Mystical Fighter

"A decent Kabuki-themed beat 'em up that was overlooked largely due to its premise."

Mystical Fighter is one of the few games I can think of that features Kabuki as the protagonists. The only others I can recall as of the moment are Kabuki Warriors for the XBOX and Kabuki: Quantum Fighter on the NES. Now, having grown up in the 80's, I can tell you one thing for sure when it comes to marketing video games - ninjas sell. You could try to advertise for just about anything if there were black-garbed ninjas involved waving around swords, spinning nunchaku, or throwing shuriken - and it would interest kids no matter what kind of garbage was being sold. So, when Mystical Fighter appeared on store shelves and sported a cover decorated by men wearing ceremonial makeup, wigs, and robes - no one who was eight years old begged mommy and daddy to buy it. Now, I am in no way suggesting that they should have edited the contents of the game to sell more copies and lose their artistic integrity. Perhaps Mystical Fighter could have simply garnished more attention with more action featured on the box-art and some commercials going "HEY KIDS! SMASH SOME SAMURAI AND ANCIENT JAPANESE DEMONS IN AN ALL-NEW GAME FOR THE SEGA GENESIS!". Anyhow, this introduction is starting to drag on, so it is time for the review..

Graphics 7/10

The visuals were above average for the time and hardware, and most of the sprites had a decent amount of detail. The animation was a bit above the norm, but nothing exceptional. The background environments weren't quite as good - featuring basic oriental settings like dojos, and village streets. Although there were several different types of magical attacks - none of them felt as graphically impressive as Golden Axe's.

Sound 7/10

As to be expected, the soundtrack consisted largely of what you would hear during that period of time in Japan. It wasn't entirely traditional sounding, as it had a slight synthesizer effect over the music and was arranged mechanically. It could be a little high-pitched at times but was overall decent enough to listen to. The battle noise was about average, although there weren't any enemy death cries or grunts whatsoever.

Control 10/10

The controls were spot on, the button layout scheme was good, and I didn't notice any response lag or slowdown. You have to be wary of some of the bosses and cannon fodder, who will do their best to knock you into the numerous instant-death-causing chasms located throughout the game.

Game-play 7/10

The combat in Mystical Fighter is mostly bare handed, although you do come across a few weapons (a stabbing sai, and a paper fan that functions like a boomerang). In the tradition of Golden Axe, you collect scrolls that power up a magic gauge that can be used instantly for a mild effect or saved up until you have five scrolls for tremendous damage. Each level of magic has a different effect (earthquakes, a giant spirit rampaging across the screen), kind of like Golden Axe - although both the 1st and 2nd player characters unleash the same things. There are a number of throws you can perform - my most interest of which is grabbing and enemy and spinning around till you launch him across the screen. Not only is this good for getting some breathing room, but there are many instant-death-causing pits and cliffs you can throw or simply knock enemies into. The enemies aren't incredibly difficult to battle, but you're often going to get surrounded by different types and have to adjust your offense and defense accordingly. Most of the bosses also rely on strategies to defeat, since even a fully-charged magical blast won't kill them and there isn't a "desperate attack". Overall the game is decent, although not very innovative aside from the setting. It still should of had more attention, especially from the internet beat 'em up community.

Replay value 3/10

There is a 2-player co-op mode, and you have to beat the game on hard to get the real ending (completing it on normal "rewards" you with a basic text blurb). Mystical Fighter is a decent game but I have to admit even with the less-than-typical premise it doesn't have a whole lot of drawing power.

Overall 7/10

Mystical Fighter is an above average brawler that gets credit for not being another crime-fighting, military, or super-hero themed beat 'em up cliche. I don't know if it will ever see inclusion into a game company compilation, so you'll probably have to buy it in this form. Purchasing a copy of this wouldn't be a waste of time or money, so try to snag a cart for about $7 next time you visit Ebay or a flea market.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 08/15/07