Rastan Saga II

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Rastan Saga II
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Taito (JP) Taito America (US)
Developer: Opera House
Original system(s): Arcade boards
Developer(s) of original games: Taito
Sound driver: SMPS Z80
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code JP 1990-08-10 ¥6,8006,800 T-11043 US 1991-05 11026 US ▼ (Sega Channel) 199x SUBsub
Non-Sega versions Arcade PC Engine

Rastan Saga II (ラスタンサーガII) is a 1988 arcade platformer by Taito and the sequel to Rastan Saga. Opera House ported it to the Sega Mega Drive in 1990.

The branding of this port is unusual; the Rastan Saga name was never used outside of Japan otherwise, as the first game was called Rastan outside of Japan, and this second was called Nastar or Nastar Warrior (in the US).

In Japan, Sega released a version of Tetris as a conversion kit for Nastar cabinets.

Story

Rastania is a land known for its towering temple, called the Skyscraper. A "wicked group" of evil monsters tries to take control of the Skyscraper, knowing that succeeding would make them rulers of Rastania. A barbarian warrior called "Rastan" who must stop them before they succeed.

Gameplay

The game is a side-scrolling platforming game where the player takes the role of a barbarian who tries to defeat an evil wizard. There are a total of five rounds. Rounds start with two long, linear levels filled with demons, followed by a castle hall where Rastan must confront a boss. Levels are linear and have no vertical scrolling.

Rastan moves with and . The screen locks, so the player cannot backtrack. Rastan jumps with and can pull his legs up while jumping with . When he is not attacking, Rastan holds his shield (or weapon) in a defensive posture. He blocks high attacks while standing but can kneel with to block low attacks. He can also hold his shield over his head with to block falling objects.

Rastan attacks with . He is initially equipped with a short sword and a shield, but these can be exchanged for a long sword, which is slower but has longer range, or a pair of claws, which are faster but have short range. Many demons take multiple hits to defeat. Like Rastan, some demons carry long weapons or shields that can block attacks, so Rastan can attack high while standing or low while kneeling and can also attack while jumping. He can thrust his weapon up into the air with +. While in midair, he can thrust his weapon up with + or jabs it downwards with +. Rastan has a level, starting at zero, that increases by one each time he defeats a boss, increasing his attack power.

Rastan has ten health points and loses one when he is attacked by or touches an enemy or hazard. He loses a life if he loses all of his health points but revives immediately if the player has extra lives left. Rastan reverts to his short sword and shield if he dies while carrying another weapon. Lava also instantly kills him. There is also a time limit for each section, and the player loses a life and must restart the section if time runs out. The game ends if the player runs out of lives, but it can be continued a limited number of times.

Items

Items are dropped by demons when they are defeated.

	Shield and Sword
	Reverts Rastan to his starting sword and shield.
	Long Sword
	Arms Rastan with a long sword, which is slower but has longer range and blocks a larger area.
	Iron Claws
	Arms Rastan with a pair of hand claws, which are faster but have shorter range and block a smaller area.
	Crest of Lightning
	Augments Rastan's weapon with sparks of lightning when he uses it, which makes his attacks unblockable. Lasts until Rastan loses a life or reaches the boss.
	Crest of Flame
	Augments Rastan's weapon with fireballs, which shoot out whenever he attacks. Lasts until Rastan loses a life or reaches the boss.
	Crest of Time
	Restores 50 seconds on the timer.
	Crest of Hegemony
	Destroys all of the demons on the screen.
	The Fang of Hidler
	Surrounds Rastan in bones that protect him from one hit.
	The Cowl of the Wizard
	Halves the damage taken by Rastan. Lasts until Rastan loses a life.
	The Light of the Blue Power
	Restores one health point to Rastan.
	The Light of the Yellow Power
	Restores three health points to Rastan.
	The Light of the Red Power
	Restores all of Rastan's health points.
	The Dark Jewel
	Transforms up to four demons on the screen into the Light of the Blue Power items.
	Stone of the Wise
	Increases Rastan's level by 1, which increases his attack power. Dropped by bosses when they are defeated.
	Goddess
	Gives the player an extra life.

Rounds

	Round 1
	Round 2
	Round 3
	Round 4
	Round 5

History

Reception

Both versions were poorly received.

Magazine articles

Main article: Rastan Saga II/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Main article: Rastan Saga II/Promotional material.

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 40 Beep! MegaDrive (JP) NTSC-J 60 Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J 50 Joystick (FR) 55 Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) PAL 48 Mega Drive Fan (JP) NTSC-J 56 Power Play (DE) 39 Raze (UK) NTSC 57 Sega Power (UK) PAL 50 Sega Pro (UK) NTSC 61 Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J 31 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 57 User (GR) 67

	52
Based on 13 reviews

Rastan Saga II

Mega Drive, JP
Cover
Cart

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual

Technical information

Main article: Rastan Saga II/Technical information.

References

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