Off-Topic Reviews: Ristar

[NeutralDrow]

[img_inline align="center" caption="He breaks things with his face."]http://i40.tinypic.com/4goffc.jpg[/img_inline]​

"In a far-off galaxy, an evil alien force is at work. The evil tyrant, Greedy, has corrupted the planet leaders and enslaved the populace. Even the legendary hero has been captured. A desperate plea for help is made...

...and answered, by the hero's own son."

<color=aliceblue>...dear god, this new format is gonna take getting used to.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
<color=red>Ristar

First, a confession. When I first played this game as a nine year-old boy, that premise drew me in instantly, as probably my first video game-induced hero fantasy. Though I don't recall beating it as a child, that nostalgia made it the first of many Genesis games I tracked down and bought with my own money nine years later.

Did it hold up over nine years? Let's get started and find out.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Apparently, Greedy co-opted the entire SUN to build his doom fortress.


Ristar is a side-scrolling platformer for the Sega Genesis/Megadrive (or Wii Virtual Console). The player controls the title shooting star as he navigates the six worlds of the solar system, each with two levels, a boss fight, and an oddly-specific biome (assuming "music" and "robot" count as biomes), and frees them from the influence of an evil alien overlord.

Those worlds are the bulk of what makes this game worthwhile. While perhaps of middling graphical resolution for its time, Ristar is still very colorful, and its levels large (often sporting multiple navigable paths) and intricately detailed, both foreground and back. Each planet is visually and audibly very distinct, its artwork, atmosphere, baddies, and musical motifs particular to the world themes. I'd even call this game's soundtrack among the best of the Genesis library; what it lacks in the bombastic awesome of some of the Sonic games or Dynamite Headdy, it makes up in <url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khZMksoumlQ&feature=related>sheer <url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKWVFol3r4A>freakin' <url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOfcyKWlGFc&feature=related>catchiness, and still has one of my favorite <url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_syM4vrBz4>boss themes ever.

Hell, even Ristar's idle animation changes based on where he is.

<url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZUO3viyGEA&feature=related>

On Planet Sonata, and ready to RAWK!

Like in many early platformers, this game's controls are rather simple, with two buttons assigned to jump and one to attack. Ristar's attack entails reaching his stretchy arms to grab things, and does multiple-duty as a use button (grabbing and throwing items), movement tool (grabbing rungs and poles, and climbing walls), defensive maneuver (with some bosses built to be survived using its invincibility frames) and...well, an attack. And he attacks, of course, by grabbing enemies and slamming into them face-first.

...what? Dynamite Headdy does it. Ecco the Dolphin does it. It's not that strange.

Warning: not universally applicable.

But now, an experiment. Take all that, but remove the aforementioned nostalgia filter, and what do you get?

<color=aliceblue>.

<color=aliceblue>.

Huh. It...doesn't really look that different.

In fact, much like looking back on an old cartoon and seeing it through more experienced eyes, there are things I've found to consciously appreciate more about this game. A few things in particular stand out.

First is the variety of gameplay. While it never leaves its basic platforming premise, Ristar does have enough variation in level gimmicks and the minigame-esque minibosses to add distinction to each world. Some are obvious, like planet Undertow being mostly a swimming stage, or the second level of planet Automaton being a room-by-room puzzle. Some only became so over time, like how planet Scorch is the only level with pressure plate traps and enemies who destroy whole pathways (and can be interrupted), or how planet Freon not only uses the usual "slippery ice" mechanic, but by making the walls too cold to touch (meaning too cold to climb), it makes navigation harder and finding its secrets to require more timing and platforming skill.

<url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t4-XSL9rm0&feature=related>

As a child, I was too busy snowball fighting to notice.

Second is the game's difficulty curve, which is as close to a 45-degree slope as I've seen in a game. While Ristar is overall not unduly challenging (unless that's the twenty years of gaming experience talking), the difficulty progression is remarkably steady level-to-level, each one adding new patterns and tricks to figure out, culminating in a fun but hard final boss. The only genuine difficulty spikes are where they're expected: the harder difficulty settings. And while "Hard" difficulty is what you'd expect (you get half your original hit points, and can no longer control your direction in shooting star form), it's the password-unlocked "Super" difficulty that deserves most mention, as it gives you no extra lives, a single hit point...and unlimited continues. Since those merely send you to the beginning of a level, Super difficulty manages to be incredibly challenging without falling into any "Nintendo Hard" cheap tricks to do so; if you're capable of beating Super mode, then you've beaten every level in the game untouched at least once, and the game is fine with that.

Finally, there actually is sort of a noticeable story to the game proper. While you never get any real exposition beyond the opening animation, the way the boss fights are handled and the wordless summation given to them in the ending credits makes up for that. Whether you receive aid in a boss battle from an alien native who initially believed you to be an invader, or you fight off a giant, tone-deaf bird who crashes a stage performance like a pro-wrestling heel, there's a bit of fun to be had in recreating what exactly you're doing beyond "it was evil, so I beat it up and left."

Verdict

I hesitate to call this game perfect, but only because I hesitate to call anything perfect: the word itself should be held to a very high standard and I know my own standards aren't universal. Flawless runs into the same problem. But the fact that I even consider using those words should make my verdict evident.

Bottom line, Ristar is a wonderful old platformer, with colorful graphics, simple yet challenging and rewarding gameplay, and a catchy soundtrack, and I thus wholeheartedly recommend it.

Besides, it also has one of the best ending credits I've ever seen for a game of the time, and ends on an incredibly adorable note that, in honor of my nine year-old hero fantasies, I hesitate to spoil.

Spoiler: If you insist, though...

Dad!

Next Review

Up in the air whether I'll finish that review of Katawa Shoujo, or if I'll actually finish and review my current visual novel (Da Capo) before that.

Spoiler: Other Reviews, completed and planned (updated August 18, 2012)

____________________

TYPE-MOON reviews:
___________________

<url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.128851-TYPE-MOON-reviews-Tsukihime>Tsukihime
--- <url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.142352-TYPE-MOON-reviews-Shingetsutan-Tsukihime-anime>Shingetsutan Tsukihime (anime)
--- <url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.145022-TYPE-MOON-reviews-Lunar-Legend-Tsukihime-manga>Lunar Legend Tsukihime (manga)
- <url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.139628-TYPE-MOON-reviews-Kagetsu-Tohya>Kagetsu Tohya
- <url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.230960-TYPE-MOON-Reviews-Melty-Blood>Melty Blood
--- Re-Act/Act Cadenza
--- Actress Again

<url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.223721-TYPE-MOON-Review-anniversary-Fate-Stay-Night>Fate/Stay Night
--- Fate/Stay Night (anime)
----- Unlimited Blade Works
--- Fate/Stay Night (manga)
- Fate/Unlimited Codes
- Fate/Zero

<url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.304952-TYPE-MOON-Review-Anniversary-Kara-no-Kyoukai>Kara no Kyokai

Speculative: Fate/Hollow Ataraxia, Fate/Extra, Notes, DDD.

___________________________________

Neutral Drow reviews:
___________________________________

<url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.130703-Neutral-Drow-reviews-Xchange>Xchange
<url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.135672-Neutral-Drow-reviews-A-Drug-That-Makes-You-Dream>A Drug That Makes You Dream
<url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.146260-Neutral-Drow-reviews-Heart-de-Roommate>Heart de Roommate
<url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.163769-Neutral-Drow-reviews-Kanon>Kanon
<url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.148564-Neutral-Drow-reviews-Little-My-Maid>Little My Maid
<url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.206764-Neutral-Drow-reviews-Kana-Little-Sister>Kana: Little Sister
<url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.252998-Neutral-Drow-reviews-Princess-Waltz>Princess Waltz
<url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.237875-Neutral-Drow-reviews-Crescendo>Crescendo
<url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.308335-Neutral-Drow-reviews-Symphonic-Rain>Symphonic Rain
Hourglass of Summer
Tokimeki Check-in
Casual Romance Club
True Love
Clannad
Family Project
Snow Sakura
The Sagara Family
Snow Drop
Brave Soul
Doushin - Same Heart
Sono Hanabira ni Kuchizuke wo
Da Capo
Da Capo II
Kira Kira

Spoiler: Planned, but unacquired.

Yo-Jin-Bo
Sekien no Inganock
Wanko to Kuroso
My Girlfriend is the President
Sharin no Kuni
Cross Channel
Wind: A Breath of Heart
Brass Restoration
Ever17
Remember11
Ori Ochi Onoe
Shuffle
One
G-Senjou no Maou
Gadget Trail
Swan Song
Eien no Aselia
Phantom of Inferno
Kikokugai
River Trap
Autumn
Sengoku Rance
Daibanchou
ef
Neko Kawaigari
Adam: The Double Factor
Edelweiss
AoiShiro

Speculative: Air, Galaxy Angel, Yu-No, Sumaga, Suika, Shimai Donburi, 11eyes, Ashita no Kimi to Au Tami ni

___________________________________

Kinetic reviews:
___________________________________

Narcissu
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
Umineko no Naku Koro ni
True Remembrance
Leaves
The Dandelion Girl
Tokoyo no Hoshizora

___________________________________

Off-Topic reviews:
___________________________________

<url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.151706-Lightning-Warrior-Raidy-a-Lordlee-and-Neutral-Drow-review>Lightning Warrior Raidy (collab. w/Lordlee)
<url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.158447-Off-Topic-Reviews-Devil-May-Cry-series>Devil May Cry series
- Devil May Cry 4 addendum
- DMC addendum
<url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.178061-Off-Topic-Reviews-Soulbringer>Soulbringer
<url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.194259-Off-Topic-Reviews-Ragnarok>Ragnarok
<url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.272426-Off-Topic-Reviews-Suguri>Suguri
<url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.385549-Off-Topic-Reviews-Ristar>Ristar
????
????