1989 - Golden Axe
I do not remember playing this game when I was a kid. I do, however, remember coming back to it as a teenager. We had the Sega Genesis as a kid, but I don’t remember playing it that much when I was younger. Maybe some Sonic, but that’s really about it. One of my best friends from childhood discovered my family’s Sega Genesis 16-bit when we were in I think technically middle school and our surprising collection of games. This was, oddly, one of favorites to sit in my parents’ basement and play.
3 characters, a dwarf, a big dude with a sword, and a hot lady with a sword. Those were your character options. You go from left to right and beat up bandits and monsters. You could even knock them off their mount and ride it yourself, which whipped because they were fire-breathing raptors or something. But it brought us a lot of simple joy.