Developer: KID Publisher: Dreamworks Released: 1992 Genre: Beat em up
Everyone has games that they meant to play but never got around to. Whether it was money, family, or other responsibilities at the end of the day time is still a factor. To this day Sega CD version of Lunar: Eternal Blue eludes me. Yet embarrassingly I have played through the PlayStation remake. Mystical Fighter is a game that looked cool in magazines and received solid reviews. But I never did buy it or rent it despite wanting to. It was my loss as the game is incredibly good and a nice hidden gem in the Sega library.
Mystical Fighter immediately stands out thanks to its protagonist(s). Games starring Kabuki characters are few; in fact I can only think of Kabuki Quantum Fighter. But this is not a game about a theater troupe or performance art. Our heroes White and Red Lion were called on to defeat the evil Kabuki Lord. But before they can deliver the killing blow they fall in to the underworld from which they must fight their way out.
As a brawler Mystical Fighter is faster than most titles in the genre. Both characters are extremely agile, able to perform a short hop to close the distance or a slide in place of running. Even your basic attack consists of a quick flurry of punches. Unlike most brawlers you have a varied set of moves. Aside from the slide kick you have a jump kick that can be chained with skill. But the most important are the throws. You have the standard body toss which comes in handy to throw enemies into the numerous pits everywhere. You can perform an izuna drop which can hit multiple enemies. This might be the strongest move in the game. The coolest is the 360° throw where you swing an enemy as long as you like before tossing them off screen. It costs more life with each swing but is incredibly useful.
The greatest strength of the battle system in Mystical Fighter is how free form it is. The Izuna drop is powerful on its own but you can use its momentum to chain into a jump kick. With skill you can izuna drop, jump kick, and rebound into another enemy without touching the ground. This versatility is key as enemies attack in groups of 4-6. Constantly staying on the move is crucial to avoid being overwhelmed. Mystical Fighter is similar to Golden Axe in that there are few if any special weapons. You have a boomerang fan that is hard to catch and ends up a single use and a Jutte that is not strong but has long reach. You also have magic that works with scrolls, similar to Golden Axe with more scrolls producing a stronger spell. I say stronger but in reality magic is weak and not worth it.
Another strength is its pacing. In the first level enemy groups are small. They are also less aggressive, allowing you to practice your combos and such. The difference from stage two forward is immediately apparent. Not only do they put up a fight they attack in larger groups and deal more damage. Waves become more frequent as well. However the game does a good job of keeping the pace by providing pits and such that you can use to thin them out quickly. It is a double edged sword since the same can happen to you and probably will. It comes at the expense of interesting level design but I prefer the briskness of the game’s pacing.
Mystical Fighter isn’t a particularly difficult game, at least on the normal setting. The game avoids the common beat em up trap of bogging down the levels with more waves of enemies than necessary. Enemies are not too resilient and life restoring sushi is common. Outside of one annoying boss battle (the third) you can easily breeze through the game. Unfortunately you have to beat the game on hard to see the true ending. It is very obvious that hard mode is meant for two players right from the start. The level of damage is too much for one player to overcome alone and it feels incredibly cheap. For your trouble you at least get an extra level and exclusive boss battle but unless you play coop you will never see it.
In Closing
Mystical Fighter will not wow players technically. But it makes up for it with great pacing and gameplay and is one of the better brawlers for the Genesis. After Streets of Rage Mystical Fighter makes for an excellent follow-up.
