"I make a wish upon this star...more games like this!"

The Genesis was great system back in the day. Along with Sega's blue-spiked mascot, Sonic, the system provided some truly fun 16-bit games, many of which were sadly forgotten. One of my favorite of these buried treasures was the shining star that was Ristar. A side-scroller, Ristar got lost in the pandemonium of Sonic and friends. Don't get me wrong, I love the Sonic games, but Ristar captured my heart, and you'll soon find out why.

Graphics 9/10

Ristar's graphics had a lot in common with Sonic. Many of the levels had a particular theme, whether it was the forest, ocean, or ice. But Ristar truly created some very vivid and charismatic levels. The graphics were crisper and the backgrounds were much more evolved. Ristar himself, the little star hero, was full of character and while not he didn't have the cool Sonic attitude, he was just plain cute while still having the coolness factor. The enemies, sadly, were a bit less diverse, being little blue or red or green or whatever colored creatures. Some of the enemies were cleverly designed and animated but the majority of them felt a bit stale. The bosses, however, rival that of Sonic's. The amount of animations and cleverness in each boss was astonishing back on the Genesis. The graphics are some of the best on the system and are great to look at even today.

Audio 9/10

The music is just plain great. As with other gaming icons, the level themes are catchy and will get in your head each time you play the level. From Planet Flora's light-hearted trumpets to Undertow's mysterious oceanic sounds, the game is full of character. Ristar is voiced rather sparsely, but has a warped voice and it's entertaining to listen to his little quips. Attacks are basically the same, but it never seems to get old. The sparkling sounds of Ristar's jumps and the sharp impacts of his attacks are great to hear, and overall, the audio is impressive.

Gameplay 9/10

Ristar is not an alternative to Sonic. It's an all new game. Ristar focuses more on exploration and hidden secrets. The story is that Ristar's father, the hero of the universe has been taken by the evil space tyrant, Greedy, along with the many planets. It's up to Ristar to save the cosmos and his father. Ristar's main controls are jumping, and using his long arms to grab, swing, climb, and attack. This is a much slower game than Sonic, but it is fun, thanks to clever level design and fun environments. Ristar must travel across a variety of planets and save their leader's from Greedy's grasp. Ristar's abilities are executed incredibly well in the environments and are a blast to use when chaining swinging and attacking. Along the way of fending off the many enemies, Ristar must collect treasures in the Special Stages which are hidden throughout the levels. Special Stages challenge, but rarely frustrate. No level is like the other. The diversity and sheer brilliance in each level's design is staggering. At the end of each level, you face a boss. These exquisitely designed fights challenge at the perfect level. Although some can be pretty much normal enemies in swarms or ridiculously easy, the enemies somehow are able to switch their strategies after each level, making each boss battle different and enjoyable. In one, you must literally play memory with the enemies and attack the right ones in the right order. In another, you must avoid a crashing tide and escape falling enemies. At the end of each planet's levels, you face the planet's enslaved leader and quickly realize the sheer polish in these bosses. Each one will use a unique set of attacks and challenges to truly put Ristar on edge. Defeating them and replaying these bosses is a cornerstone in this game's replay value. Ristar is one of the best designed platformers on the Genesis, and is definitely worth looking for.

Replay Value 8/10

The game is rather short (only 6 planets, plus the final boss's lair) but you'll be coming back searching for the secret stages and replaying the bosses and levels. Different in many a way, Ristar distinctively creates a fun gaming experience that is worth playing again.

Final Verdict 9/10

Ristar has few marks against it, the few being short length and a few shoddy bosses, but it is truly a buried treasure worth picking up if you have a Genesis. The game shines with its brilliant combination of level design and solid controls, along with excellent graphics and catchy audio, creating a beautiful game that must be played. This is one of those games that desperately needs a sequel or a remake, or something, because it is wonderful. I truly encourage any gamer to check Ristar out; it is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated Genesis classics ever. Buy it.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/02/05