A new, close-to-arcade port of Golden Axe for PCE!?
WHAT IS THIS MAGIC!?
Yes, close to, but not quite.
Black Tiger's pixel wizardry makes it look better than the arcade version, and Paranoia Dragon's audio genius makes it sound better than the arcade version. It runs at a lower resolution though; I'm using 256 pixels instead of the arcade's 320. It won't look that much different on a regular TV though, since things will simply be slightly stretched horizontally.
...and you see that big, wonderfully-colorful eagle? Unlike all other home ports, this one has a moving eye... as does the turtle's head you pass over in a previous stage. Also, there is no screen transition for the final battle, and the "snakes crawling up the floor" part is intact. Lastly, Tyris Flare's highest level spell is not butchered in this version; it uses the same sprites found in the arcade game.
A couple of things are different gameplay-wise. For one, I'm going to do something with the unused door in stage 2. Haven't decided what just yet, but it'll be something different. Also, there's a bonus for anyone who can do really well at the game.
Finally, the arcade version has an *exceedingly obnoxious* tackle glitch... it won't be present here.