Golden Axe (J) [t1]

This translation hack changes the game's text to English, so menus, dialogue, and item names are readable without knowledge of Japanese. When you start, the title screen likely shows the game's name and a press-start prompt. Use Enter to start. You will be taken to a character select screen where you can choose one of three warriors. The selection is done with the D-pad (arrow keys) and confirmed with the A button (X key).

The core loop is straightforward: walk to the right, defeat every enemy that appears using a mix of physical attacks and magic. Press B (S key) to attack, and press A (X key) while the B button is held? Actually, in many beat 'em ups, jumping is a separate button. On WonderSwan, A is jump and B is attack; check the controls. In the emulator mapping, A (X key) is jump/confirm and B (S key) is attack/cancel. So use X to jump and S to attack. Magic spells are activated by pressing attack while holding a potion? The original arcade had a magic button; here likely A+B or a combination. Experiment with pressing A and S together to throw a magic attack if you have a potion. Potions are collected from fallen enemies or blue chests.

The game continues until you lose all lives; you can continue from the stage you died on. There are no save states built-in, but the emulator allows save/load via the menu. Use this to your advantage if the game proves tough. Since this is the WonderSwan version, expect shorter stages and a slightly reduced moveset compared to the arcade original. The translation patch ensures you can follow the story and understand item descriptions, so just pick a warrior and start bashing skeletons and knights.