| Game Information |
| Title: |
Ristar |
|
| Year Released: |
1995 |
| Version Reviews: |
USA |
| Genre: |
Platform |
| Max Players: |
1 |
| Game Difficulty: |
Medium
|
| Difficulty Options: |
Yes
|
| Introduction |
| I consider Ristar to be one of the sleeper hits for the Genesis. The only thing I ever saw about it were reviews in game magazines; it was never a feature article, or a cover, and I don't think it got a full sized review. There was next to no marketing for the game from Sega, but it was a fantastic game. I came across it by accident in 1996, and bought it because it was cheap and looked kind of neat. It ended up becoming one of my favourite games, and apparently a favourite of Sega's since it is included in many of their compilations.
Perhaps the game was so good because the game play was originally meant for Sonic back when he was cast as a rabbit that could grab stuff with his ears. Eventually that was dropped for the Sonic that came to be, but the idea never disappeared, and eventually became Ristar in 1995. |
| Gameplay |
| You play Ristar, a young shooting star and son of a famous hero. An alien force called Greedy has brainwashed the leaders of the seven worlds in your solar system, corrupting them. You are called upon to defeated Greedy's henchmen, and eventually Greedy himself in order to save the people of the worlds.
Each of the seven planets in the solar system act as a uniquely themed level. Each level has three Acts, where the third act is the boss battle.
One level is forest based, one water based, one fire based, one music based, one ice based, and so on. Your goal is to get to the end of the level by walking, climbing, hanging, jumping, swimming, swinging, and by grabbing enemies to destroy them and pass safely. The levels are full of hidden items that can be found by grabbing walls and slamming into them. The levels are very big, if not a bit linear, but very fun nonetheless.
Bonus levels are accessed by finding hidden star poles and spinning off of them. |
| Graphics |
| Each level is very colourful and takes full advantage of the Genesis, possibly due to the years in development. The graphics rival those of Tempo on the 32X, and still look great today. The themed levels are lush and vibrant and always a pleasure to look at while never being a distraction. The enemies are very well done and very well detailed, especially the bosses. The detail of everything visual in this game is top notch.
Let Ristar stand in place and he'll bop up and down in anticipation until he stands for too long at which point he beckons you to get going. |
| Sound & Music |
| The music is top notch and not the typical Genesis music found in most games. The level music is very catchy, with my favourites being Level 1-1 and the Christmassy Level 5-1. Instead of the annoying tinny music that tends to come out of a lot of Genesis titles, the music in Ristar is more akin to Sonic titles. It makes you wonder all games couldn't sound this good with its excellent instrument synthesization. All the music is accessible through the sound test, which is set up to look like an orchestra, who play to the music, a conductor, and an applauding audience. The sound effects are standard platform sound effects, which are very good and fit right in with the music. |
| Controls |
| The controls are simple: one button for jumping, and one for grabbing (the jump button is used to swim in Level 2). While simple, using these two actions together greatly increase what Ristar can do. Grabbing a pole causes you to flip around it; there are overhead bars you can use to hang from and move hand-over-hand across the screen; grabbing and hanging from enemies; climbing the walls; bouncing off the walls. Ristar's gymnastic-like skills can be used to vault back and forth between poles to travel up the screen. Simple, yet diverse moves make Ristar a treat to control. |
| Reply Value |
| The game has varying difficulty level, including a hidden super hard setting, so unless you start playing on the hardest level, you can easily go through the game a few times, each time with a harder level. There are no loop-de-loops to run through, but the catchy music and colourful graphics will keep you coming back, as will the fact that there are hidden lives, health and jewels throughout the levels that are found by reaching into holes and slamming yourself against various walls some of which you have to scale without any handles.
There is a lot to see and do, and chances are that levels are so detailed that you will miss things the first time through. And even if you don't play the game again often, it is such a brilliant piece of work that just having it in your collection will be satisfying. |
| Final Scores |
| Gameplay: |
9 |
| Graphics: |
10 |
| Sound: |
9 |
| Controls: |
9 |
| Replay Value: |
8 |
| Conclusion |
| This is a must have game for anyone who loves platformers or who collects Genesis games, even if you just collect the best of the best. This is definitely one of the best of the best. The only thing that prevents the game from getting straight 10's is that Sonic games would then need straight 11's! |
| Screenshots / Images |
Sorry, there are no more screenshots/images for this game.
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