From the multiple voices, to the jittering maracas sound, the soundchip was clearly used to its max capacity here, and that’s why the axe feels so satisfying as well (aside from the fact that it makes you kinda pause, which adds weight too). I’m not sure how they managed to do this and still have a channel left for sound (or was it two?)

Still impressive today!

One thing that was neat about Legendary Axe is that a maxed-out, fully charged swing of the legendary weapon really felt satisfying when it connected with something. Visceral. Many games fail to achieve this sort of payoff, but Makyou Densetsu succeeds. Overcoming particularly difficult opponents feels even sweeter when the legendary weapon splits open the heavens.

Unfortunately, in the entire game, there is only one hidden room to discover (under a bridge). There should have been a sequel to Makyou Densetsu with superior level design (branching paths would be neat, and more opportunities to explore for hidden power-ups).

Have I babbled for too long? I’m not done. Sorry.

Perhaps this will encourage some folks to listen to the full Makyou Densetsu soundtrack:

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Stage 1: Warm and enchanting–until you get to that really urgent sequence at the end–which is a nice bit of drama.

Stage 2: Too-hip and catchy for its own good. You’ll start snapping your fingers if you’re not careful. Caverns were never this fun.

Stage 3: Rich, soaring and lovely. Too graceful and cultured for Gogan, though.

Stage 4: A break from the more somber undertones in the soundtrack thus far. Initially, this track starts out far too upbeat, cheerful and happy for my tastes. But then its 110% pure, unadulterated catchiness wins me over, every damn. Yeah, it’s that catchy.

Stage 5: Back to a more somber, atmospheric piece… it has a definite marching-band-meets-haunted-cavern vibe to it. I love the “staccato” bass in this. I actually don’t really understand musical terms, so that’s the best way I can describe it.

Stage 6: This is a deliciously catchy, warm-sounding anthem dedicated to a$$-kicking, replete with a frenetic organ. Simply divine. If this song doesn’t make you want to engage in gratuitous violence, nothing will. Notice how the opening drama continues to build and build, only to loop back to the beginning seamlessly to start all over again.

Stage 7: OK, this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it captures the tediousness of this stage (navigating the maze). For the record, I like this track, but it is one of the weaker ones.

Boss tunes: OK, but a short loop. I especially like the “spooky” vibe infused in the final boss music.

Ending credits: OK, but pretty generic, IMO. None of the flair and unique qualities from the stage music carried over. Oh well.

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I wouldn’t have reposted that last bit without a request.

i adored this game to bits. being a, well, a kid, i bought it mainly cos its title had “axe” in it and i liked golden axe. they aren’t very similar, but they both rule. <3