Mega Drive · Homebrew · Beat 'em up
Morning Star: A Golden Axe-Inspired Beat 'Em Up Announced for the Mega Drive
By LittleG4M3 · 15 November 2026
The Mega Drive's medieval beat 'em ups may soon welcome a newcomer. On November 10, developer Jorge Adriano Luna unveiled Morning Star, a beat 'em up with a hack and slash twist built for Sega's 16-bit console, and openly inspired by Golden Axe and Capcom's Dungeons & Dragons games.
Image: Jorge Adriano Luna (@jcolunagamedev)
A tribute to '90s classics
Morning Star draws on two references of the genre: Sega's classic Golden Axe, which the homebrew scene had already ported to the Neo Geo, and Capcom's arcade Dungeons & Dragons adaptations, Tower of Doom and Shadow over Mystara. The announced feature list is generous:
- four playable heroes;
- a two-player mode;
- magic attacks and magic items;
- creatures you can ride.
The first video, just under a minute long, shows a hammer-wielding dwarf warrior, ramparts and rope bridges, and a look that would fit right into the console's original library.
A team of five enthusiasts
The project brings together five people: Jorge Adriano Luna on programming, Paulo Italo Medeiros as lead artist, Thiago Limaverde on art, @amaweks on level design and RDiggoSilva on music. The developer stresses one point in his announcement: characters, enemies, levels and music are all made by hand.
Still a work in progress
For now, this is only a first look. No release date has been announced, nor any distribution format, physical cartridge or ROM. The reaction on social media has been very positive, with genre fans particularly praising the quality of the sprites.
The Mega Drive homebrew scene never stops surprising us, from Earthion to lesser-known projects, and Morning Star joins the list of games worth keeping an eye on.
Sources: Jorge Adriano Luna (X), Time Extension, Retrogamer
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