Mystic Defender is a side-scrolling platform game where you play as Joe Yamata on a quest to rescue Alexandra from the villainous Zao. Zao uses her soul to resurrect his master Zareth in Azuchi castle. You'll need to navigate through various levels, fighting enemies and collecting power-ups.
The gameplay involves attacking enemies with four types of magic, charging your blasts, and changing the magic type mid-game. This adds a layer of strategy to the game as you try to overcome obstacles and defeat Zareth's minions.