Mark and Zeal
Mystic Riders is a 2-D Horizontal Scrolling Shooter made by Irem, the same guys behind R-Type, In the Hunt, Gun Force and other uber-violent arcade games from the 1990s...
... and surprise, this one's a Cute 'em Up. Really.
Set in a fantasy world where magic exists and a colourful assortment of fantasy creatures runs amok, players assume the roles of Mark and Zeal, two apprentice mages sent to take down monsters around the world. On your trusty flying broomstick, you proceed to battle your way through ghosts, grim reapers, gargoyles and other enemies.
Contains similarities to Cotton, the first installment released just a year before, as well as Three Wonders.
This game contain examples of:
- Blob Monster: Green, jelly-like blobs appears in the caves, with the ability to spew ranged projectiles. Smaller blobs can even combine into larger ones if left idle for a while.
- Chest Monster: There are treasure chest monsters distinguished by their color as well as by occasionally getting up and walking around. Most of them are well-camouflaged among the real chests.
- Floating Continent: The second stage is set on a series of floating islets filled with assorted enemies.
- Flying Broomstick: Instead of a spaceship, both Mark and Zeal kicks ass while riding on broomsticks. There are also witch mooks on similar brooms as enemies.
- Flying Seafood Special: The cavern levels has flying jellyfishes. And there's giant flying turtles the size of islands.
- Gashadokuro: The castle has huge skeleton foes as tall as the rooms they're fought in, towering over Mark and Zeal serving as Giant Mook enemies.
- The Grim Reaper: A recurring enemy type, where Mark and Zeal battles hooded flying skeletons swinging scythes.
- Kirin: A fiery kirin Wreathed in Flames serves as one of the bosses. And is fought in a flaming pit, making the subsequent fight a Battle Amongst the Flames.
- Our Gargoyles Rock: Gargoyles are a recurring enemy, often disguised as statues before coming to life and attacking. Defeating them results in Literally Shattered Lives.
- Our Mermaids Are Different: The underwater levels has mermen enemies whose upper bodies appears closer to Fish People than human.
- Pink Girl, Blue Boy: Variant, but Zeal the girl wears red. Meanwhile Mark plays it straight by wearing blue.
- Puppeteer Parasite: The underwater stage ends with you saving a mermaid princess from an octopus-like monster. Alas, a small, one-eyed, tentacle creature suddenly pops up from out of nowhere and possesses the princess, turning her hostile and you'll need to battle her. Inflict enough damage and the creature withers away, and the princess will thank you for her rescue.
- Sinister Scythe: The Grim Reaper-esque mooks naturally wields gigantic scythes as weapons. Mark and Zeal also has a power-up that turns their projectiles into scythes capable of dealing greater damage.
- Sinister Stingrays: Stingrays are another recurring enemy underwater, and they can somehow shoot projectiles from their gills.
- Tentacled Terror: A squid-like monstrosity with multiple tentacles serves as a boss of the underwater level.
- Turtle Island: In the second stage, some of the floating islets are actually gigantic, airborne turtles, who sticks their heads out to chomp on you.
- Villainous Harlequin: The game's Final Boss is a red-faced demon dressed as a harlequin who is fought in the castle's final area.
