Proto:Golden Axe II (Genesis)

This page details one or more prototype versions of Golden Axe II (Genesis).

Download Golden Axe II (Prototype) File: Golden Axe II (Prototype).zip (327 KB) (info)

The only known prototype of Golden Axe II. It is very similar to the final version, but all the text is different. The game is fully playable.

Leak date unknown, all the text is in engrish, likely a rough translation by a Japanese person at Sega. There are many minor graphical changes, also several bugs not in the final version are present.

• The main menu does not offer the two player option, player 2 must instead press the Start button, in the final version player 2 has no control at the menus.
• Level select is always turned on, it also goes up to 8 and 9. 8 gives a completely glitched level, 9 loads the duel screen but there's nothing there.
• All enemies use the same death sound.
• Two sound effects are missing, death sounds 34 and 35. 34 is old man death, and 35 is large wolf death. The menu does not have looping (Z to A) option either.
• If the Left+Right buttons on the D-Pad are pushed at the same time, the character walks to the right side of the screen at an extremely high velocity.
• The rideable dragon attacks can be spammed, in the final they are delayed.
• At the end of Dragon's Throat stage, you are given a single cerberus to fight. When he is killed, the boss music starts and you get another cerberus with the two lizards.
• The black skeletons have yet to be given a color palette.
• The vertical scroll speed during the intro sequence is slowed down in the final version.
• Only one demo sequence is found in the original, which starts at the beginning of the village. This is not in the final.
• Dark Guld does not spawn skeletons.

Title Screen Text

Prototype	Final
A FEW YEARS LATER FROM THE LAST BATTLE... HERE IN THIS LAND, THE PEACE WAS THREATED AGAIN BY THE EVIL POWER. THE LORD OF DARKNESS,'DARK GULD', WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN SEALED IN THE ANCIENT TIME, REVIVED AGAIN. HE DESTROYED COUNTRIES ENTIRELY WITH THIS EVIL CLAN TO GET THIS WORLD INTO CHAOS. NOW AGAIN, THE THREE BRAVES HAVE THROWN THEMSELVES INTO A HARD BATTLE!	A FEW YEARS AFTER THE LAST BATTLE... IN THIS LAND, THE PEACE IS THREATENED AGAIN BY AN EVIL POWER. THE LORD OF DARKNESS,'DARK GULD' WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN IMPRISONED IN ANCIENT TIMES, AROSE AGAIN. HE DESTROYED ENTIRE COUNTRIES WITH HIS EVIL CLAN TO BRING THIS WORLD INTO CHAOS. ONCE AGAIN, THE THREE WARRIORS HAVE THROWN THEMSELVES INTO A MIGHTY BATTLE.

Duel (Won)

Prototype	Final
CONGRATULATIONS! BRAVELY YOU FOUGHT AGAINST ALL OF ENEMIES, AND WON THE TOTAL VICTORY! NOW,LET'S TRY ANOTHER MODE.	CONGRATULATIONS! BRAVELY YOU FOUGHT AGAINST ALL OF ENEMIES, AND ACHIEVED TOTAL VICTORY! NOW,LET'S TRY ANOTHER MODE.

Duel (Lost)

Prototype	Final
UNFORTUNATELY! YOU WERE DEFEATED ON THE WAY TO THE GLORY. LET'S TRY AGAIN! GOOD LUCK!	UNFORTUNATELY YOU WERE DEFEATED ON YOUR WAY TO GLORY. TRY AGAIN AND GOOD LUCK!

Duel 2 Player

Prototype	Final
PLAYER1 WON THIS DUEL LET'S TRY AGAIN, AND BRUSH UP YOUR TECHNIQUE EACH OTHER.	PLAYER 1 WON THIS DUEL PRACTICE YOUR TECHNIQUES BY FIGHTING EACH OTHER AGAIN.

Village Complete

Prototype	Final
AFTER THE BATTLE IN THE RUINED VILLAGE,WE DECIDED TO START FOR THE ANCIENT RELICS	AFTER THE BATTLE IN THE RAVAGED VILLAGE,WE DECIDED TO START FOR THE ANCIENT RUINS.

Ruins Complete

Prototype	Final
WE FOUND THE ANCIENT RELICS WERE THE FRONT BASE OF ENEMY. WE HAVE DESTROYED IT,AND NOW, WE LEAVE FOR HEADQUARTERS' OF	WE FOUND THE ENEMY WAS USING THE ANCIENT RUINS AS A BASE. WE HAVE DESTROYED IT,AND NOW WE LEAVE FOR THE ENEMY'S HEADQUARTERS

Castle Gates

Prototype	Final
WE HAVE GOTTEN THROUGH THE LONG RED HEAT CAVE,AND FOUND THE CASTLEGATE STANDING IN FRONT OF US.	WE HAVE PASSED THROUGH THE LONG,RED HOT CAVE,AND FOUND THE CASTLE GATE STANDING IN FRONT OF US.

Castle Introduction

Prototype	Final
OUR ENEMY DARK GULD MUST BE IN THIS CASTLE. NOW,TAKE YOUR COURAGE! REAL BATTLE HAS STARTED JUST NOW!	OUR ENEMY,DARK GULD,MUST BE IN THIS CASTLE. NOW TAKE COURAGE! THE REAL BATTLE HAS JUST STARTED!

Ending Text (Easy Difficulty)

Prototype	Final
CONGRATULATIONS! BUT TRUE PEACE HAS NOT COME YET. YOU CAN ENJOY TRUE STORY, WHEN YOU PLAY HARDER MODE	CONGRATULATIONS! ... BUT TRUE PEACE WILL NOT COME UNTIL YOU PLAY AND DEFEAT THE HARDER MODES.

Ending Text

Prototype	Final
AFTER THE LONG HARD BATTLE, FINALLY YOU DEFEATED THE EVIL EMPEROR. AS A RESULT,WORLD WILL BE IN PEACE AGAIN. YOU ARE TRUE HERO!	AFTER THE LONG,HARD BATTLE YOU FINALLY DEFEAT THE EVIL EMPEROR. NOW THE WORLD WILL BE AT PEACE AGAIN. YOU ARE A TRUE HERO!

Visual Changes

Prototype	Final

The ™ has been moved from next to the II to above the E, the menu selections were also moved down a line and to the right.

Prototype	Final

The options screen has yet to have the OPTIONS title added, and a numbered control layout.

Prototype	Final

All score screens are black as they've yet been given a color. The Duel screen gives the Normal mode difficulty instead of saying Duel, and the character has been moved down 4 pixels.

Prototype	Final

The PAUSE text was moved down 16 pixels to the center, the player also starts with 2 lives instead of 3, but in the final they can have 0 lives. Proto: 3, 2, 1, use continue. Final: 2, 1, 0, use continue.

Prototype	Final

The brightness of the ruins was toned down severely.

The final camera re-adjusts to the scenery, the prototype does not.

Prototype	Final

The skeleton corpses have changed.

Prototype	Final

The first group of enemies have changed, and the screen was moved.

Prototype	Final

The first gated enemy has been changed.

Prototype	Final

The credits are missing, placeholders ABCDEF are only there.

Prototype	Final

The ending sequence location has changed, likely to hide the dead body on the left.

Prototype	Final

The game over screen does not yet darken.

A minor graphical bug in the prototype causes the X to be shown in front of the screen transition between duels. In the final, the X is removed when the screen transition begins.

To do: Graphical changes of enemies, and backgrounds.