of than others, with some actually being a little frustratingly resilient, which gives the game a challenging level at certain points which can be viewed as a good or bad thing, depending on your own personal gaming preferences.

The presence of magic in Golden Axe Beast Rider is overshadowed by the way it is implemented. You would expect your use of magical powers in the game to be much more visually impressive, and the fact that they aren’t very impressive on screen at all detracts from the appeal of using them at all.

Golden Axe Beast Rider is a blemish on the previously sparkling record of the series as a whole, as it appears developers Secret Level have almost rushed it. A title such as this should have been given more time, even if it meant a public delay in it’s release as the fans of the series from days gone by truly deserved something much better than what they have been given here. I would not recommend buying Golden Axe Beast Rider, even if you loved the other titles, because this is not Golden Axe as you know and love it.

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