Ristar was developed and published by Sega, released for the Genesis in 1995 as a platformer starring a star-shaped hero who navigates stages by stretching his elastic arms to grab distant platforms, enemies, and handholds rather than relying on a standard jump-and-attack moveset. Combat centers on grabbing enemies and headbutting them, a deliberately simple mechanic that Ristar’s varied stage gimmicks, swinging chains, spring-loaded launches, moving platforms over hazards, built increasingly creative challenges around. Intended partly as a successor to Sonic the Hedgehog’s mascot role, it took a slower, more deliberate approach than Sonic’s speed-focused design, emphasizing precise grabbing and stage puzzle-solving over momentum-driven platforming. Releasing late in the Genesis’s commercial life just as attention shifted to the Saturn and PlayStation, Ristar sold modestly at the time but has since been reassessed as one of the console’s best-designed and most visually charming platformers, with a devoted cult following that still calls for its revival.