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The Project 64 etext of Golden Axe
Converted to etext by Neil Tomlinson.
Supplied to World of Spectrum by Alessandro Grussu in 2005 AD.
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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;
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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;
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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;
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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;
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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;
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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:
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* 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;
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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).