Athena

About

Athena is a 1986 arcade platformer from SNK that pairs straightforward action with a surprisingly memorable protagonist. You play as a princess who decides to ditch palace life, falls into a chaotic fantasy realm, and fights hulking warriors and Dante himself. The gameplay mixes running, jumping, and basic combat across scrolling levels. It supports one or two players, though co-op feels more like a side feature than a core mechanic. The focus is on quick reflexes and learning enemy patterns to survive increasingly tough waves of attacks. The game stands out for placing a confident, assertive female lead in a genre still dominated by male heroes. While its portability to systems like the NES and PSP helped keep it relevant, older players might recall its bold art style and the way it leaned into Athena’s design for marketing. Reviews from the time rarely mention it, but retrospectives often call it a surprisingly fun relic of early 80s arcade creativity.

Storyline

The princess Athena of the heavenly kingdom of Victory was bored of the monotonous life of the palace and goes to seek adventure, opening the door that is not supposed to be opened. She falls from the skies (losing her dress in the process) and enters the Fantasy World, controlled by Dante. Athena must defeat a number of beast-like warriors and dangers in order to eventually defeat Dante, free Fantasy World, and return to her own kingdom.