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Secret Level reveals debut Golden Axe: Beast Rider video

by: Randy -
More On: Golden Axe:Beast Rider
GameTrailers got the jump on this Golden Axe: Beast Rider debut trailer, but now we've got chunkier details.  So sayeth developer Secret Level:  "Grand-scale reconstructions of environments from the original arcade game give battlefields a greater sense of scope and history.  Humorous 'inside references' -- such as the need to kick gnomes for power-ups -- will reward players who have fond memories of the prior games.  And a somber, realistic tone will define Golden Axe: Beast Rider as a thematic departure from the core franchise." 

This certainly looks like it's the seedling spawn of the original multiplayer's side-scrolling beat 'em up adventures. But, barring a little gnome-kicking and some vaguely recognizable mounts, the army-of-one campaign loses all of its grandfather's drop-in/drop-out party-forming dynamic.  The Boris Vallejo-styled redrawing of protagonist Tyris Flare is eye candy enough, but she's drawn inside of rather unmemorable costuming.