In the gaming world, a lot of number 3 entries suffer, having to both fill in the shoes of the preceding entry as well as bring a dash of innovation to up the ante.

Golden Axe 3 (as well as its more contemporary, urban cousin, Streets of Rage 3) also suffered this, despite the technical pizzazz it displayed, it failed to impress and be as well loved as the incredibly good MD port of the arcade originator, or as well loved as GA2 in the minds of many.

While the game is, in fact, rather good, it can be a bit of a slog at times: enemies are super spongy and the fact they are able to block not only makes engagements last forever, but crucially removes an edge on the player should have.

This hack restores gameplay balance and makes things move at a faster clip, which should hopefully open people’s eyes to this little gem more.