Mystic Defender Longplay (Sega Genesis) mega drive

Developer: Sega
Publisher: Sega
Year of Release: 1989

Game Review & Impressions
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Converted from the arcades, Mystic Defender on Sega Genesis is a relatively early title for the system. It's a standard platform affair with combat, and isn't a million miles away from Revenge of Shinobi.

You assume the role of Joe Yamato, a fighter skilled in the art of magic, tasked with rescuing Alexandra, daughter of a "Supreme Deity" from the clutches of Zareth, a henchman of the evil king Zao. The identity of this "deity" isn't known, and can't be especially "supreme" if it needs to send Joe to do its work for it, but I digress; it's just the usual excuse to have a guy kill a load of bad guys and rescue a princess.

As mentioned previously, Joe is a practitioner of the mystic arts, unleashing a variety of spells to defeat his enemies. Abilities include fireballs, bouncing projectiles, and issuing forth a gout of scorching flame that can be moved by pressing up and down on the joypad. These spells are unlocked throughout the course of the game, each being effective at dealing with different kinds of enemies. There's also a screen-wiping smart bomb that could be something of an issue for gamers with photosensitive epilepsy, so I kept use of that to a minimum whilst playing.

Given the time of its release, I'd be inclined to give Mystic Defender 7/10. It's not especially ground-breaking, but it's not a bad-looking title for 1989, and is a perfectly acceptable game.