Dahna: Megami Tanjou

The warrior maiden Dahna chases after the evil sorceress who attacked her adoptive village in this grisly side-scrolling action game.

Overview

Dahna: Megami Tanjou ("Dahna: Goddess's Birth", or "Birth of the Goddess") is a side-scrolling action game set in a grim "swords-and-sandals" fantasy universe. It is exclusive to the Japanese Sega Mega Drive. It is similar to Taito's Rastan series: the developers, IGS, included several former Taito employees.

Dahna, who was left for dead when her parents were killed and her older sister abducted, escaped her fate and was later trained in combat and magic by a friendly sorcerer named Magh. An army headed by a powerful sorceress attacks Magh's quiet village and abducts him, prompting Dahna to pursue her captive mentor.

The game is comprised of various action stages in which Dahna, either on foot or riding a mythical creature, makes her way through enemy troops to the end where a boss fight awaits. Defeating enemies grants experience, enough of which will raise Dahna's maximum HP, and she can use magic orbs left behind by certain enemies to cast one-off spells. The game is known in Mega Drive fan circles for its difficulty and for its violent visuals, as it includes one boss that must be brutally dismembered limb by limb.