Ristar: A Game with a Forgotten Sega Superstar

Throughout Sega's history, there have been games that have had potential to become long-running series. Plenty of them did last or have lasted for some time...Sonic the Hedgehog, Alex Kidd, and Samba de Amigo spring to mind. Then there are those games that never spawn any sequels, even if they are over a decade old. Case in point, Ristar, a 1995 game for the Sega Genesis, which starred a character with the potential to have many more games, but aside from a Game Gear version, he has not made a return appearance. I will tell you more about this impressive game, and why I feel that Ristar himself deserves another shot at becoming the star he was meant to be.

The game's story takes place in another galaxy, where Greedy, a wicked alien, is wreaking havoc on all of the planets. Greedy's minions have taken over many worlds, and to make matters worse, the legendary hero of the galaxy has been taken prisoner. The only one who can stop Greedy and save the hero is Ristar, who just happens to be the hero's own son. Thus, Ristar heads off on a grand adventure to become a hero in his own right. The tale is nothing you have not seen before, but it serves its purpose.

As Ristar, your mission is to explore seven worlds, most of which are divided into three stages. Ristar himself is a star with arms and legs, and he happens to have the ability to stretch his arms out to grab things. He can defeat numerous enemies this way, and he can also grab items such as extra lives and stars that replenish his health. Other things that Ristar can grab on to include tree branches, miniature statues that he can use to trigger traps, and metronomes that can be given to birds in one level. Each stage has a large amount of surprises, as well, and the worlds take place in such fantastic locations as a forest world, a music world, and an ice level.

Often, Ristar will come across cranks that, when grabbed, can be used to spin him around and send him flying. This can be done to reach higher areas or to break things that would otherwise not be damaged. Cranks are also found at the end of most levels, and Ristar can used these to try and earn points. The higher he flies, the more points he earns. Some cranks even lead to bonus stages where Ristar must try and get a treasure before time runs out. If he succeeds, he can get part of a password at the end of the game. If he grabs the treasure fast enough, he will even earn a continue, which is a good thing, as this is one of those games that must be beaten in one sitting.

In most worlds, the first stage ends with a mini boss battle. These minions include a snake that pops out of a hole, birds that dance to the music before they try to peck you, and a series of foes that must be defeated in a specific order, lest Ristar gets scorched by burning flames. The last stage in each world is a fight against one of Greedy's strongest cohorts, and these battles are likewise quite ingenious. You will fight a wizard possessed by a monster, an ice monster who cannot stand hot soup, and even a bird who sings badly (and the music changes accordingly!). Every fight is incredible, and the last battle is quite epic, as well, though saying anything more than that would give it away.

There is really nothing bad about Ristar at all save for the fact that it is not very long and, as mentioned, must be beaten in a single session. The game itself shines with impressive level design, amazing secrets to discover, incredible boss battles, and a fantastic character who deserves to be in more games. Equally grand are the graphics and music. The graphics are bright and colorful, and Ristar himself has some great animations. This should not be very shocking considering that this game was released relatively late in the Genesis' life. The music is full of catchy music, with my personal favorite tracks including the Sonata, Automaton, and Scorch level tunes, as well as the boss intro track. Sega has a knack for creating excellent soundtracks, and this is no exception.

If Ristar is such a superb game, and if Ristar himself is a character with a lot of potential, why did Sega not make more games starring him? There was a Game Gear version that was released at about the same time as the Genesis version, but other than that, there have been no other Ristar games to date. Perhaps the reason for this may lie in the timing of the game's release: by 1995, 16-bit systems, while still fairly strong, were gradually being pushed aside in favor of 32-bit and 64-bit systems. Sony's Playstation would be released in 1995, as would Sega's own Saturn. The former would become a strong seller and would thrive for years, while the latter would be discontinued by 1998. Even so, anticipation for the release of these consoles may have hurt the game's sales, and unjustly so, which could mean that Sega assumed that future Ristar games would likewise sell poorly, and thus they decided to let the little guy retire after just two games.

I would love to see Ristar make a comeback in a new adventure, whether he ends up fighting Greedy again or he deals with an entirely different threat to his galaxy. Ristar is a great character and his stretching ability is just plain neat, so he should get another shot at stardom. Of course, it would have to be in a game that is neither rushed out in order to make money fast nor weighed down by pointless gimmicks, both of which have plagued the Sonic the Hedgehog series in recent years. Sega could start by giving Ristar a 2D adventure for the Nintendo DS with many of the same features from the Genesis game, and if that went over well, he could then star in a 3D adventure, for any (or multiple) consoles, that would hopefully become a masterpiece.

It should be noted that Ristar himself was, in a way, once the prototype for the character who would become Sonic the Hedgehog. It all stared when Sega created a rabbit who would reach out and grab objects, but instead of using his arms, he would use his ears. The rabbit would eventually change into a hedgehog who could roll into enemies, and thus, Sonic was born. As for the rabbit, he ended up inspiring the idea of a game with a character stretching and grabbing onto things. Ultimately, the rabbit became a star, the stretching ears would give way to stretching arms, and after a while, Ristar had a name and an adventure of his own. Out of this rabbit, Sega created two fantastic characters, but has relied far more heavily on Sonic than Ristar, which is unfortunate.

Ristar remains readily available, not only on the Genesis, but also on various compilations as well as on the Wii Shop Channel, so people can either relive Ristar's amazing adventure or see for themselves a game that was not a hot selling title, but which has become something of a cult classic. The game is quite incredible, and an unfortunate victim of bad timing, being released as more powerful consoles were being prepared for release. Still, it is one of the best games released late in the Genesis' life, and Ristar himself deserves a comeback. If Nintendo can bring Kid Icarus back after such a long hiatus, why can't Sega do the same thing for Ristar? He needs another chance to become the superstar he was always meant to be.