Mystic Heroes

"Go go, Mystic Heroes!"

I was playing Dynasty Warriors 4 with a friend of mine a few weeks ago. I loved the game, but I was missing the essential Playstation 2 needed to play the wonderful hack and slash game. Seeing my predicament, my friend suggested that I give Mystic Heroes a try. I was under the impression that this Gamecube game would stack up to the other games I’d enjoyed so much. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. Mystic Heroes operates like a standard tactical hack and slash adventure, but there’s something lacking that makes this game less enjoyable.

The plot of Mystic Heroes seems just a tad overused in this day and age, and there is not much in terms of story to make up for it. The problem lies with the presentation. Despite having various cut scenes between the numerous battles, you’re given little in terms of background information of the characters and what exactly they’re fighting for. A great and evil warlord named
Kang has been resurrected through the power of a mystical object called the Dragon Orb. All of Kang’s loyal cronies have been brought back to life to spread Kang’s influence throughout the world. It’s up to a group of young warriors called the Mystic Heroes to stop Kang and his minions. But why are the Mystic Heroes trying to stop him? What are they trying to prevent? World domination? Are we trying to prevent death, chaos or pestilence? We aren’t given much of a reason, except that the fact that Kang is evil, and he’s sending countless enemies to destroy you.

In order to trounce the minions of evil, you are given the choice of four Mystic Heroes, each with their own unique attacks and fighting style. Some fighters have more powerful magic abilities; others have superior speed or power. But when it boils down to the basic combat, it’s not going to matter how fast you can execute a random attack combo. When the kooky characters and Oriental level designs are taken away, Mystic Heroes is still a hack and slash game at heart. You’re faced with armies of evil flunkies, each trying to overwhelm you with sheer numbers. Despite the numbers running against you, you’ve got powerful attacks, magic, and allies to mow down each wave of soldiers. Just pushing the attack button will send you into a frenzy of attack combos that will literally send enemies bouncing around the screen. Unless you’re not paying attention, there is only a mild difficulty level in the various battles. You can easily dispatch a platoon of enemies by doing some simple button mashing. If you want to get creative, you can use your magic abilities to cast spells on the hapless soldiers and watch the fireworks that ensue.

You don’t have to face down the endless horde of evil by yourself. You are bestowed with various allies that back you up throughout the game. Each ally that joins up with you has their own little group of soldiers to do their bidding. Eventually, you’ll be taking part in massive hack and slash battles over a wide terrain. You control your character independently from your other allies, but you don’t get your own group of soldiers. Instead, you act as a hero, charging blindly into the thick of a skirmish, while your ally may be charging off to a skirmish on the opposite direction. You end up having to watch over your allies and make sure the enemy doesn’t overwhelm them. There is a fine line between having an ally and a hindrance to your progress on the battlefield. Sure, these allies can provide assistance in combat when they’re with you. But independently, your allies are a little too inept for their own good.

Also, there is the issue of repetition. Since this is a hack and slash game, we can expect a fair amount of gameplay repetition. After beating wave after wave of evil soldiers, they start too look alike. Actually, they are alike, in every way, shape and form. There may be a few wild animals included to stir up the battle, but Kang’s evil minions are essentially clones. Some soldiers carry scimitars, others use arrows or magic. But the variation in attacks ends there. You’ll end up flattening every enemy you see, so the monotony can become a little irritating. So the real problem a gamer will have is trying to find the balance between repetitive battling and addictive combat. Annihilating your foes with various attacks may sound fun, but it can get old quickly. It depends on your preferences as a gamer.

So what does this game have to combat the somewhat bland gameplay? Luckily, Mystic Heroes has a multiplayer and a Survival Mode to quench your competitive thirst. At least with multiplayer, you can face down evil with your friends. While the multiplayer may sound appealing, it’s essentially the story mode battles. You and your friends can collaborate and take down a horde of enemies, but the lack of difficulty might make the experience get old fast. The same goes with the Survival Mode. The only initiative to play through Survival Mode is to get a high score and earn some boasting rights. But yet again, you are faced with the same horde of bad guys.

The graphics and sound of this game are decent, but the execution could have been better. While the countless soldiers look the same, their armor is detailed and shows some semblance of metallic texture. The Mystic Heroes have their own costumes and weapons. However, the basic figures of each character appear to be blocky, lacking the smoothness needed for realism. Also, the levels themselves look as if they were painted, but with hardly any realistic textures. It’s like you’re battling in a world of painted cardboard. The only redeeming graphical qualities of this game lie with the excellent spells and lighting effects. The flames of Naja’s special attack glow with fierce intensity. The sun casts shadows over the Mystic Heroes as they traverse the battleground. Also, the sound effects are decently presented. You can hear the shouts and cries of soldiers as the battle rages. The music is fast and dynamic, perfectly suited for the combat. The only thing that sticks out is the voice acting. The Mystic Heroes sound like badly dubbed Japanese Saturday morning anime. The voices don’t fit the personas of the various fighters, so hearing the good guys talk may make you raise an eyebrow.

I got this game, hoping for a substitute for Dynasty Warriors. In the end, that’s all I really got. The lacking story, repetitive gameplay and questionable graphics make Mystic Heroes only a mediocre hack and slash game at best. Even if you love hack and slash games, I’d recommend renting this game first and seeing how it grabs you.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 04/20/04