Astyanax (NES) Playthrough

A playthrough of Jaleco's 1990 NES platforming action game, Astyanax.
Alright, first thing up is the age old question: how do you pronounce "Astyanax"?
\ ə-ˈstī-ə-ˌnaks \ "Uh-stai-uh-naks"
Betcha feel smarter already, huh?
Astyanax was released at the same time as Jaleco's arcade title, The Astyanax. They aren't the same game, but are instead two games based on the same general style of play. This also happens to be the same style and play as you'll find in The Legendary Axe 1 and 2 on the TurboGrafx-16. They all share the muscled meathead swinging huge weapons at things, and they all share the charging gauge that dictates the power of each hit. The NES and TG16 games differ the most from the arcade game in their pacing - the console titles all tend to be slower and more deliberately paced than the quarter muncher was.
Though they're not all technically related to one another, they were all developed by the same team at Aicom within a year or two of each other. It's apparent that Aicom found a system they liked and stuck with it for awhile. I'm also guessing that Astyanax was a test-bed for some of storytelling ideas that we later saw again in Vice: Project Doom, another Aicom title.
Astyanax on the NES is a standard platforming game with upgradable weapons, special attacks, life bars - if you've played an NES game released between 1988-1993, you know all the basics already. It plays competently despite its questionable hit-boxes and super-stiff animation - the charge bar forces you consider what you're doing (button mashing will get you killed quickly!), and the magic spells do a nice job at helping you side-step any ugly surprises - nobody likes being bounced backwards into a pit, right?
The difficulty level is nicely balanced. It's not so easy that you'll just race through, but it's never particularly frustrating or difficult. It's a good game to throw in and chill with if you don't want to be swearing at the NES within five minutes.
The biggie that really differentiates this one from the arcade game is the cinematic plot scenes that show up constantly. Sure, they look like low-rent pretenders when put up against Ninja Gaiden, but there's a lot of charm to be found in the stilted dialogue, neon colors, and poorly drawn portraits. I still get a kick out of them.
Astyanax isn't a top 10 title, but the nostalgia can be strong with this one. It's very good at putting a smile on your face as it reminds you of times long past.
_
No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
NintendoComplete (www.nintendocom...) punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games!

[@NintendoComplete]

Astyanax was one of those perfect weekend rental games. Anyone who picked this up on a whim after getting to Blockbuster too late on a Friday evening wouldn't have found themselves disappointed.

[@AndrewSouzaGames555]

Yes

[@72A1D372]

The cut scenes and story really took this to another level for me. One of my favorite NES games for sure!

[@edwardgaines6561]

Your descriptions always help set the mood and give a sense of place, especially for older games! Respect. 👍

[@FirestreakRodimusPr]

that's pretty much exactly how I rent it and beat it. now I feel really old since blockbuster doesn't exist anymore.

[@NintendoComplete]

@@edwardgaines6561 Thanks!

[@teeroux]

Had this as a kid. Took me a while to work out the patterns but beat it. Looking at this guy play it makes it look easy.

[@Dorian_Scott]

A hidden gem if ever there was one. Soundtrack's good, too. Also, _"Astyanax"_ sounds like the name of a prescription drug.😂

[@NearLife4life]

I think it's an anti-epileptic. And by the looks of it in the opening story, Astyanax might need it. Looks like he was having some serious auras and, from the sounds of the story, did fall into convulsions and hence the game!

[@Femaiden]

Fun Fact : "Astyanax" is an anagram for "A Nasty Ax"

[@aaronmoore6275]

Ask your Dr. if Astyanax is right for you.

[@PowerUpJohn]

I have vivid dreams whenever I have seizures from low blood glucose and this would definitely be on-par with some of those seizure dreams. Now, if only I could get a Cutie to jump out of my convulsive dream-states to become my girlfriend! 😂

[@chiarosuburekeni9325]

I remember really loving this game just for the way it looked. Like the sprites were so gigantic to me for an NES game. I could never get very far in it, but I used to bust it out to show my friends how cool it looked lol

[@Darkchao_berserko22]

You can’t go wrong with a Jaleco game. They may not be Capcom, Konami or even tecmo but they prove they can dish out some quality games

[@GunnCloud11]

Metal Mech. At least I think that's what it was called. Hard as hell but I loved the complexity.

[@Dr.UldenWascht]

I had zero idea this game existed until now. As a kid who combed through all 3 of the local Nintendo shops in our town, I would've loved to play this 😄

[@eversosleight]

One of the first titles a fellow church member let me borrow as a kid back in the day. Lot of fun with this one!

[@JoTek730]

The music in this game is stained in my brain decades later…

[@xenogearsx9372]

I've always loved the sound so captivating

[@xenu4life]

Up, up, up, up, down, left, right, up was the invincibility code. I remember using it as a kid. Also, it was the 80's, so of course the fairy has legwarmers.

[@mnemonichotpocket]

Killer sound track off jump. Haven't listened to the whole game, but would imagine it'd follow suit and slap as well.

[@elgatofelix8917]

Are you kidding me? This has possibly of the worst OST I've heard.

[@Thorz74]

Thank you for the gameplay! I played this game when it came out in the Famicom. I had a Micro Genius at that time, the console was popular in LATAM. My copy was in Japanese or Chinese, I'm not sure. Today I asked Chat GPT about the name of the game because I didn't remember after so many years, and I got the answer. I then came to KZbin to check if it was indeed the game and got so happy when I recognized the music in the intro. The crazy thing is that my cartridge had a glitch and the game glitched at the boss fight at 16:09. I couldn't kill the damn boss and was left alone in that screen without anything to kill. The only thing left was to reset the console. I tried many times to pass that boss and couldn't. I am now so glad I could check the rest of the game and finally I can understand what the story was about :)

[@evanjohnson8682]

That was fun to watch and I liked the story plot! Thanks for sharing!

[@THEMAX00000]

Very first game I can remember getting for my birthday and also the very first game I ever beat

[@goofydufus]

Not many games back then had this many anime vibes (at least in the West). Great game.

[@raifield]

One of the few NES games I was able to beat as a kid. Should give it another try this week, see how I do 30 years later 😅

[@Jeffjeanw]

Same I got practice by using level select though up down left right 4x B select start

[@mariusamber3237]

Fully agree, this is a very good rental. I liked the music and the gameplay was alright, it isn't that hard either besides the pits/knockback. Nice, big sprites too. I haven't played this one for ages... maybe the last time was back in the 2000s, hah. Maybe it doesn't stand out that much in the sea of NES/FC action games, but it's indeed good for a quick playthrough on the weekend.

[@yojoe8599]

🔥🔥🔥 watching my cousin flip this back in the day then getting a fist bump when I finally beat this game after he let me borrow it for a month. Super slept on game, peak nes

[@TANKTREAD]

Still own and still one of my favorite NES games.

[@az_esteemed]

Make life count and ask your doctor if prescription-strength Astyanax is right for you. 👨🏻‍⚕️

[@Loader2K1]

I've heard of _Astyanax_ , but this is the first time I've seen the game in action. Apparently, in Japan, this game, as well as its original arcade version, are known as _The Lord of King_ , and the NES port is a loose adaptation of the arcade game of the same name. Also, in the Japanese version of this game, Astyanax was named Roche, Princess Rosebud was named Princess Thompson, and the antagonist, Blackhorn, was named McMahon. I like how this game throws a curveball at you in the ending with you hooking up with the pixie/fairy girl, now reincarnated as a human being, instead of the princess you're supposed to save, not to mention how Astyanax is a jacked, helmet-clad warrior in the game, but a skinny kid in the cutscenes, LOL. Lovely playthrough.

[@Femaiden]

Cutie was a pixie/fairy, not an elf. . but yeah, the JP name for the bad guy "McMahon", makes me think of Ed McMahon. .or Vince McMahon who became a hated villain in his own right. the US name of the bad guy "Blackhorn", makes me feel like they should have named him "Blackthorn" especially with the other guy named "Thorndog", would have make sense with him being "Blackthorn's Dog". in my mind, i gave thorndog the voice of skeletor and blackhorn the voice of Orson Welles. . because Rosebud

[@Loader2K1]

@@Femaiden: Sorry for the mistake on Cutie. I sometimes tend to get certain RPG/fantasy-world archetypes mixed up. Fixed for correction.

[@Femaiden]

@@Loader2K1 admittedly, i said "pixie/fairy", because i'm still unsure of the difference between a pixie and a fairy. I think they are not the same , but are often portrayed as the same , like in peter pan, tinkerbell is a fairy but she emits pixie dust. i heard characters say "pixie fairy" in a cartoon once. i was just correcting you on her nkt being an elf, because elves aren't tiny people with insect wings that flit about, lol. i always thought it weird that fairies have belly buttons and boobs, because that would mean they are placental mammals, but then they also have insect wings and are magical? i dunno, i guess that they could be like himans and they have relations woth each other and get pregnant and have babies just like humans. i agree with you that it was an interesting curveball the game throws at the end, where it reincarnated her as a human for the hero to be with. i remember thinking when i beat it and he says he still wants to go home that he should have stayed and married rosebud instead, but then this ending is also satisfying, since he was traveling with cutie that whole time and they shared feelings with each other, meanwhile, he barely knows rosebud aside from her just being the generic princess to save.

[@Jazzypants2007]

I mean, I wouldn't exactly say he's *skinny*, but he's definitely not as musclebound as the game sprite you control would have you believe.

[@Shimlarian]

My copy of this went missing in my childhood, but i still love it.

[@IRGhost0]

much more rewarding ending than any of the super mario or zelda games.

[@cjgameon264]

I LOVES THIS GAME!!!! ANOTHER GAME I HAD AND DEFEATED!!! As a kid, I always wanted games where the player was big, lol .

[@sueken22able]

I was so happy when I beat this game when I was a kid. I loved the storyline and cut scenes. Like I really felt accomplished after the hard grind. Definitely not a "easy one".

[@MatthewBenson321]

I remember this game from back in the day and assuming it was a sequel to The Legendary Axe. Another gem from the 8-Bit era. When I finally got around to play it on the Famicom a few years back, the difficulty level surprised me, though not as much as the ridiculously challenging Holy Diver.

[@lawrencefitzgerald4744]

"Take this magic axe, Bash." 😂 Bash is the _perfect_ name for an *axe*! Also, this was actually one of my favorite games growing up. It wasn't perfect, but it was solid. I could always count on a few hours of enjoyment when I had nothing better to do.

[@Femaiden]

Bash certainly is A Nasty Ax.

[@Femaiden]

all the more ironic that it turns into a sword when upgraded. . i mean, the hero's name isn't Astyansword. .

[@VulpeRenard]

Yeah, the gameplay wasn't great, but it had amazing music, a cute storyline, and the massive sprites & bigger bosses gave it a lot of character.

[@spoonshiro]

A cheesy fun time. It's basically an 80s fantasy film turned into a game.

[@d_valroth]

One of my all time favorites. Replayed it recently and took far, far too long to make it all the way to the end. 30 years ago me was *way* better at this game.

[@d_valroth]

Also always found it odd that the one weapon Bash can't change into is a mace.

[@NintendoComplete]

​@@d_valrothIt is a bit strange with a name like that, now that you mention it.

[@LHefner]

​@@NintendoCompleteI had this game my mom bought it great pick up by me

[@xl3yonhax]

Lot's of memories ❤

[@Snyperwolf91]

>Being a 16 year old teen named Astyanax >Gets isekaid hard into a fantasy world >Getting magical Axe and suddenly getting buffed up and getting a helmet for free Story of my life .

[@NearLife4life]

My question to Astyanax would be; what is a 16 year-old doing in 9th grade. Shouldn't he be a junior?

[@RaifSeverence]

Sophomore. Of course if this is just a translation from japanese, then 16 in tenth grade lines up. For reference Elementary school in Japan is grades 1 thru 6 Middle is grades 7 thru 9 High is 10 thru 12. (Freshmen in high-school in Japan is 10th grade)

[@xwf1000v3]

Played this game as a kid. Did beat it without the Game Genie thanks to that secret code I put in for invincibility. Nice storyline too. Of course people think that the game has some Glitches in it & I did see a few of them but it didn’t bothered me game wise.

[@Bryan-w4k]

Playing the game right now very good game but not easy hopefully the walk through helps me get better at the game ❤😂🎉😢😮😅😊

[@-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-]

i ran 'Astyanax' through a chat to voice AI. after 25 tries, it told me to fuck off.

[@bryany6565]

Oh man another brother and I classic!!! No power ups your dead!!! Haha.

[@myfingershurt3489]

This game goes hard and has a killer soundtrack

[@johnle6543]

Beaten this game a long time ago on a weekend during a rental. Sprites were huge, gameplay was good, but story was okay (before the word isekai was coined). Very different from the arcade version.

[@cesarjoseromeromedina9510]

Que Juego siempre lo jugaba con mis Hermanos. Que Recuerdos

[@senseicorey9979]

I felt like I never made progress in this game yet somehow I'd seen every level and boss.......must have been the game genie

[@ArcadeBD]

Well in my country we used to sell gameboy games but the cartridge was based of NES games. Back then in 2002/2003 I did not know what was NES. Then a guy was selling a prince of persia 4 game. The box art felt it was actually real and when I played it, I was like wait a minute this aint the game but it was astyanax.

[@LanceUltra]

До сих пор невероятная музыка на протяжении всей игры

[@MbRetroGamer]

good gameplay, astyanax top

[@Zero_Tester]

I remember when i was a kid,my Nes cassette was broken and the game has graphical glitch,and frequently the enemy disappeared offscreen(boss 3 the snail if im not forgotten) Never able to finish the game because of that back then

[@moseslalmuanpuia8988]

This game was called golden axe on the cartridge I owned

[@LHefner]

I had this game fun to play

[@TheMouseMasterYT]

I remember playing this game through keeping the spear... because I wanted good magic over good attack. Heh.

[@cobrakainevereverdies6940]

I don't know, if I still got the cartridge. But I beat this game. Jaleco didn't fool around with this or Bases Loaded.

[@Avrelivs_Gold]

43:40 Embrace the plant My eggplant queen 🎵

[@NintendoComplete]

😂 perfect

[@Avrelivs_Gold]

@@NintendoComplete Arcus made the lyrics for his speedruns

[@ZacHawkins42]

::Sees first boss:: "Ain't nobody got time fo dat!" ::Proceeds to ruthlessly destroy said boss::

[@Jazzypants2007]

YES! I was scrolling through to see if anyone quoted Arcus's lyrics to the end theme.

[@justman4891]

Me and cousin used to wear this game out in summer of 1988!

[@rickn4301]

This and Karnov!

[@Bryan-w4k]

Make it to act 1-2

[@AndrewSouzaGames555]

2:15 cute

[@AndyGoth111]

2:32 Is this a pigeon?

[@thisisntmybirthname]

I played this game at the age of 5 and didn’t beat it until I was 10 I think. It was really hard 😅

[@donskiver]

I always pronounced it "ass-sty-uh-nax". Tomayto, tomahto.

[@Dorian_Scott]

Same!

[@patrickvan6038]

Great gameplay, great soundtrack and great end. THe Princess face on the Moon rewarding Astyanax: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) lol

[@jhohansselbartender]

Que juegazo.

[@Rectify21]

Man this seems like another life ago

[@Ártica-26]

People can say this game is trash but if you compare to ninja Gaiden who was released in the same year, you may be impressed how they masteres the collor pallet.

[@myfingershurt3489]

I used to beat this game over n over when I was 4 or 5. I'm 37 now and still play this every now and then

[@JoshuaGanoTyraxLightning]

I wonder if Cutie in the Real World will go ahead and stick to Cutie being her actual literal name? Curious how she will explain that to peoples in that world that are extremely likely to think she's gone cuckoo if she goes trying to explain that she used to be a 'Fairy from another World in a former life' that the peoples will believe incapable of ever having existed. :P

[@OvisMilitaris]

An NES isekai before isekai became isekai.

[@walterpetersen776]

I found a abriged edition of this game.

[@mark6302]

Astyanax looks like one of the kids from Initial D

[@Aditya-f8t5z]

Thank u dottir 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰❤

[@Aditya-f8t5z]

The villian and monster designs are amazing 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@Aditya-f8t5z]

The whole game brings out such dark emotions and feelings. Wonderful. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👈👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@Aditya-f8t5z]

That sine wave movement of projectiles is so unnerving 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@Aditya-f8t5z]

32:47 Such a sweet fellow Thorndog 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@Aditya-f8t5z]

The projectile movement is amazing design. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@JohnnyGaunt]

Astyanax, son of Hector and Andromaca. Sa.

[@somnathindalkar4276]

Difficult to win level Marshy....

[@Romantic8793]

Aka Golden Axe 4...

[@kevyjoe413]

To answer your question in the description, I would pronounce it "As-tee-en-ax."

[@unocarb]

And him and Cutie break up in a month

[@TheNei]

[@sebastianaranda3163]

Cualquiera finaliza el juego con vida infinita jajajjaa

[@elgatofelix8917]

The opening cut scene music is some of the worst I've heard on the NES

[@haikgarcia1358]

There's a trick for invisibility. And nobody hits you. But I don't reembwr well the trick.

[@myfingershurt3489]

Something on game genie