- For the second arcade game, see Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder.
Golden Axe II is a side-scrolling beat 'em up for the Sega Genesis, and the Genesis sequel to the original Golden Axe (the arcade sequel Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder is unrelated). Unlike the original game, Golden Axe II has never been ported; although it did appear in the arcades on Sega's Mega-Tech and Mega Play hardware with some minor changes, the Sega Genesis Collection is its first appearance on another home system.
Golden Axe II is a formulaic sequel: it sticks to the winning formula of the original game and does not deviate far from it. Unlike the first game a new villain, Dark Guld, has got hold of the titular Golden Axe and is wreaking havoc with it. The three characters from the original game (Gilius Thunderhead the dwarf, Ax Battler the barbarian, Tyris Flare the amazon) set out to stop him. The game builds upon the mechanics of the first game but features more responsive controls and different special moves.