Ristar (Sega Genesis) Review

(Originally posted on December, 2017)

(1995, Sega Genesis)

Trading the blur of shuffling feet for a relaxed swag backed by stretchy limbs and a vicious head butt, Ristar was Sonic Team’s first game to give their most famous Hedgehog a deserved break. It is worlds apart in fact, as Ristar can’t simply bop enemies on the head. Attacking not unlike Yoshi (of his own platformer that same year), “The son of the legendary hero” extends his arms ahead, gripping the enemy and violently pulling his comet-like body towards them, sending a husk of the foe off in a complete mess. I had a chance to briefly play Sega’s late Genesis entry around its release during a public demonstration. While the game was pleasant enough, nothing seemed too extraordinary apart from the glow of the visuals and his star thus soon fading amongst the competition. Continually hearing Ristar praised throughout the years as one of the most under appreciated of Genesis games and already having multiple copies within various Sega compilations, the allure of visiting all the warm pastel worlds pulled increasingly strong.

The hook of the game is in Ristar’s stretch/grab ability, which can also be used to climb walls, grip ledges, hang from the ceilings and swing across poles. With plenty of objects to interact with and a more exploratory, puzzle solving focus; no two stages feel quite the same. This isn’t exactly of benefit, as Ristar’s greatest fault is that there’s not always enough polish applied to the myriad of ideas. Additionally, an often cramped viewpoint, vicious bosses and the competent but slightly “off” controls make this seemingly kid friendly mascot platformer rather difficult on the whole. The frustration appropriately climaxes within the hypnotic instrumentation and slightly maddening vocals of Planet Sonata’s 4-1. The entire level is built around distracting several song birds from their guard duty by carrying a pendulum their way. Throughout this task, you’ll frequently restart from the beginning as you figure out how not to die among the long spike beds and nimble slimes attacking at the most precarious of moments. Back when this game was new and hot as a comet, the slightly misfired shot of Sonic Team’s gorgeously colored spectacle made for a more than worthy weekend rental. As a purchase, I’d imagine most would find their $50 better saved towards one of the more eclipsing new 3D systems.

While not a huge fan of the game itself, much of the music is stunningly under appreciated as it showcases the Genesis at its best; kicking out a cheerful and danceable mix of hard hitting sounds. A frequent recurrence is the persistent optimism always shining through with thoughtful solos and unexpected new layers of sound.  As if Planet Flora’s 1-1 didn’t start out cheerful and busy enough, it suddenly explodes with a loud wave of percussion. While manipulating the water levels to progress, Planet Undertoe’s 2-2 relaxed underwater vibe is alien and scary, yet still retains much playfulness as its clever drum and sax battles what could very well be the calls of a distant alien whale. 3-1 of Planet Scorch is amazingly busy and uptempo, yet tranquil as a peaceful wave of sound layers itself over the frenzy. My favorite track is the slightly wintry wondrous R&B groove of Planet Freon’s 5-2, which could easily fit within Yuzo Koshiro’s acclaimed Streets of Rage soundtracks. Planet Automation’s 6-1 has a harsh but fun electronic beat sounding remarkably similar to Prince’s “P Control,” released the same year. All the rich listening is topped off by “Ending 1’s” tear inducing celebration music, where both the odd vocals (presumably of Ristar himself) and Shadow Dancer and Sonic 3’s hip-hop style voices attempt to outdo each other in celebrating the saving of the Valdi System from a space pirate. Painted upon the underrated soundtrack is one of the finest technical displays of the Genesis’ aging hardware with its excellent use of rich colors, aptly utilized special effects and huge bosses. Many of the dreamy tones and themes of Sonic Team’s upcoming NiGHTS are perceptible within the Ristar’s lush backdrops and cute but mischievous enemies.

Ristar is full of hope, charm and that classic 90s Sega coolness, but lacks the needed refinement to give it a recommendation above exploring its curiosity factor. There’s always something new with each level, but the often burdensome trial and error in executing the solution sours the sense of novelty. Feeling like Sonic Team enjoyed creating the clever ending set pieces the most, the boss battles are well presented and highly creative, but too stressful to be fully enjoyed until after they’ve once been toppled. In pictures, the game looks like a sublime new Sega hit ready to take plenty of heat to the SNES. With a controller in hand, more time was spent experiencing drudgery than an enjoyable challenge. I retired about 75% through the game, as I was never quite stuck, but simply felt tired of always bumbling my way forward. With such a colorful and technically impressive world, provoking music, slower pacing and ambitious creativity, Ristar could be considered the Genesis’ answer to Yoshi’s Island. But lacking so much important fun factor, it would be quite a stretch to say it’s the equivalent.