 "The Legendary Axe" continued to receive praise from reviewers years after its release.In 1997 "Electronic Gaming Monthly" editors ranked it number 80 on their "100 Best Games of All Time", attributing the game's popularity to its huge levels, "dead-on control", intelligently designed charge mechanic, and huge bosses, particularly the final boss.In his overview of the TurboGrafx-16's history, IGN's Levi Buchanan pointed out that the game made the console "an easy sell" for buyers and showed the superior performance of the TurboGrafx-16 over the Nintendo Entertainment System.He said that "The Legendary Axe" "made the NES look downright ancient".