The upgrades, some unfortunately not very explicit about what they actually do, may only offer an incremental boost – the most important arguably the potions for increasing your max health, which also subsequently increase in price – but you’ll want to take whatever you can get if you’re going to survive.īattle Axe is definitely tough to the point you won’t likely get through it on the first playthrough, which is intentional since otherwise the campaign technically only takes about 25 minutes to beat if you don’t die. You might be more compelled to take your time and scoop up items in treasure chests or save villagers dotted around the maps (who don’t count towards your combo), just make sure you pick up the dropped gold coins you can use on upgrades in between levels. On the other hand, you might opt not to care about high scores. That said, it’s very important not to get hit as it ultimately affects your grading – there’s times I’ve breezed through the first level and thought I racked up a decent combo only to still get an E grade because of the times I got hit.
It’s actually more generous than Streets of Rage 4’s similar combo system as it won’t break if you’re hit during it. What makes the riotous hack-and-slash gameplay more compelling is a chain combo system which can keep rising so long as you continue hitting enemies or even objects to keep the gauge active, so experts can finish a level with a combo in the hundreds. Even the voice-over, a fine balance of boom and camp, announcing a new level or warning that you’re close to death is a neat addition.Īcross the four main levels, there’s a good variety of enemies, from the cannon fodder mobs to others with charging attacks or projectiles you’ll have to watch out for, though the annoying tentacles that shoot out from the ground in the second stage did me in more times than I care to admit. Battle Axe is not just authentically retro from a visual standpoint but also with its chiptune soundtrack from legendary composer Manami Matsumae of Mega Man and Final Fight fame. That’s the kind of care and attention we haven’t really seen since Capcom and SNK were at their arcade peak in the 90s, especially when modern examples often cheat with filters and effects. Of course, what makes each character stand out are the detailed sprite animations where every effect is entirely hand-drawn. For instance, Rooney starts off with one health point more than the other two, Fae’s movement as well as her cooldown for her charge are slightly faster, while Iolo’s magic staff makes him ideal for ranged attacks. It’s nonetheless accessible to pick up, with each character having essentially the same functions – a melee attack, a ranged attack and a charging attack – but there’s enough variation between characters to make them feel distinct. As straightforward as that sounds, this isn’t just a mindless button masher, as Battle Axe will properly kick your ass if you don’t take the time to learn its combat, not least that some buttons have cooldowns to prevent you from spamming (indeed, that will likely leave you open to a hit).
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