Athena tells the story of the goddess falling into a strange world where she starts without armor or weapons, so much of the early challenge is surviving bare-handed until finding items that gradually make her stronger. That gear-based progression, uncommon in 1986, sets it apart from other action titles of the era.
It's an early piece in SNK's catalog, predating the Neo Geo, and it served as conceptual groundwork for the company's later experiments with equipment systems. It's remembered today more for that idea than for its execution, which shows its age.
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