Ristar. Secrets of a super star...
Written: Oct 20 '04 (Updated Oct 20 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Superb graphics and musical score; inventive techniques; good challenge; secret levels and passwords.
Cons: None.
The Bottom Line: This fabulous platform game should be in every Genesis collection.
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| platonism's Full Review: Ristar for Sega Genesis |
Rediscovering a masterpiece
Released in early-1995, Sega's Ristar received positive reviews but was eclipsed by overwhelmingly popular late-1994 action games such as Donkey Kong Country, Earthworm Jim, The Lion King and Sonic & Knuckles. Still, it has become a cult favorite among retro gamers. I rented Ristar once in the weeks following its initial release and liked it, but that previous experience did not quite prepare me for my 2004 rediscovery of the game. It is easy to say it now, but this is clearly a cart that I should have bought at the time. Since it costs about ten times less than it originally did, I can't complain... Ristar has been the most often played game in my Genesis collection for quite some time.
How could I present Ristar to those yet unfamiliar with the game? I'd say that it is an amalgam of three video game characters/franchises. It shares the title-screen and level introductions of Sonic, another Sega character; Ristar's appearance and voice is close to that of Cool Spot; the game's innocent/bright tone and its densely exploratory nature could remind one of Kirby's action games. But in some ways, Ristar goes beyond all three. It features many more techniques and variety than Cool Spot; the level-design is arguably more ingenious than that of the typical Sonic game; it is more challenging than Kirby's Adventure. Ristar can definitely stand on its own and is a true masterpiece of platform gaming.
A fable
The storyline is fable-like and has some interesting symbols. A space pirate, conveniently named Greedy, wishes to take over a beautiful solar system filled with six mysterious planets: to do so, he captures a legendary hero of the solar system and brainwashes each of the planets' leaders. As Planet Flora asks for help, the hero's son, Ristar, volunteers to travel from planet to planet and free the leaders; his quest will culminate in a showdown with the space pirate himself, and victory will reunite him with his dad.
Each planet is deemed a Round and has three sections: two regular levels and a boss battle. In the tradition of Sonic, every round has its own theme: Planet Flora is the woods level and is full of trees, plants and birds; in Planet Undertow, Ristar has to get by many underwater trials; Planet Scorch is the fire level, with erupting volcanoes, flames and rising lava; Planet Sonata is a planet of musical wonder, with drums, horns, guitars and trumpets alternately helping and hindering Ristar; Planet Freon is the ice level; in Planet Automation, Ristar faces a wide variety of robots and strange devices. In level 7, Ristar gets to meet Greedy himself in his space city.
All of these settings are exceptionally rendered by the vivid and colorful graphics. The round introductions are strongly reminiscent of those of Sonic games, but the levels themselves are quite different. The backdrops are consistently gorgeous, especially in Planet Flora; they are usually multi-leveled and always intricately conceived. Meanwhile, Ristar is a captivating character. He is small but very expressive and smoothly animated. Sega even gave him different 'standing animations' on each planet according to the settings. Enemies range from animals to birds and robots, while the bosses are all massive and often amusing (at the end of Planet Sonata, you face a big bird who is a terrible singer; the Planet Freon boss must be fed). The non-level images – title screen, intro and ending sequences, transitions, etc. – all showcase great attention to detail.
The Tomoko Sasaki-composed music is just as remarkable as the graphics. Each sub-level has its musical theme, and their variety is impressive. The tunes are always upbeat, but not annoyingly so. The soundtrack works both as self-effacing background music and as music you can actively listen to. My favorite themes are probably those of levels 1-2, 2-1, 4-1 and the 'final boss music', but I love the whole soundtrack. Ristar has his share of catch phrases throughout the game, and their very fuzziness (a Genesis trademark) enhances their charm.
Involving techniques
Ristar's techniques secure its place as one of the best platformers around. Unlike many platform games, Ristar has few instances of jump-and-shoot gameplay. Very rarely does Ristar have to negotiate precise jumps or make leaps of faith. The game is transfigured by its title-character's grabbing abilities. Grabbing of course was a key element in the jumpless Bionic Commando (NES, 1988), and also in the Treasure-developed Genesis games McDonald's Treasureland Adventure (1993) and Dynamite Headdy (1994). Ristar's sole attack can be pulled off with the grab button. Pushing and holding B near an enemy will cause Ristar to grab it; releasing B will make Ristar headbutt the enemy. Against airborne enemies, Ristar should rather keep the enemy in his grasp – some of them can give him a ride to otherwise unreachable places (some bonus levels can only be accessed thus). But Ristar can also grab tree trunks to get to their other side, climb ladders and walls, throw some specific objects, etc. In some levels, you only have to jump a few times, because progress is usually made through grabbing and climbing.
Ristar's techniques do not end there. Throughout the levels, you will come by Star Handles. Once you grab one and push the D-pad in the direction Ristar is facing, he starts spinning faster and faster; when you let go of the grab button, he becomes a shooting star and zooms around at high speed, defeating the enemies he touches. This is the only example of Sonic-like speed – the game is usually much more deliberate, because Ristar can't run. At the end of each stage, there is a Star Handle for you to use – you have to exit the level at the greatest possible height for points (shades of Super Mario Bros.). Special Star Handles also give access to secret bonus stages (I will get to them shortly).
All of these moves can be pulled off very easily thanks to the precise controls and well-balanced learning curve. The level-design gradually introduces the player to the various techniques: for instance, Planet Flora has a place for most variants of the grabbing move, a few Star Handles, enemies that can transport you, etc. But this unofficial practice round is spiced with special touches that make it fun even after dozens of tries.
A slew of challenges for hardcore platform players
Ristar's challenge level is just perfect. The first few stages and bosses are quite easy, but from Planet Scorch onwards, the difficulty progressively rises. The last two planets in particular – and the subsequent battle with Greedy and his minions – have some very hard sections. Ristar's final boss is like all great final bosses, in that defeating him could take anywhere from fifty to a hundred tries; he is not impossible but can only be beaten if you use power-ups carefully. It is not a single battle, but several mini-battles with overlapping patterns. And as I have written earlier, the music that plays during this final encounter is phenomenal.
Extra lives are relatively easy to find, as are the stars that replenish your health. One brilliant item that you can use in Planet Scorch is a black-and-white replica of Ristar: by keeping it in front of you, you can make it fall into traps and safely continue your way. This is strikingly similar to the opening of Philip K. Dick's superb SF novel, Clans of the Alphane Moon. Such puzzle-inflected elements can be found elsewhere in the game, especially in the first half of Planet Sonata (you have to transport metronomes through obstacles) and the second stage of Planet Automation.
Beating the game is challenging and rewarding (the Hard difficulty setting gives you fewer lives and you can take less damage), but it is only a hint of the pleasures Ristar has in store for hardcore fans of platform games. As I first played the game, I knew that it had passwords, so I expected to get one after reaching the second planet. This is not how Ristar works. Instead of having a password for every planet completed, it follows a more interesting route. You can only get passwords if you beat the game, and have found a sufficient number of treasures. These treasures can be reached in secret bonus levels scattered in all of the stages, so there are twelve overall. To access a bonus level, you have to find a special Star Handle; they are rarely located in obvious places and necessitate some exploring. Once you access a bonus level, you have a minute to get the treasure, and this gets more and more difficult as the game progresses. If you get a treasure in little time, you are awarded a continue.
When you finish the game, you get to see the ending, and then a password screen. Passwords are only revealed bit by bit, unless you have found almost all the treasures. The passwords open up a slew of possibilities and bolster Ristar's replay value tremendously. Some enable you to select your level, others to use a timer mode or boss rush mode, etc. They can easily be found on the Internet, but what is the fun of using passwords you did not earn by yourself? I suggest playing the game over and over until you get all the passwords. When you play Ristar with the aim of finding all of the secret bonus levels, the challenge is even more imposing because you then have to venture into more difficult sections.
A therapeutic game
The cynical and sarcastic humor of games like Battletoads or Earthworm Jim left its indelible mark on the history of video games, but there is also a place for the purity and innocence of Ristar. The game creates a universe that is amazingly warm and cohesive – as you begin to play Ristar, it is as if you enter a new dimension, leaving it only when you turn off the power of your Genesis. It makes the far reaches of fantasy seem immensely personal and friendly. Few games give me such experiences – I can only think of Kirby's Adventure (NES, 1993), with which Ristar has many common elements. This is as therapeutic a game as any I have played, and I strongly recommend it to Genesis owners.
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Some of my video game reviews
NES - Battletoads, Dragon's Lair, Marble Madness, The Rocketeer, Swamp Thing.
Genesis - Garfield: Caught in the Act, Mickey Mania.
Recommended:
Yes
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platonism
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