Legend has it that when Yuji Naka and his pals on Sega's Sonic Team were sketching out ideas for the character that would eventually become Sonic the Hedgehog, one of the first concepts involved a rabbit that could grab enemies and slingshot its body into them. The rabbit didn't quite fit in Sonic's fast-paced world, but a few years down the line and after numerous Sonic the Hedgehog sequels, some people at Sega decided to transform the character into a star-headed alien and give it its own game. Ristar, as the character and game are known, came out in 1995 for the Megadrive.
The object in Ristar is to get through the two main levels in each of the game's six worlds and then topple the boss you encounter at the end of each world. Ristar's only power is that he can grab onto enemies and objects, which lets him accomplish a great many things. For instance, touching an enemy will take away one of your health points, but grabbing and bashing the enemy will harmlessly launch it off the screen. Every level is filled with branches and handholds that you can climb and swing from. You'll also frequently encounter horizontal poles that you can use to send Ristar flying high into the sky, which usually results in the discovery of a hidden platform and a treasure item.
In general, the surrounding environments are highly interactive. You'll often notice spots where you can drop to a lower path or switches that will open doors. Flinging Ristar around and bonking enemies is loads of fun. The boss battles at the end of each world are great too. They can last a while, since each boss has a number of different attacks and reactions, and doling out damage usually involves waiting for a specific moment of weakness or for an object in the environment to come within reach.
One positive side effect of Ristar coming out so late in the life cycle of the Megadrive is that the game reaped the benefits of all the experience Sega's people gained from producing numerous Sonic the Hedgehog games. The difficulty seems just right. You'll get hurt less often and lose fewer lives each time you play a level. Later levels are challenging, but there aren't any unfair surprises. Checkpoints are plentiful, and extra lives are ripe for the taking, if you can find them. Visually, the developers made the best of the system's limited color palette and employed every graphical trick they could to make the game look snazzy.
Ristar and his enemies have a good variety of animations, but what you'll probably notice the most are the colorful, multi-layered backgrounds that constantly flaunt animated details in the form of moving clouds, falling debris, and rampaging creatures that have a habit of hurling things at you from a distance. For the audio, the developers overcame the sound chip's propensity for hissing and popping and produced some genuinely intricate pieces of music. The whimsical sound effects and Ristar's infrequent vocal comments are nice too.
Games like Ristar are a perfect fit for the Virtual Console. You may have missed out on this quirky action romp the first time around, but now you have a new opportunity to enjoy it. If you don't already own this on one of Sega’s compilation discs, which were previously published for a variety of systems and contain Ristar along with many other classic Sega games, you should definitely consider getting this on the VC.
1. Nathan G
19 Feb 2007, 20:53 GMT
I never even heard about this game when it came out all those years ago, so I can understand when people go on about it being underrated. And I agree, its a brilliant game that can easliy stand up against soinic and co. Well worth a look!
2. Mart
02 Mar 2007, 11:47 GMT
This game is quality. I was one of those fortunate enough to pick this one up when it was released back in the day. It's a bright, colourful, solid platformer. Think Sonic style enviroments with varied Sonic gameplay. This isnt your typical Sonic gameplay though where every level is just a different background and you jump and spin through different obstacles. Ristar has stretchy arms to climb, grab switches, hang on to flying owls, and much more including snowball fights with an eskimo. If you missed this one first time round and you owned at least one sonic, you owe it to yourself to give his intergerlactic cousin a go aswell.
3. Sektor
25 Mar 2007, 22:34 GMT
i'm sorry everyone but i think this game is terrible, it's good fun for about half an hour but then it gets boring.
i terms of controlls it doesn't run smooth and feels blockly and like you can't move
it's no fun and to kill an enemy you just stretch your arms into him.
the nice and colourful graphics don't hide this games awful gameplay.
dnt waste 800 points, you could be spening it on something so much better.
e.g. super mario world, f-zero and so on.
4. danstan
26 Mar 2007, 03:59 GMT
I remember loving this game a lot more when I was a kid...
In New Zealand, everybody owned a Megadrive (Genesis), not a SNES, so I missed out on many classic games. Now that I've got access to many SNES games through the Virtual Console, this games mediocrity is pretty apparent.
Not an awful game, but four stars might be a bit generous in my opinion...
5. BJDJ
18 Apr 2007, 21:21 GMT
I'm quite surprised that there has never been at least a sequel to this game. However the only reason why I wouldn't download it is because you can get on the Sonic Mega Collection for Gamecube.
6. PresidentLeever
22 Apr 2007, 00:14 GMT
I just wish Ristar's walking speed was a tad faster. Perhaps they'll update it if we all ask them real nicely?
7. Sektor
26 Jun 2007, 17:46 GMT
i'm sorry everyone but i think this game is terrible, it's good fun for about half an hour but then it gets boring.
i terms of controlls it doesn't run smooth and feels blockly and like you can't move
it's no fun and to kill an enemy you just stretch your arms into him.
the nice and colourful graphics don't hide this games awful gameplay.
dnt waste 800 points, you could be spening it on something so much better.
e.g. super mario world, f-zero and so on.
8. PresidentLeever
03 Jul 2007, 12:53 GMT
^you need to finish it. Maybe the emulation is choppy, I dunno. Last time I played it it was super smooth but it's not fast paced like Sonic. It has very varied gameplay with lots of small puzzles and secrets to find.
You don't just stretch your arms to kill enemies, you knock them out with your head.
9. Mendez
12 Jul 2007, 11:58 GMT
It's a good game, though I don't really remember it. I played it a couple of times when I hacked Sonic Mega Collection to unlock it XD
I watched the video and it doesn't look as good as I remember though.
It just scrapes a 4* in my books.
10. Yoshi175
24 Jul 2007, 13:31 GMT
I finally made myself unlock this on mega collection and it's awesome. I can't belive they made no sequals
11. alvieao
16 Sep 2007, 03:40 GMT
It bears repeating because I own Sonic Mega Collection: Ristar is an unlockable game within the collection. The character designer was Yuji Uekawa, who has since went to create new characters (and updating designs of Sonic and friends) in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Everyone should play and appreciate this underrated gem: unique platformimg mechanics and colorful visuals. Download Ristar if you have missed it the first time...
12. Link O' Fett
20 Nov 2007, 17:14 GMT
The art style is gorgeous and the gameplay is pretty fun. Solid platforming action.
13. Clayfrd
18 Dec 2007, 00:09 GMT
I love this game. I recently unlocked it on Mega Collection, and frankly, I think it is amazing. It deserves nothing less than 5 stars because it is a unique platformer that, for its time, broke the barriers of what a platformer could be. The bosses are also fantastic, and they all offer a unique challenge. Great spritework too.
14. Mad Bomber
22 Jan 2008, 18:11 GMT
I'd say 4 stars is more than fair. This game has some nice bright graphics and interesting gameplay mechanics but it still falls short of classic status due to some odd level design choices which really choke up the gameplay. It's really nothing spectacular. Worth checking out as it is a solid platformer but it's no Sonic CD.
15. Ho11oWxxMaN
25 Jan 2008, 12:56 GMT
I bought the Sega Genesis Collection for my PSP(has many of the games found on the VC), and Ristar is one of them. I was pleasantly surprised at how addicted I am to this game. I know this may be a bit drastic to say, but I enjoy it more than Sonic. Its got nicer artwork, a cool, cartoon-like visual style, and the gameplay is very fun.
You kill enemies by grabbing onto them (your arms extend rather far), and "bonking" them with your head. As the Mad Bomber stated, the level design is a bit odd, but still enjoyable seeing as how nice every level looks. If you do not have access to the Sega Genesis Collection(PSP or PS2), then definitely invest the Wii points in this game, you will not be disappointed with this solid platformer.
16. Will
29 Jan 2008, 21:53 GMT
How do you unlock this on mega collection?
17. President_Leever
30 Jan 2008, 14:45 GMT
"It's really nothing spectacular. Worth checking out as it is a solid platformer but it's no Sonic CD."
Funny you should mention Sonic CD, which is the worst offender when it comes to choking up the gameplay with odd level design (Im looking at you, crappy timetraveling system).
18. Roo
17 Feb 2008, 20:48 GMT
A visual tour-de-force that showcased the power of the Mega Drive and wowed everybody (who played it) with its stunning looks. Ristar requires the disciplines of skill, concentration and good reflexes - qualities any decent gamer needs! Master it, and you'll be safe in the knowledge that you've spent your 800 points on one of the finest 2D platformer there is on any console. A hugely playable game, far superior than the folks above have portrayed it to be. 5 stars, without question.
19. GameGod3008
22 Feb 2008, 17:33 GMT
Played this on Mega Collection and it was quite a good game
20. deshadow52
27 Jun 2008, 16:35 GMT
i have played it and theres some parts i really didnt like for example in the third world(fire or lava world) first level
before the end of the levl you get this part where there six pipes and enemys stick out of first they show up for a split second one at a time which means the order you have to hit them in which means it simon based they then all show up and you have to kill them in the correct order
this part was badly made i would go into details but its hard to explain the people that played it would know what im talking about and later on it just gets even more annoying. annoying enough that i just stop playing it. its a good game but its just not for me but if your looking for game that is a really challeging platformer than your in for a treat with this one.
21. Mr. Cheez
02 Jul 2008, 19:51 GMT
Played this one on my good ol' Sega Genesis Collection, and this is one of my favorite games on it. The audio and visuals are incredible for a Genesis game (The graphics remind me of Rayman on PSone.), and it has some real clever boss fights. I especially like the one in the ice world, where you have to feed hot soup to a giant ice monster. This and Comix Zone need sequels. Seriously.
22. Beau Skunk
06 Aug 2008, 06:05 GMT
The game features creative level designs, boss battles, and characters. The music, and bright graphics are nice to. Almost makes you feel like a kid again. It's no wonder this game has become a cult-classic. Not as fast-paced as Sonic, but a great game.
23. Clayfrd
01 Sep 2008, 01:41 GMT
@Will - Look it up on Gamespot or IGN or whatever you like. You have to play every game like 25 times. If you want to cheat, you can just start and exit the games over and over, but it still takes a while. It's worth saving 8 bucks to take a few minutes to unlock it. Good game.
24. MrLopez
21 Sep 2008, 17:52 GMT
So much fun!
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