What better way to close out the week than by reliving the glory days of 1995 with Ristar, a newly released iOS port of the classic Sega Genesis game?
Released as part of the retro Sega Forever collection, the free-to-download game is a classic side-scrolling platformer in the Sonic the Hedgehog mold — only with less focus on speed, and more on utilizing the hero’s stretchy arms in a variety of ways.
Despite being fondly remembered today, Ristar was actually something of forgotten gem for a number of years. While it received good reviews, it came out right at the end of the Sega Genesis’ lifespan, just as Sega was shifting to its Sega Saturn console. As such, it looked more like a nod to the video games of yesteryear than it did the new frontier of gaming which was promised by the next generation of consoles.
Despite this, with 22 years (!) having now passed, this totally deserves its place as a classic platformer from the heyday of the genre. As noted, the game is free to download, although there’s an in-app purchase if you want to remove ads.
Sega Forever
Just as Nintendo is finally bringing games to iOS, the Sega Forever collection does the same for Nintendo’s one-time rival. It launched back in June, initially consisting of five titles: Sonic the Hedgehog, Altered Beast, Phantasy Star II, Kid Chameleon and Comix Zone.
While they’re still the games you know and love (well, provided that you played them back in the 1990s, that is!), Sega has added a selection of useful improvement. You can now save your progress in each game, and also compete against other players on a worldwide leaderboard. Finally, yes: you can play them with wireless game controllers!
Ristar is available for download here.
