Ristar (Sega Genesis)
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Ristar is a game for the Sega Genesis developed by the same team that created Sonic the Hedgehog. In fact, Ristar was born from ideas that came out of the discussion for the character that would become Sonic. Sega even contemplated marketing Ristar as a sort of successor to Sonic. And while the game did get good reviews, it was released too late in the lifecycle of the Genesis to have much of an impact. Ristar was released in 1995 only a few monthly before the Sega Saturn.
Ristar is much like various other 2D platform games and shares some superficial resemblance to the Sonic games. However, the control scheme with an emphasis on Ristar’s elastic arms make the game somewhat unique. Ristar’s stretchable arms can be used to grab and throw things, knock down obstacles and to attack enemies. They are also used to swing and vault through levels as necessary. Ristar was also released for the Game Gear with different level designs and somewhat different play mechanics.
While Ristar has never had a sequel, it has been re-released as part of various Sonic and Sega Genesis compilations and as a digital download via Wii’s Virtual Console and Steam. Ristar has also made a few cameos including in Shenmue and Shenmue II.
