Ristar (Sonic Team 1995)

In some far-off galaxy an evil alien called Greed is up to no good, enslaving the people and corrupting their rulers. All hope seems to be lost as even their great hero is captured. Still they send out a desperate plea for help which is answered by none other than the hero's son Ristar. OK so the plot isn't that original but the rest of the game more than makes up for this. It just so happen to be that Ristar is a yellow star with telescopic arms. I always wondered who would star in platform games after they run out of a supply of small furry creatures but even I'm surprised at the choice of a celestial object as game character.

Ristar might look small and cute but he definitely has what it takes to save the day. With the Mega Drive games starting to wind down a bit as the bigger, better 32-bit consoles loom it's good to see a quality title like Ristar. The levels in the game are big and colorful and presentation wise this game cannot be faulted. With the Sonic series getting a bit stale Ristar breaths some new life into the genre with way cool play mechanics and loads of originality. Levels are filled with tricks and traps so if you try to blast through them like in a Sonic title you are bound to lose. Instead each level must be explored thoroughly and since there's no time limit to worry about you can find all those secrets and bonus levels at your own pace. Some levels even throw minor puzzle elements at you making you think for a change. Each of the levels end in the usual boss encounter and these guys are impressive to say the least. Visually they use almost every trick in the book, leaping out of the background and dazzling you with special effects.

Unlike your usual platform hero Ristar cannot jump very high or far so he must rely on his telescopic arms to latch onto things and swing him around. His main form of attack is also to grab enemies and then cannonball into them. The game throws lots of arcade elements at you like carrying an object through a series of hazards or triggering traps by throwing a decoy at it. Besides his jumping and climbing skills, Ristar can also swim and this makes for some very cool underwater levels. Ristar does not have to worry about breathing so you are free to explore without worrying where your next air pocket is. Even with five continues and two skill levels Ristar is far from easy. It will take a few tries to master everything he is capable of and almost every level throws something new at you. There is a password feature but these aren't just given away and you have to earn them.

I'm surprised that Ristar doesn't run around collecting stars for points like your usual platform character. Instead the few stars that are scattered through the levels give you health and can be pretty well hidden. The only other collectibles are gems that give you a score increase. These are also hidden on some seemingly out of reach places so it takes a bit of extra effort to get them all. You enemies are a wacky bunch and come in all shapes and sizes. They'll squirm around in your grip as you grab them before you smash them to pieces. Some of them also have cool attacks where they jump at you from the fore or background. A neat touch is how you can hang on to some flying enemies and use tome to cover some extra ground or reach higher places. Ristar is a richly animated character and include loads of idle animations for each of his environments. This means if you leave him alone on the ice levels he'll start building a little snowman or sit down and look hot on the lava levels.

Ristar is a maneuverable little sprite but his unique way of attacking and moving around does take some getting used to. Luckily the restart points are pretty fair considering the size of the levels and there isn't much repetition. The bonus levels once you find them are pretty tricky and you only have one shot at them. There are loads of treasure chests and secrets to find on each level and if you explore thoroughly you'll be handsomely rewarded. Like the rest of the game the audio is brilliant and there's even an excellent "Sound Theater" sound test mode where you can listen to the tunes. Tomoko Sasaki has done a great job and songs like "Du-Di-Da!!" is sure to make you tap your feet. The sound effects are also of a high standard with tons of whimsical speech samples.

Although Ristar might seem childish at first after playing for a while you'll soon realize how great this game is. Finding everything is quite a challenge and if the normal and hard levels still feel too easy try entering "SUPERB" as a password for the expert mode. If you enjoyed the Sonic titles but want something fresh or with a slower pace then Ristar come highly recommended. The game is fun and addictive with enough cool gamplay elements to keep you coming back. Ristar is a character that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Sonic, Earthworm Jim, Cool Spot and Dynamite Headdy.

[9/10]