SummaryBattle Axe is an arcade top-down hack & slash featuring high-quality visuals created by veteran pixel artist Henk Nieborg, true to form game mechanics, and music from the legendary VGM composer Manami Matsumae.
Rated Tfor Teen
Developer:Henk Nieborg
Battle Axe
Released On:
Apr 29, 2021
Metascore
Generally Favorable
76
User score
Mixed or Average
5.3
My Score
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Metascore
Generally Favorable
76
67% Positive
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
33% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Apr 23, 2021
86
Battle Axe might be an excellent arcade game, but that’s a flaw as well as a feature. Extended play sessions, like those you find in Infinite Mode, can quickly wear out their welcome. You can only blow apart so many orcs before you start yearning for more. Maybe the gameplay loop doesn’t escape that cabinets and coins territory, but it doesn’t need to. The action that’s available is nothing short of exemplary. Fluid pixel art animation, tight controls, retro music and audio, and an intense challenge all elevate this game beyond ordinary nostalgia. If you’re looking for your next arcade game, you absolutely can’t miss Battle Axe.
May 29, 2021
80
It often leans harder into its retro inspirations than is perhaps completely necessary, but Battle Axe is still a fitting tribute to the golden era of coin-operated arcade romps. [Issue#2, p.73]
Apr 23, 2021
80
As old-school as it can get in every frame and fibre of its being, Battle Axe faithfully transports you back to the classic Capcom and Neo Geo arcade era with its exquisite pixel art animation and punchy, challenging gameplay.
May 9, 2021
75
Battle Axe offers a nostalgic arcade hack & slash experience with it's beautifully created sprites, levels, and bosses. Beating your high scores in Battle Axe's arcade mode and infinite mode will keep you busy for hours. The levels offer a diverse variety in enemy types and obstacles, but the game can get somewhat repetitive after a few playthroughs. Where the game ultimately falls short is in the controls and camera, which further adds to the game's challenging difficulty. Also, the absence of online multiplayer is a shame.
Apr 28, 2021
70
There's replay value to be found in the Hard difficulty setting, or chasing 29 Trophies for a Platinum, as well as an unlockable New Game+ challenge. Yet, even the inclusion of an extra Infinite Mode highlights how the core gameplay becomes repetitive, plus the four main areas of Arcade Mode can be beaten in less than an hour. If the idea of exploring to save villagers reminds you fondly of Zombies Ate My Neighbors, or perhaps you remember isometric arcade brawlers like Dungeon Magic and Wizard Fire, then the nostalgia conjured up from Battle Axe mixing together two formidable old genres may still hack-and-slash its way into your heart.
Apr 27, 2021
60
Battle Axe packs in a lot of personality thanks to its trio of colourful protagonists and its wonderful art style. But its gameplay likely won’t keep your attention for much longer than an hour or two. It’s a great flashback to games of yesteryear, but outside of a nostalgia hit, there’s no real reason to keep going back.
User score
Mixed or Average
5.3
38% Positive
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
25% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
38% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
Oct 4, 2025
7
"Gauntlet" meets "Golden Axe". This modern retro hack 'n slash is a throwback to arcade games developed by Capcom and SNK. You choose from three characters and fight through four chapters. The Arcade Mode takes about 30 min. or so to complete. But there is also an Infinite Mode that is a series of endless levels. The pixel art is great and so is the retro sounding music. "Battle Axe" is fun, but it could've had more to it. Overall, I would rate it with a 7.5 out of 10.
Sep 15, 2021
3
I very much like the idea of a new Golden Axe-style arcade game. However, this game probably isn't going to stay in my collection for long. Why? 1) The absolute worst flaw that this game has is that it's an overhead view, but the camera is zoomed in too close to your character, with no way to adjust it. This means that you'll be taking cheap hits regularly from offscreen enemies that you aren't given a fair chance to react to. You're almost bumping into them the first time they come on screen, and some of them shoot projectiles. Again, not hard...just unfair. 2) Infinitely respawning enemies. They are popping up around you every 2-3 seconds, no matter how many you kill. It gets rather annoying, and to be honest, it feels like they just want to slow your progress down to mask the fact that this game is only 4 levels, and those levels are on the short side. 3) You get 3 lives and NO continues. What? Even the hardest of arcade machines let you continue if you put another quarter in. Not this game. Just because you spent $40 on it (which is 160 quarters, by the way) doesn't mean you get to continue if you run out of lives. This should absolutely be a setting in the options. 4) The music is harsh and grating. Look, just because some old arcade games had music like this doesn't mean that you have to make the music downright nasty in your arcade-style game. I love retro gaming in general, and plenty of music from old games is really good. You will want to turn the music off within 5 minutes. Complete fail. I'll give it a few points for having an OK art style and decent animation. There is no online multiplayer, and I haven't tried local co-op. In its current state (where I have no desire to ever play it again) I can't go higher than 3/10. I will keep my copy for a little while, hoping that they fix some of this stuff via patch. My advice: Buy the Sega Genesis collection and play Golden Axe. You'll have a way better time with that game, and also get lots of other good games, and the entire package is cheaper than Battle Axe.
Platforms:
- PC
- PlayStation 4
- Nintendo Switch
- Xbox One
- PlayStation 5
Initial Release Date:Apr 29, 2021
Publisher:
