Mystical Fighter is a beat 'em up

Beat 'em up

Beat 'em up is a video game genre featuring melee combat between the protagonist and a large number of underpowered antagonists. These games typically take place in urban settings and feature crime-fighting and revenge-based plots, though some games may employ historical or fantasy themes...

 game. This game is known in Japan as Maō Renjishi. Maō literally means demon king in Japanese.

The story, designs, and characters are based on Japanese mythology

Japanese mythology

Japanese mythology is a system of beliefs that embraces Shinto and Buddhist traditions as well as agriculturally based folk religion. The Shinto pantheon comprises innumerable kami...

. Like in most scrolling fighters, the player (who controls a kabuki

Kabuki

is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...

) can use combos, flips and swings to fight against tough opponents. There is also a time limit, usually about forty seconds, for the player to finish the stage. If the time reaches zero before the player passes the stage, the player will automatically lose the game as it will be declared a defeat. Similar to Golden Axe, the player can use a special magic power, but instead of bottles the player must manually pick up scrolls. The more scrolls the player has, the stronger the magic attack will be, however if the player chooses to use this attack all the scrolls will be consumed.

Gameplay

Despite the time limit, the player will spend most of the time mashing mainly the A and B button while fighting three to five opponents at a time. There are also hidden bonus stages that can be accessed if the player approaches certain doors or rooms. These bonus stages contain magic scrolls, items to increase the character's health bar, or weapons. The boss fights are often easier than regular enemies. There are also traps and holes that both the player or the enemies could fall in to; The traps and pits do not always hinder the player, and in fact can be beneficial if the player throws an enemy directly into the pit.