Ristar (Game Gear)

From Sega Retro

For the Sega Mega Drive game, see Ristar.

n/a

Ristar GG US Title.png

Ristar
System(s): Sega Game Gear
Publisher: Sega
Developer:
Genre: Action

















Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Game Gear
JP 		¥3,8003,800 G-3365
Sega Game Gear
US 		$39.9939.99[2] 2543
Sega Game Gear
EU 		2543-50

The Sega Game Gear version of Ristar , released as Ristar The Shooting Star (リスター・ザ・シューティングスター) in Japan, is a platform game released in 1995.

This 8-bit version is similar to its 16-bit counterpart on the Sega Mega Drive, but features different planets and adjusted level layouts.

Gameplay

Gameplay is pretty much identical to the Mega Drive version of Ristar, albeit scaled down to suit the Game Gear's specifications. Ristar can jump using the 2 button, and can use his stretchy arms to grab on to enemies and headbutt them with the 1 button. This is the only way to eliminate enemies as jumping on them will not work. Just like in the Mega Drive version, Ristar can also use his stretchy arms to climb walls, swing around poles and even swing on Star Handles to perform a Meteor Strike. Unlike the Mega Drive version, Ristar cannot swim and will instead sink to the bottom and act like he is on land, but he can still breathe.

The game uses the same health system: the player starts with 4 stars worth of health. Every time they're hit, they lose one star, but may replenish health by collecting items. Ristar also has a very basic life/continue system: once the player loses all of their lives, they'll be taken to a continue screen where they can choose to keep going with the game or give up. The password system, which was used in the Mega Drive version to enable cheats, is traditionally used to save the player's progress, and the player is given a password if they choose not to continue when they run out of lives.

Items

Some of the items listed here are exclusive to this version of the game, such as the Big Stars and the Super Star:

Big Star[4]
Collecting 100 of these will award the player an extra life.
1 Up[4]
Awards the player an extra life.
Life Star[4]
Restores one star to Ristar's health.
Tri-Life Star[4]
Restores up to three stars to Ristar's health.
Super Star[4]
Makes Ristar invincible and increases his movement speed for a short while.
Yellow Diamond[4]
Worth 1,000, 3,000 or 5,000 points.
Helmet[4]
Dropped by certain enemies. Can be thrown as a projectile against other enemies.
Spear[5]
Dropped by certain enemies. Can be thrown as a projectile against other enemies, or against walls to act as a spring.
Orb[5]
Grants access to the Bonus Round after defeating the Round boss when collected.

Rounds

Note: the level names were changed when brought to the West.

Ristar GG PlanetFlora Area1.png

Ristar GG PlanetFlora Area2.png

Round 1 - Planet Flora/Neer
Planet Flora is the first level of Ristar, and is set in a tropical island/jungle setting just like the Mega Drive version. Most of the Round is the same, except the mini-boss in the first area has been replaced with a wall of glass blocks to break through, and the second area will require Ristar to use spears to overcome trees. Riho remains in place as the boss of Flora, and is just as easy to defeat.

Ristar GG PlanetTerra Area1.png

Ristar GG PlanetTerra Area2.png

Round 2 - Planet Terra/Fanturn
The second Round replaces Planets Undertow and Scorch with a completely different planet that serves as a very large oddity. It is a dream-themed world that has the player go through a sky-themed area with fluffy clouds, rainbows and beanstalks to climb, and an area set on a pirate ship with masts to climb up and hooks to swing down on. For whatever reason, the first area of this Round has been dummied out in the Western releases, stripping the planet down to one area and the boss, but it can still be accessed by cheating.

The boss is a tapir-like creature who heals himself by sleeping and altering the world around him. The player has to first take out the bat that covers his lantern so he cannot sleep, then throw his pillows back at him. Defeating him causes the world to transform into a decrepit nightmare.

Ristar GG PlanetSonata Area1.png

Ristar GG PlanetSonata Area2.png

Round 3 - Planet Sonata/Neuos
With the absence of Planet Scorch in this version of the game, Planet Sonata is now the third Round. Like with Flora, Sonata is much like its 16-bit counterpart, complete with having to deliver metronomes to songbirds in order to proceed. Both of its bosses are intact, though the mini-boss has one less mechanical head to deal with due to the smaller screen.

Ristar GG PlanetFreon Area1.png

Ristar GG PlanetFreon Area2.png

Round 4 - Planet Freon/Timu
The second Game Gear-exclusive Round is also an oddity in that its first area is an ice level similar to the 16-bit game's Planet Freon, albeit with time-themed decorations, and even has the same name in the Western versions. The second area, however, is very different as the player will navigate a large clock tower.

The central gimmick of this Round is the presence of timed gates throughout both areas. When Ristar passes through one of them, a time bomb will be stuck to him, and the player must rush to a pool of water to get the bomb off Ristar before time runs out. The boss is a rabbit fought inside an hourglass, who will attack by either bouncing on Ristar or stopping time to shoot projectiles from his belly.

Ristar GG PlanetAutomaton Area1.png

Ristar GG PlanetAutomaton Area2.png

Round 5 - Planet Automaton/Rewope
Planet Automaton is the third planet to be ported from the Mega Drive version and is the fifth Round of this game. Most of it is the same as in the Mega Drive version, except the anti-gravity section in the first area has had its anti-gravity gimmick removed, and the mini-boss is replaced with a cluster of Big Stars for the player to grab. Uranim is fought in the same way as the Mega Drive version.

Ristar GG PlanetGreedy Area1.png

Round 6 - Planet Greedy
Castle Greedy holds the final fights against Inonis and Greedy just like in the 16-bit version, however the first section is different in that the player must ride an elevator and defeat a shower of enemies, with Adahan (the boss of the 16-bit version's Planet Scorch) making a surprise appearance as a mini-boss.

Ristar GG BonusStage.png

Bonus Stages
Bonus Stages are accessed in a different manner than the Mega Drive version in that the player must collect hidden Orbs within a Round and then defeat the boss at the end of the Round. If these conditions are met, they will be transported to a Bonus Stage.

Whereas the Mega Drive version would task the player with getting to treasure within the time limit, the Game Gear version instead has the player bounce about in a confined arena and collect as many Big Stars as possible without falling into a pit, and will be awarded 100 points for each star they get at the end. If the player manages to collect every Big Star, they will be awarded a Perfect bonus.

Versions

Localised names

Also known as
Language Localised Name English Translation
English Ristar Ristar
English (US) Ristar Ristar
Japanese リスター・ザ・シューティングスター Ristar The Shooting Star

Production credits

  • Game Planner: Nencoo Gutoku
  • System Programmer: Alice Kagamino
  • Ristar Programmer: Mika Muraoka
  • Boss Programmer: Haruo Nakajima
  • Enemy Programmer: Ezachan
  • Effect Programmer: Masami Tezuka
  • Demo Programmer: Hanamogera.D
  • Character Designer: Francis.N, Pixy Monty
  • Planet Designer: Mauo.S, General Kusumi
  • Music Composer: LKJ.Chikayo, Tomoko Sasaki
  • Sound Programmer: Kazune Hiiragi
  • Project Director: Capt.Jinguji
  • Art Director: Nencoo Gutoku
  • Lead Tester: Matt Underwood
  • Assistant Lead Testers: Carey Camacho, David Dodge
  • Special Thanks to: Nag, Bryan.M, Wadachi, Tarachan, Chikyuchan, Tamachan, Nana Kusunoki, Ristar MD Staff and Genesis Staff
  • Producer: Rhonda Van
  • Assistant Producer: Erik Wahlberg
  • Marketing: Chrissy Huneke Kremer
  • Presented by: ©Sega 1995

Magazine articles

Main article: Ristar (Game Gear)/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in Sega Visions (US) #23: "February/March 1995" (199x-xx-xx)
also published in:
Logo-pdf.svg

Artwork

  • Ristar - Logo.png
  • Ristar - Original Art.jpg

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
87 [8]
76
81
91 №9, p20
82 [3]
90 [9]
81 №14, p88/89
87 №65, p65
81 №41, p49
Sega Game Gear
 84
Based on
9 reviews
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
Consoles + (FR)
87
[8]
Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U
76
[10]
Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U
75
[11]
Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J
63
[12]
Freak (IL)
90
[13]
Game Players (US) NTSC-U
81
[14]
GamePro (US) NTSC-U
88
[2]
Games World: The Magazine (UK) PAL
91
[15]
Game Informer (US) NTSC-U
78
[16]
Hobby Consolas (ES)
85
[17]
Mega Fun (DE) PAL
84
[18]
Mega Play (US) NTSC-U
77
[19]
Mean Machines Sega (UK)
82
[3]
Player One (FR)
90
[20]
Play Time (DE)
84
[21]
Sega Magazine (UK) PAL
81
[22]
Sega Power (UK) PAL
87
[23]
Sega Pro (UK) PAL
81
[24]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
68
[25]
Todo Sega (ES)
88
[26]
Video Games (DE) PAL
71
[27]
Sega Game Gear
 81
Based on
21 reviews

Ristar (Game Gear)

Game Gear, US
Ristar GG US Box Back.jpgNospine.pngRistar gg us box.jpg
Cover
Ristar gg us cart.jpg
Cart
Ristar GG US Manual.pdf
Manual
Game Gear, EU
Ristar GG EU Box Back.jpgNospine.pngRistar GG EU Box Front.jpg
Cover
Ristar GG EU Cart.jpg
Cart
Game Gear, JP
Ristar GG JP Box Back.jpgNospine-small.pngRistar gg jp box.jpg
Cover
Ristar GG JP Cart.jpg
Cart
Ristar GG JP Manual.pdf
Manual

Technical information

ROM dump status

System Hash Size Build Date Source Comments
Sega Game Gear
✔
CRC32 efe65b3b
MD5 06f0a495fbb70fad50246da715f8add7
SHA-1 d0d950097471553b6a96dc9cf0fb14ddb3a7dda2
512kB Cartridge
Sega Game Gear
 ?
CRC32 a1c214bd
MD5 2b302f29d4f6d87e4250329a8dba0739
SHA-1 f746e8e99f4fca811a32716d96a4e6528ec930eb
512kB 1994-09-09 CD-R disc Page
Sega Game Gear
 ?
CRC32 672d38d5
MD5 cb722a42fa9995fd68b01c6b75d4ed4d
SHA-1 ac6d5e7f5c3fbd828876a12e10d89274025f3924
512kB 1994-10-19 CD-R disc Page
Sega Game Gear
 ?
CRC32 a302413c
MD5 b59ba59eeeda353d1d63fba20a263cfe
SHA-1 b13c32f50e7eb7d8147b7ad1d310e89e690ba6b2
512kB 1994-10-24 CD-R disc Page
Sega Game Gear
 ?
CRC32 44fa6ae6
MD5 e6d0bc904b7c7114eff0a7e3e750f7e9
SHA-1 e2a06327647d9ad2358e34aae069d7789bc70e65
512kB 1994-11-01 CD-R disc Page
Sega Game Gear
 ?
CRC32 302d2b4b
MD5 e93b6e37cb8b6caf6c62262cf63a7d8a
SHA-1 cf2a646d5c4b3f717a5c2a29d193210abbf770ca
512kB 1994-11-02 CD-R disc Page

References

  1. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "January 1995" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 266
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 GamePro, "March 1995" (US; 1995-xx-xx), page 125
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Mean Machines Sega, "March 1995" (UK; 1995-01-30), page 86
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 File:Ristar GG US Manual.pdf, page 7
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 File:Ristar GG US Manual.pdf, page 8
  6. ↑ GamePro, "March 1995" (US; 1995-xx-xx), page 9
  7. ↑ Sega Visions, "May 1995" (US; 1995-xx-xx), page 51
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Consoles +, "Février 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 106
  9. ↑ Player One, "Février 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 102 (100)
  10. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "February 1995" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 36
  11. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "March 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 38
  12. ↑ Famitsu, "1995-02-24" (JP; 1995-02-10), page 39
  13. ↑ Freak, "5/95" (IL; 1995-xx-xx), page 1
  14. ↑ Game Players, "Vol. 8 No. 5 May 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 63
  15. ↑ Games World: The Magazine, "March 1995" (UK; 1995-01-26), page 20
  16. ↑ Game Informer, "February 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 60
  17. ↑ Hobby Consolas, "Marzo 1995" (ES; 1995-xx-xx), page 104
  18. ↑ Mega Fun, "03/95" (DE; 1995-02-22), page 76
  19. ↑ Mega Play, "February/March 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 49
  20. ↑ Player One, "Février 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 102
  21. ↑ Play Time, "4/95" (DE; 1995-03-08), page 106
  22. ↑ Sega Magazine, "February 1995" (UK; 1995-01-15), page 88
  23. ↑ Sega Power, "April 1995" (UK; 1995-02-16), page 65
  24. ↑ Sega Pro, "February 1995" (UK; 1994-12-29), page 49
  25. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "March 1995" (JP; 1995-02-08), page 132
  26. ↑ Todo Sega, "Marzo 1995" (ES; 1995-0x-xx), page 51
  27. ↑ Video Games, "3/95" (DE; 1995-02-23), page 109


Ristar (Game Gear)

Ristar GG US Title.png

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Sega Game Gear
Prototypes: 1994-09-09 | 10-19 | 10-24 | 11-01 | 11-02
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