The Legendary Axe II

The Legendary Axe II^[a] is a horizontal platform video game created in 1990 by Victor Musical Industries. It is the follow-up to The Legendary Axe.

The Legendary Axe II
Developer(s)	Atlus, Red Company
Publisher(s)	JP: Victor Musical Industries NA: NEC
Producer(s)	Harunobu Komori Satoshi Honda
Designer(s)	Kyon Kyon
Programmer(s)	Mamoru Shiratani
Artist(s)	Boku Kubo Hikari Mitomi Jyurō Tsuji
Composer(s)	Hirotoshi Suzuki
Series	The Legendary Axe
Platform(s)	TurboGrafx-16
Release	JP: 7 September 1990 NA: October 1990
Genre(s)	Platform
Mode(s)	Single-player

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot.

Gameplay is similar to the previous game, but the "strength charging" has been removed. Multiple, swappable weapons have been added, obtained by collecting those icons: sword, axe, and morning star. In addition, the player has a stock of screen-clearing bombs that can be used by pressing Run. Defeated enemies drop these weapons and bombs, as well as health refills and extensions, and so on.^[1][2]

Unlike the previous entry and its vibrant and colorful visuals and sound, II is dark and threatening in tone; combined with the changes to the weapon system, The Legendary Axe II is even more like Rastan.^[3]

Plot

The king and queen of a royal kingdom die and their two sons have to fight for the throne. Prince Sirius loses to the evil Prince Zach. The tone is set for the good son, Prince Sirius, to reclaim the throne.

Development and release

Reception

Review scores

Publication	Score
Computer and Video Games	91%[4]
Electronic Gaming Monthly	7 / 10[3]
Famitsu	23 / 40[5]
IGN	8 / 10[6]
CVG Mean Machines	93%[7]
Génération 4	92%[8]
HonestGamers	[9]
Joystick	87%[10] 87%[11]
PC Engine Fan	17.31 / 30[12]
Player One	89%[13]
Power Play	74%[14]
Raze	68%[15]
Tilt	15 / 20[16]
TurboPlay	[17]
VG&CE	8 / 10[18]

Reception

The Legendary Axe II was met with mostly positive reception from critics. Electronic Gaming Monthly was an exception; the magazine's four reviewers all razed it for its near-complete lack of similarity to the original The Legendary Axe, and further said that even judged on its own terms it is a decent but unexceptional game.^[3] In contrast, Computer and Video Games called it "a great sequel, and a brilliant hack 'n slash in its own right." The reviewer applauded the atmospheric backdrops, ambient sounds, and strong difficulty curve.^[4] GamePro likewise felt it to be a satisfying sequel, concluding, "Remember, you axed for it!" in allusion to the heavy fan outcry for a Legendary Axe sequel. The reviewer particularly praised the graphics and variety of enemies.^[19]

Notes

1. Also known as Dark Legend (Japanese: 暗黒伝説, Hepburn: Ankoku Densetsu) in Japan and simply as Legendary Axe II in the North American packaging.

References

1. Legendary Axe II manual (TurboGrafx-16, US)
2. GrendalMK2 (September 21, 2008). "Legendary Axe II, The". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on May 3, 2019. Retrieved 2020-02-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
3. Harris, Steve; Semrad, Ed; Alessi, Martin; Williams, Ken (October 1990). "Turbo Champ - Legendary Axe 2". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 15. Sendai Publishing. p. 82.
4. Swan, Robert (December 1990). "CVG Review: Legendary Axe 2". Computer and Video Games. No. 109. Future Publishing. pp. 136–137. Archived from the original on 2016-06-13. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
5. "暗黒伝説 (PCエンジン)". Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 109. ASCII Corporation. September 14, 1990. p. 20.
6. Buchanan, Levi (June 23, 2008). "Legendary Axe II Retro Review - The simple pleasures of slashing everything". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
7. Rignall, Julian (November 1990). "Complete Guide to Consoles – The Complete Games Guide: PC Engine – Legendary Axe II". Computer and Video Games Mean Machines. No. 4. EMAP. pp. 40–57.
8. "Tests CoregrafX - Dark Legend". Génération 4 (in French). No. 30. Computec Media France. February 1991. p. 74.
9. Golding, Marc (December 6, 2003). "Legendary Axe II (TurboGrafx-16) review". HonestGamers. Archived from the original on May 23, 2019. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
10. Demoly, Jean-Marc (December 1990). "Tests - PC Engine: Dark Legend". Joystick (in French). No. 11. Anuman Interactive. p. 124. Archived from the original on 2014-01-18. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
11. Demoly, Jean-Marc (July–August 1991). "Console News - PC Engine: Dark Legend". Joystick (in French). No. Hors-Serie 3. Anuman Interactive. p. 76.
12. "PC Engine All Catalog '93 10月号特別付録 - 暗黒伝説". PC Engine Fan (in Japanese). Vol. 6, no. 10. Tokuma Shoten. October 1, 1993. p. 6.
13. Scamps, Olivier (March 1991). "Tests De Jeux - PC Engine CD-ROM: Dark Legend". Player One (in French). No. 7. Média Système Édition. p. 49. Archived from the original on 2014-09-14. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
14. Gaksch, Martin (December 1990). "Power Tests / Video-Spiele: Der Pakt Mit Der Axt - Legendary Axe 2". Power Play (in German). No. 33. Future Verlag. p. 158.
15. Ellis, Les (December 1990). "Reviews - Legendary Axe II". Raze. No. 2. Newsfield. p. 35.
16. Huyghues-Lacour, Alain (February 1991). "Rolling Softs - Dark Legend (PC Engine, carte Victor)". Tilt (in French). No. 87. Editions Mondiales S.A. p. 71.
17. "Closer Look - Legendary Axe II". TurboPlay. No. 3. L.F.P., Inc. October–November 1990. p. 7. Archived from the original on 2017-01-05. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
18. H. Pappas, Lee (November 1990). "Video-Game Reviews - Legendary Axe II (NEC) For the TurboGrafx-16". VideoGames & Computer Entertainment. No. 22. L.F.P., Inc.
19. Winstead, David (November 1990). "TurboGrafx-16 ProView: Legendary Axe II". GamePro. No. 16. IDG. p. 118.

External links

• The Legendary Axe II at GameFAQs
• The Legendary Axe II at Giant Bomb
• The Legendary Axe II at MobyGames