Mahokenshi is basically Slay the Spire with Samurai wizards, and that's a solid selling point. The game is a deck builder, the kind of game where you start with a garbage set of cards and accumulate better ones to reach your goal, but it tweaks the genre's conventions in a slightly different way. In addition, you get katanas.

The theme turns out to be the least impactful part of Mahokenshi, with a thin layer of second-hand Japanese folklore on top of familiar elements. There are four Mahokenshi to unlock, mystical warriors who have made a deal with a divine spirit for power, each with their own deck. Those who made a deal with the spider get cards with poison and stealth effects, while those who gained power from the turtle spirit get increased defense and damage spikes. In between battles with goblins, bandits, and cultists, these four occasionally face off against mites. The item that allows them to discard useless cards is, for some reason, a kimono. Japanese-ness is superficial.

What sets Mahokenshi apart from other deckbuilders is its structure. Playing on the hex grid, players spend action points to control samurai and cross floating sky islands to find treasures, quests, and power-ups. Instead of a mix-and-match hell like a random spire or monster train, all 18 missions have a predetermined layout and goal, each with its own little storyline. One mission began with a tense chase, with four wild urchins chasing me through the woods toward the castle. It affected my deck decisions and changed the way I play, with movement cards becoming more valuable than usual.

Other deckbuilders just find a combo that is too strong and remove all cards from the deck that don't help that combo succeed. Mahokenshi's mission, whether protecting villagers or sealing portals, adds more considerations than just finding the most busted card set.

Another difference is that the Mahokenshi is much easier. I had difficulty with only one mission, which turned out to be my own fault. What looked like a race against time mission, with four cultists buffing the Oni King in the center of the map, was actually much simpler. Instead of rushing forward, they should have proceeded slowly and steadily, like the turtle spirits.

Since Oni King doesn't attack until he kills all four cultists, and he doesn't stand in a hex too close with a misclick as I did once, the best approach is to kill three hooded jerks, then an altar for power-ups, a marketplace to buy cards, dojo to upgrade cards, and exploring every inch of the map for gold for purchases and upgrades. After raising every status and building the perfect deck, even though he was simultaneously a giant on magical steroids, he had no chance. Even if the mission had a clear time limit, it is best to build up one's strength over the longest possible time in Mahokenshi.

Mahokenshi recommends that you work hard with one character, as they gain XP and level up individually. Nevertheless, the level maxes out quickly, and for every story mission unlocked, there will be one or two side missions. In addition, there are buffs that are paid for with crystals, which are earned by completing optional tasks such as meditating at every altar on the map or winning before three of the peasants you are supposed to protect die, which apply to all characters.

While I enjoyed playing Mahokenshi there, I doubt I will ever play it again. The game is a light game that can be completed in about 20 hours, and I didn't think too much about it between sessions. The backstory is almost nonexistent, with magic swords that need to be reforged and evil cultists plotting to open a portal to the underworld, all of which basically cannot be washed away and replaced with a completely different fantastical hero or monster. Combined with the lack of challenge, it's about as much as a pokey. Nevertheless, it kept me hooked for the next 20 hours.