Ristar: SEGA’s Forgotten 16-Bit Mascot

A sentient star who stretches his arms and bounds across stages with speed, Ristar is a SEGA protagonist with just as much charm as Sonic, yet time has not been so kind to this cosmic character. In 1995, Ristar debuted on the Genesis/Mega Drive to decent critical acclaim, with many praising its vibrant graphics and exciting gameplay as some of the best on the console. Despite having such a solid title under their belt during a tumultuous time for the company, SEGA fumbled what could’ve been another winning franchise, mostly due to poor marketing decisions. Now, Ristar sits forgotten alongside other failed mascot platformers, and it’s a shame, because this Genesis gem deserves so much more.

A Star is Born

The concept of Ristar dates way back to 1990, when SEGA was trying their hardest to make a competitor to Nintendo’s iconic Mario. Originally designed as a rabbit-like creature with stretchy ears, the character was shelved in favor of Sonic (which was probably a good idea), but they returned to the idea years later and further refined it. Despite popular belief, Ristar was not developed by Team Sonic, but instead was directed by Atsuhiko Nakamura, with many key designers being new or existing developers with little connection to the existing Sonic franchise. It’s an understandable misconception though, as Ristar is just as fast and enjoyable as Sonic in many ways.

Depending on if you’re playing the Japanese or international version, there’s a bit of variance in the plot, but the basics remain the same. Ristar is set in a distant galaxy where you play as the eponymous hero, tasked with defeating the scheming villain, Kaiser Greedy, who has entire solar systems locked under his mind control. Starting off on Planet Flora, you must use your stretchy arms to propel yourself to the level’s end, defeating enemies and nabbing items as you progress. Much like Sonic the Hedgehog, maintaining speed is of the utmost importance, with a lot of creativity afforded to the player in how they move around the stage.

Like many games of the era, the relatively simple concept of “grab things and go fast” is executed to perfection with interesting level layouts, hidden goodies to find, and fun stage interaction. Diving headfirst into the action, Ristar bullies his way through enemies, swings on poles to gain speed, and tosses around items with reckless abandon. Unlike Sonic or Mario, Ristar can take quite a few hits before he perishes as well, further encouraging experimentation and risky play. Overall, it’s a fiercely fun game that while reminiscent of Sonic, has an identity all of its own.

Ristar Gets Left in the Space Dust

Unfortunately, Ristar was too little too late for the Genesis, which was on its way out in favor of the new Sega Saturn console. By the time Ristar hit store shelves, the Saturn had already debuted in Japan and was close to release in North America, leaving little room in SEGA’s marketing budget. As history shows, the trade-off was not worth it in the slightest, with the Saturn winding up an underwhelming mess. By the time the Dreamcast came, only a handful of classic SEGA characters survived, and Ristar was nowhere to be found.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment is SEGA’s complete disregard of Ristar in the years that followed, especially after they abandoned hardware and started focusing on publishing games. Apart from a wholly unique spin-off for the Game Gear handheld, no sequels were ever made, even though the designers were interested. There’s a small silver lining though, as Ristar is one of the most easily accessible Genesis games to play on modern consoles. It’s included in loads of Sega/Sonic collections, available on Steam, Nintendo Switch, and a variety of other platforms. With February 2025 marking the 30-year anniversary of Ristar, there’s no better time to try out this underrated Genesis title, and with any luck, we may see Ristar return another day.

The post Ristar: SEGA’s Forgotten 16-Bit Mascot appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

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