Quote Originally Posted by Berserker View Post
There's no way to block their attack (at that point), and they back up when you try to jump over them. The only way to really kill them without getting your ass handed to you is to use the downward thrust... which is in a town you need the hammer to get to.

That's a design error. Yes, you can eventually master the exact timing between their attacks, but that happens over a long period of time and usually with repeated playthroughs. It's a design error.
See, I disagree. I think that you learn to FEAR the axe guys at that point - they only really give you two (maybe three) dark red ones you HAVE to go through to get to the hammer - and they're set up like minibosses. The orange ones are no challenge.

Once you have downthrust there is nothing more to fear from this enemy and they lose their effectiveness - bouncing off a head or two feels more like a triumph after you've had to fight without the option.

I really need to look now and see if he played Zelda II on Gamecenter CX.