The Legendary Axe

The Legendary Axe is a side-scrolling action / platform video game in which the player assumes the role of Gogan, who sets out through six differently-themed levels (called "zones") including jungles, caves, and mountains; the object is to defeat creatures such as "frog men", bears, and giant spiders with his Legendary Axe "Sting"; eliminate Jagu and his cult; and rescue Flare. Players must also navigate obstacles and hazards by jumping. Gogan has a life meter that decreases every time he sustains damage from creatures, and the player loses a life when Gogan's life meter runs out or if he falls off the screen. The game ends when players have lost all their lives, but they get four continues in which they can restart the game at the same section in which they have lost all their lives.

Gogan has a flashing "strength meter" on the top of the screen that determines how much damage he can inflict on enemies when he swings his axe. The strength meter empties after attacking and then slowly refills back to its maximum. The strength meter increases by 25% whenever the player collects a "crystal container". This incorporates an element of strategy in the game in which the player can either make a series of weak strikes with the axe or wait and build the strength meter for a single, more powerful strike.

Scattered throughout the game to help Gogan are miniature statues called "Jagu idols" that reveal power-ups when destroyed; these power-ups include "crystal containers" that increase Gogan's attack strength, wings that increase the speed of Gogan's attacks, power balls that help replenish Gogan's life meter, crystals that award bonus points, and extra lives. Additional lives can also be obtained by earning certain numbers of points. The zones in The Legendary Axe consist of different environments; they range from dark forests to caverns to mountain plateaus to fortresses. Players face many enemies along the way which they need to get through: "frog men" that leap from the water and spit fire; jumping and rolling amoeba-type creatures in the caverns; "rock men" that spring out and attack on the mountain plateaus; and giant spiders that shoot webs at players.

The bosses in the game are guardians of Jagu's cult and are fought at the end of each zone. They include the following: at the end of Zone 1, a pair of possessed grizzly bears; of Zone 2, a magical boulder; of Zone 3, a group of flying slinky -type monsters called "Aqua Lungs"; and of Zone 4, a pair of creatures with shields and spears called "Punjabbis". Zone 5 culminates with a maze of rooms called the "Pits of Madness" which feature every enemy encountered up to that point plus some new enemies; at its end is a fire-throwing cult demon. Zone 6 consists of the final battle with Jagu himself.