Based
off an anime, Mystic Defender falls into the usual platforming ruts of the era.
There's nothing here even remotely original, and some of the levels are simply
infuriating. It's a below average jump & shoot title, and there are too many on the
Genesis to make this one worthwhile. This first gen title moves quickly, which is enough to add to the difficulty. It's absurdly paced, and while the controls are quick to respond, it doesn't feel like you're really handling the character. Pitfalls are rare, though you will still be slaughtered by re-appearing enemies if you drop.
Stage
two is one of the worst you'll play in a game, making the entire thing a staircase mess of
a maze, and one missed jump means repeating multiple sections, all fully restocked. It's
one of those levels tossed into the game to make it last longer, without much thought as
to how it's not fun for the player. To be fair, the rest of the levels are decent,
especially the final raid on the enemy. Magic power is the characters main source of firepower, spewing various means of death from his hands. There are multiple powers, some which are useless (fire) and others that work fine (standard shot). His jumping skills are adequate for the most part, and he can turn quick enough to avoid any moving obstacles.
The issue at hand is there are far too many better platformers out there for someone to waste time on this. It's ancient graphically (especially with the backgrounds), and even some odd, obscure titles just like this are far more recommendable. The Genesis offers too much, and Mystic Defender can't survive against some of the best.
