Star Trek Showrunner Bringing Classic Sega Video Game To Life With New Series

The upcoming Golden Axe series is described as a loving, comedic homage to the 1989 Sega video game. The story follows seasoned warriors Ax Battler (McIntyre), Tyris Flare (Gilroy), and Gilius Thunderhead (Rhys) as they attempt to save Yuria from the villainous Death Adder, who refuses to stay dead. Luckily, they have Hampton Squib (Pudi) on their side, though he is terribly inexperienced and underprepared.

Joe Chandler serves as showruuner and executive producer on Golden Axe, with Mike McMahon also handling producing duties. The pair will also co-write the first episode. Haruki Satomi, Shuji Utsumi, and Toru Nakahara from Sega, in addition to Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty, and Toby Ascher of Original Film, will serve as executive producers.

Titmouse is the animation studio for the Golden Axe series, led by executive producers Chris Prynoski, Shannon Prynoski, Antonio Canobbio, and Ben Kalina. McMahan gained recognition for his work as a writer and executive producer on Rick and Morty and creator of the animated Star Trek: Lower Decks. Chandler, an executive producer on American Dad, has written for shows like Napoleon Dynamite.

Golden Axe began as a side-scrolling hack-and-slash video game developed by Sega and released for arcades in 1989. It was designed by Makoto Uchida, who was influenced by action movies like the Conan films and wanted to create a game in a similar genre. The game was designed to compete with the console title Dragon Quest. Its combat mechanics were influenced by the original Street Fighter.

Golden Axe is set in a fictional land called Yuria, a Conan the Barbarian-style high fantasy medieval world. The main antagonist, Death Adder, has kidnapped the King and his daughter, with plans to destroy the Golden Axe, the magical emblem of Yuria unless the people accept him as their ruler. The player takes on the role of one of three warriors who set out on a quest to rescue Yuria.

Gameplay in Golden Axe involves the player controlling their chosen warrior, who must fight their way through hordes of enemies using a variety of weapons and magic spells. The game is known for its fast-paced action and brutal combat, as well as its fantasy setting and mythical creatures. The game includes a two-player mode, where players can team up.

Golden Axe also features a magic system, where players can collect potions from enemies they have defeated and use them to cast powerful spells to eliminate their foes. There are several magic spells, each with its own unique animation and effect.

The game was well received at the time of its release and was later converted for play on various home systems, including Sega’s own Mega Drive/Genesis and Master System. Golden Axe’s success spawned an entire franchise consisting of several sequels and multiple spin-offs.

Source: Deadline