Mystic Formula

~ MYSTIC FORMULA ~

Micro Cabin Corp.

Super CD-ROM

1993

Though all the reviews depict the game as being lackluster, Mystic Formula had always intrigued me. Both the visual and the gameplay styles seemed, from a distance, reminiscent of Elemental Master, which is one of my favorite Genesis games. Plus, the characters looked cool in artwork and cinema screenshots. As it turns out, MF isn't a straightforward shooter a la EM; instead, it's of Last Alert's ilk... but without LA's cool mission objectives, weaponry, and explorable environments.

My experience with it commenced in wretched fashion. Yes, the characters look nice in the cinemas, but most of said cinemas are of the "small window" variety, and they give way to awful in-game graphics. Gameplay-wise, MF came off as a poor man's Last Alert, and I found myself fighting vexatious little bats rather than soldiers and machines.

Things pick up a bit after the horrible start, however. The enemy cast gets its act together and throws a few reasonably cool beasts and robots your way. You can commandeer enemy mecha and vehicles and grab icons that make an ally appear and fight by your side.

But the problem is that it's all way, way, way too easy. I beat it the first time I played it, and then easily disposed of Hard mode the next time. The bosses, though they look kind of cool, are weaklings.

The "toughest" parts of the game come during the first and third stages, when those swarming bats attack you. Beyond that, it's cake. One serpent midboss does absolutely nothing except sloooowly follow you around the screen--even on Hard mode.

Still, the action is adequate if not particularly exciting or challenging. And the music is pretty good--not memorable, but pretty good. That's some lukewarm praise, but I guess in Mystic Formula's case, it adds up to "better than expected." I was playing through a long RPG when I first acquired it, and it provided a nice enough break from that. But that's probably all it'll be if you get it: a decent "break" game. It won't occupy your attention for long. Sadly, $40+ seems to be the typical asking price for it, and it ain't worth that much. I got it for half that amount, and I was satisfied with the purchase.