Update #2 [Thu 13th Feb 2025 09:45 GMT]: h0ffman's fanmade port of Golden Axe to Neo Geo is now complete and available to download for free from itch.io.
The port of the game works with MVS / AES and Neo Geo CD set-ups and includes the original arcade difficulty settings, alongside a bunch of other features. This includes game region selectable, a special Neo Geo CD-specific soundtrack (courtesy of Richard Douglas), MVS multi-slot game switching and credits, SoftDIP settings for AES and Neo Geo CD available from the title menu, and support for "most flash cart solutions, real hardware, and emulators"
h0ffman states in his conversion notes that he "went a little above and beyond" with the port, not only reworking his graphical tools to make this version of Golden Axe closer to the arcade than his previous efforts but also putting a special emphasis on making the sound the best it could be. According to the fan developer, the soundtrack is taken from the original System16 arcade PCB and converted to run through the ADPCM-B. Meanwhile, he has also replaced some of the original audio files with higher-quality versions, having done some research into where the original sample sources came from.
You can grab the port here.
Update #1 [Mon 27th Jan, 2025 16:30 GMT]: Since we last posted about the project, h0ffman has posted a few updates about his attempt to port Golden Axe to the Neo Geo.
It now seems that the developer has managed to implement much of the Wildnerness, Turtle Village, and Invaded Town sections of the classic Sega arcade game, with the most recent video demonstration stopping short of the Fiend's Path. Backgrounds are also now implemented in the port, with h0ffman stating on Twitter that he recently had to completely re-work how the graphics were being converted to allow for the original's palette fades.
You can watch the latest footage of the fan port below. Don't forget to subscribe to Hoffman's channel for future updates.
Original Article [Fri 17th Jan, 2025 10:00 GMT]: Sega's 1989 arcade beat 'em up Golden Axe looks to be getting an unofficial port to the Neo Geo, according to a recent social media post from the fan developer h0ffman.
h0ffman recently ported Sega's 1987 arcade sidescroller Shinobi to the Neo Geo (MVS/AES/CD), by disassembling the arcade version of the game back into source code, and seems to be in the process of giving the same treatment for Golden Axe, sharing some footage of his progress so far.
This footage shows the game's game's title screen, character bios, and high scores — albeit with the video game backgrounds seemingly missing as of now.
According to h0ffman, though, the port is progressing "a lot quicker" than he had initially anticipated, suggesting that it might not be long before they are implemented and we get to see some video of the individual stages.
Speaking about why he started making these Neo Geo ports, h0ffman explained on social media, "I ordered a MisterPi from @TakiUdon_. While waiting for it to arrive I wondered how hard it would be to disassemble an arcade game back to source. Half randomly picked Shinobi, classic game and runs on a 68000. DIsassembled most of it in about a week and wondered what to do with it."
"I also love learning how retro systems ticked so thought maybe the Neo Geo might be a good fit for it as it didn't already exist on the platform. Turns out they are very evenly matched. The Mister arrived which then also gave me another system to test my code on."
At the moment, no release date has been given for the Golden Axe port, but we'll keep an eye out for new updates as they emerge.