Mystic Ark/Gameplay

Introduction
In Mystic Ark you control a hero in a team of up to three adventurers in a quest across several fantasy worlds. During the game, the party members can progressively acquire several weapons and armors, but also many other items and a wide array of spells.

Mystic Ark is a role-playing video game. Specifically, it belongs to the sub-genre of Japanese-style RPVGs.

Three aspects that can define the genre of RPGs are listed here, and they apply to Mystic Ark as well:
 * 1) Text is an essential part of the game, and the characters have to talk and interact with non-evil characters to proceed in the adventure;
 * 2) There are permanent upgrades, in the form of enhancements of the various attributes of the characters (attack, strength, magic etc.);
 * 3) There is freedom of exploration, all the areas are connected by an "overworld", and areas that have been previously cleared can usually be re-visited; in other words, the game is non-linear.

Japanese-style RPVGs like Mystic Ark focus more on the plot, while American-style RPVGs focus more on exploration and "body-building" of the characters. Nevertheless, all three aspects are present in every RPG.

Area types
There are three modes of play: safe area, enemy-infested area, and in-battle.

When the player is in a safe area, usually in a town, (s)he can walk around as much as (s)he wants. The player can talk to non-player characters (NPCs), buy and sell items, search for hidden items, and rest at an inn. Also the player may duel the other characters, or even convince one to assist in the search for the runes.

When the player is in an enemy-infested area, the Magic Crystal item in the top-left appears. That crystal shows where enemies are, where cities and dungeons are, and where a rune is located. If a white dot gets too close to the center, a battle will break out. The player must move around quickly while grabbing chests and finding the way, since the enemies are always getting closer.

When the player is in battle, the perspective shows the party from behind looking at one to five enemies. The player then selects a command and take turns with the enemy and allies. The player can attack, cast a spell, use an item, or run. If the player wins, his/hers character gets experience points and gold. If he loses, the game is over and you have to restart from the last save point.

Gaining experience results in attaining levels which improve a character's skill. Buying better weapons and armor with the money improves a character's fighting ability.

Saving the game
You can only save your game at the inns that are found in every town, or the goddess statues found sporadically throughout the game.

Similar games
Mystic Ark is one of three games made by Produce & Enix for the SNES. The three together can be referred to as the "Elnard Trilogy".
 * The 7th Saga has almost exactly the same gameplay as Mystic Ark;
 * Brain Lord has a different gameplay from the other two games; anyway, it shares some plot elements with them, including the name of some characters;
 * A fourth game, Mystic Ark: Maboroshi Gekijou was made for PS1, but very little is known about it outside Japan.

Mystic Ark shares elements with many other RPGs, especially those where the player controls a team of characters and where there is clear separation between white and black magic. Some famous examples are the following:
 * The Dragon Quest series, starting from the third episode;
 * The Final Fantasy series;
 * The Seiken Densetsu series.