Golden Axe III

The gameplay has been expanded slightly, but is essentially the same style as the previous games. New features include extra fighters, additional moves (special attacks, teamwork attacks and teamwork magic spells) and junction points where the player can choose which path to take. The five characters include a giant , Proud Cragger, a humanoid black panther , Chronos "Evil" Rait, along with a swordsman, Kain Grinder, who resembles Ax Battler, and a swordswoman, Sarah Burn, who resembles Tyris Flare. Gilius Thunderhead is the only character who makes an appearance from previous games, although he is not playable and simply shows up during cutscenes.

Kain Grinder and Sarah Burn are referred to as Ax Battler and Tyris Flare respectively in the Sega Channel localization of the game. Golden Axe III has many new moves, including blocking, sweep attacks, projectile attacks, defensive and offensive special attacks, and an updated grappling system. Furthermore, there are several abilities unique to certain characters: Proud possesses an airslam throw that does severe damage, while Chronos and Sarah can double jump and wall jump. In Cooperative multiplayer mode, the characters can perform team attacks similar to a human slingshot.

Finally, each character has a super move that sends a projectile across the screen (except in the case of Chronos who leaps across the screen in an unstoppable lunging attack). Some features that were removed in the second game were brought back in Golden Axe III . The mischievous gnomes from the original game that carried magic potions and food have returned in place of the enemy mages from the second game. Extra lives can be earned by freeing a certain number of prisoners scattered throughout the levels.

Some prisoners are trapped in barrels or stuck in crystal cells while others are guarded by an enemy that must be slain in order to free them. The magic system returned to the original version from Golden Axe , with characters using all collected magic potions every time, rather than allowing the player to choose how much magic to use by charging the magic meter like in Golden Axe II . The characters can use devastating new spells with combined casting. Each character does the same maximum magic damage.

The mounts in Golden Axe III have turned into a hybrid snail-ostrich, instead of the chicken-leg or the dragon-raptors in the previous games. The mounts are known as Bizarrians. There are four types of Bizarrians in Golden Axe III . The firewave Bizarrian is a Red Dragon that fires a fast moving wave of flame across the screen.

The purple Snail uses its tongue to attack, the green Snail is a more powerful version with a longer tongue, and the Green Dragon bites and throws enemies over its shoulder. The game also features a VS mode where two players can choose between all the regular playable boss characters, as well as the Boss character , Eve, and battle other characters one on one. This mode can also be played in single player against AI opponents. In the regular mode, players are able to choose their own route to the Golden Axe.

If the player defeats the last boss and they have a high enough score, they may achieve the good ending and fight Damud Hellstrike's second form.