*********

The Project 64 etext of Golden Axe
Converted to etext by Neil Tomlinson.
Supplied to World of Spectrum by Alessandro Grussu in 2005 AD.

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                              GOLDEN AXE
                              ----------


 The Quest for the Golden Axe:
 -----------------------------
 A terrible scourge has settled on the land of Yuria.  The Evil
 reptilian creature Death Adder invaded the peaceful villages and by
 ways of this ancient land, putting the population to the sword (and
 worse!).  His armies of thugs and other murderous creatures now run
 amok in Yuria, terrifying the innocent citizens and exacting crippling
 taxes from the people.  Food is running low, and there is little hope
 of freedom.
 
 The very existence of Yuria is now threatened - Death Adder has
 kidnapped the King and his daughter, the beautiful Princess, and he is
 holding them captive in their own castle.  Death Adder has also found
 the Golden Axe, the magical emblem of the land of Yuria, and plans to
 destroy it and kill the royal family unless all the people of Yuria
 bow to his will, swearing an oath of allegiance to his evil regime
 accepting him as ruler.
 
 There seems to be little chance of defeating Death Adder and ridding
 Yuria of his evil hordes - the King's armies were crushed long ago in
 fierce and bloody battles.  But an alliance of three warriors from the
 farthest corners of the land may just manage the impossible...
 
 
 Ax-Battler;
 -----------
 A barbarian from the far plains of Yuria, Ax-Battler is a fearsome
 warrior motivated by hatred of Death Adder.  Soon after the invading
 armies arrived in Yuria they put Ax-Battler's mother to a horrible and
 lingering death.  Returning from a quest, Ax-Battler was treated to
 the sound of his mother's dying screams - and will not rest until he
 has heard the dying screams of Death Adder.
 
 Ax-Battler can command Volcano Magic, which can reach up to four
 levels of power depending on how many magic pots he is carrying when
 he casts a destroy spell.
 
 
 Gilius-Thunderhead;
 -------------------
 A dwarf from the mines of Wolud, Gilius-Thunderhead lost his twin
 brother in the battle to defend their homestead against the blood
 crazed soldiers of Death Adder.  Members of the Dwarvish race are very
 closely bonded to their relatives by emotional ties - and in the case
 of twins, this bonding is immensely strong.  Gilius-Thunderhead has
 sworn by all he holds sacred to join his brother in death by killing
 Death Adder and then committing suicide.
 
 Gilius-Thunderhead can command Lightning Magic, which can reach up to
 three levels of power depending on how many magic pots he is carrying
 when he casts a destroy spell.
 
 
 Tyris-Flare;
 ------------
 Tyris-Flare is an Amazon warrior queen, the last surviving member of
 her jungle tribe.  She has nothing more to live for - her people were
 all put to the sword by Death Adder's evil minions and the jungle in
 which her race has lived for generations was razed to the ground.  She
 has sworn by all that is sacred to her people that she will avenge
 their deaths by defeating Death Adder and liberating the land of
 Yuria.
 
 Tyris-Flare can command Fire Magic, which can reach up to six levels
 of power depending on how many magic pots she is carrying when she
 casts a destroy spell.
 
 
 Golden Axe - The Quest;
 -----------------------
 Your quest is straightforward in nature, but difficult to achieve. 
 Your goal is to kill all of Death Adder's soldiers - and then face up
 to Death Adder himself in the final showdown.
 
 Kill off all the evil creatures in the land of Yuria, and you can
 liberate the kidnapped king and princess and restore the land that you
 love to peace and prosperity.  Fail, and Death Adder will rule
 forever.
 
 
 The Woods;
 ----------
 Starting out in the woods outside Turtle village, your aim is to
 progress to the right of the scrolling screen, clearing each section
 by killing off all of Death Adder's minions.  A sword appears at the
 top right of the screen with the message 'GO' to show that your
 journey can continue.
 
 In the woods you meet the lowliest of Death Adder's minions - they are
 the least skilled fighters in his army, but you must stay on guard. 
 They're dumb, but there's a lot of them!  And you mseet up with the
 Twin Sumos and the Lizard Women.  While you're in the woods, try to
 grab and save as much magic as you can - you'll need it later on...
 
 
 Turtle Village;
 ---------------
 All the people have been scared away from their homes in the village
 by Death Adder's marauding hordes.  The soldiers you meet on the
 streets are meaner and tougher than the raw recruits you met in the
 woods - some of them are riding Bizarrians.
 
 
 Eagle Island;
 -------------
 This island is the back of a huge eagle - with Skeleton Swordsmen
 hiding in its feathers.  They're particularly difficult to beat -
 being dead, they ahve no further fear of death!  Narrow bridges make
 the battle even more hazardous.
 
 
 Approaching the Castle;
 -----------------------
 On your way to Death Adder's lair you have to fight through cobbled
 streets, defeating wave upon wave of evil enemies.
 
 
 The Castle;
 -----------
 Prepare for the final battle with Death Adder.  If you win this
 confilct, then your quest will be successful.
 
 
 Riding Bizarrians;
 ------------------
 Death Adder has imported some very strange creatures to the land of
 Yuria, which some of his soldiers ride as cavalry animals.  Called
 Bizarrians, these creatures can give you a real edge during combat -
 if you can knock the rider off the back of a Bizarrian, it's possible
 to climb into the saddle and use the animal itself as a powerful
 weapon.  As an additional bonus, the Bizarrian takes the hits until
 you are unsaddled.
 
 Bizarrians have different attributes, depending on their breed.  Some
 will spit flame or fireballs in the direction they are facing when you
 press the fire button,while others can inflict damage on the enemy
 with their sweeping tails - just move the joystick to the left or
 right to make the creature turn around when one of the Death Adder's
 soldiers is close by.
 
 Although Bizarrians are fairly docile mounts, waiting quietly for a
 rider to mount them when no-one is in the saddle, after a while they
 will wander off the current screen area if no-one rides them.  Try and
 stay in the saddle for as long as you can...
 
 And if you complete a section of the game while you're mounted on a
 Bizarrian, it departs when you make camp and rest up for a while
 before attempting the next section of the quest.
 
 
 Collecting and Using Magic;
 ---------------------------
 You start the quest to liberate Yuria with one magic pot - but you're
 sure to need more than that to complete the battles ahead.
 
 Every so often, you'll come across little Elves who scamper around the
 current screen area clutching sacks.  If you chase after them and
 nudge them, they can be persuaded to drop things - magic pots or
 strength bars.  If you walk over a magic pot, it is added to your
 character's magic reserves; similarly walking over a strength bar
 allows you to increase your energy reserves by one unit.
 
 Watch out for the Elves that sometimes appear when you are resting up
 at the end of a section.  Under the cover of darkness, they attempt to
 steal pots of magic from your reserves.  Wake up as quickly as you can
 to get magic pots and strength bars from these visitors...
 
 Whenever you use magic, your character will cast a spell that uses up
 all the magic he or she is carrying in the form of magic pots (shown
 in the status panel).  This may prove powerful enough to kill off all
 the hostile creatures in the current screen area, but if you are
 facing particularly strong opponents or your magic level is low when
 the spell is cast, some of Death Adder's creatures may be able to
 recover from the spell and fight some more.
 
 
 Strength and Credits;
 ---------------------
 You start the game with three lives, divided into units of strength
 and displayed at the bottom of the screen in a bar readout that is
 your Hit Meter.  Each time your character takes hits, strength is
 lost, but you can replenish strength if you can persuade an Elf to
 drop a strength bar...
 
 When you finally run oiut of lives the game ends and the Score Board
 appears.
 
 
 Survival Skills:
 ----------------
 * Practice!  Work on your jump and attack skills to get your timing
 perfect - mastering the attack and all its variations is the best way to win.
 * Experiment with the joystick to discover all the special moves.
 * Ride a Bizarrian whenever you can.
 * Learn the shortcomings of each enemy, then concentrate on defeating
 them by attacking their vulnerable spots.
 * Assess each situation to decide whether to retreat to a better
 position or close in on the attack.
 * Learn to jump and twirl to get behind an attacker - blows to the
 back are usually fatal, so make sure you are always facing your foe.
 
 
 Loading;
 --------
 Golden Axe loads and runs automatically.  Reset your machine, then
 follow the instructions for your computer; during play, follow the
 instructions and change disks appropriately.
 
 
 Combat Controls;
 ----------------
 It is important that you master the controls that are used during
 combat - quick reflexes are needed to win battles, and you will almost
 certainly lose a fight if you have to think about what you are doing.

 Pressing fire while your character is standing still results in a
 basic slashing motion with the weapon that he or she is holding.
 
 Up, down, left and right on the joystick causes the hero you are
 controlling to walk up, down, left and right in the current screen
 area.  Yoiu can't walk off to the left of the current screen area at
 any time, and can only walk into a new area to the right when the
 pointer sword and the word 'Go!' appears at the top right of the
 current screen area.
 
 Up + Fire....................Jump
 Left + Left..................Run left
 Right + Right................Run right
 Space Bar....................Use magic
 Up + Left + Fire.............Jumping sword swipe left
 Up + Right + Fire............Jumping sword swipe right
 RUN STOP.....................Pause
 Q while paused...............Abort
 
 
 
 
                    Written by Probe Software Ltd.
                 ©Sega Enterprises Ltd.  1989, 1990.
                        1992 Vergin Games Ltd
                 338a Ladbroke Grove, London W10 5AH
           Tronix packaging design by Definition (London).