Ristar was one of the Genesis games I've been more familiar with ever since I got interested in Sega's history as a child. I think it was a documentary of sorts where I heard this game was essentially what came of one of the original concepts for Sonic, and I thought that was pretty cool. I also thought the game itself was pretty cool too back then, but I was probably too much of a dumb child to appreciate the whole stretchy-arm-based gameplay gimmicks back when I originally played this in a Genesis collection on the PS3. Now that I'm older I'm finally capable of seeing what it truly has to offer. Practically everything is done simply by using your hands. Simply reach out with your stretchy arms to swing around poles or to grab enemies and pull them in for a headbutt. A simple enough concept to get the hang of but has an impressive amount of range and versatility to it, as your grabbing isn't simply limited to to those basics. Not only can you latch onto poles and handles but use your hands on different sorts of objects or on the very terrain for stronger maneuvering and even climbing. It's creative depth grows with how much you can take advantage of what neat tricks you can string together with your grabs and momentum, with a difficulty curve accurately reflecting so with level designs simple yet slick with an increasing desire for you to use your arms' versatility for some really clever platforming. It does unfortunately falter in it's final stretch however, most notably with the last three bosses in particular with their rather awkward attack patterns and frustrating overall difficulty. The rest of the game thankfully isn't like that, as it was surprisingly forgiving with health pickups and lives.

I'd also really like to say, this game's overall aesthetic is undoubtedly one of the best I've seen on the Genesis. The visuals are so pristinely vibrant and fittingly otherworldly, paired together with some of the most sublime tunes the Genesis' soundchip can offer. Such vibes can only create an experience that shines like, well, a star.

Speaking of the soundtrack, big shoutouts to Star Humming, man. Still one of my favorite ending themes to this day.