Ristar - Walkthrough
| CONTENTS |
| INTRODUCTION |
| GENERAL TIPS |
| STRATEGIES FOR EACH PLANET |
| Flora |
| Undertow |
| Scorch |
| Sonata |
| Freon |
| Automaton |
| Space City |
| FINITO |
| PASSWORDS |
"Ristar" is a Sonic-style action adventure title. As the title character, you've got to relieve a solar system of the influence of an alien space pirate named Greedy. Your only weapon is a pair of gangly, stretchy arms, & you'll find a zillion different uses for them before you're through. Problem is, there's more to the game than defeating Greedy... as with "Sonic", there's hidden bonus stages to be found & treasures to be procured within them. A good many of these are tricky to reach, so that will be the main focus of this walkthrough. It also provides you with strategies with which to beat the bosses, as these guys can really be tough nuts to crack. But first...
The manual in all its wisdom advises players to "grab every wall". You will often find, however, that this isn't enough. To get all of the prime goodies, you'll more than likely have to CLIMB each wall to the top before the loud metallic 'bong' will sound & the item will be shaken from its perch & into your grubby little hands. This is a long & tedious process at times, so unless you absolutely have to max out your score, don't bother unless your health is at 3 stars or less.
Don't speed through rounds. There are hidden enemies that like nothing better than to get the jump on impatient toddling star-faced kids, & if you take hits, your technical bonus goes down.
You can't die in the bonus rounds, but each time you're hurt, the timer speeds up. Avoid this, as it could not only ruin your chances of snagging the treasure, it may very well cost you free continues, too, as these are rewarded to more proficient bonus round players.
Any area with two one-ups can be harvested repeatedly by the age-old "grab both & die" technique, although both must be hidden in treasure chests for this to work (those in nooks & crannies come back as stars the 2nd time around).
To access some areas, Ristar will sometimes have to hang from enemies & swing over to them. Annoyingly enough, once he's got his hands on something, he WILL snap back into it to finish it off, so be sure you're REALLY close to the ground on which you'll land before you let go of the grab button.
You'll get the best chance to get the 20,100 point hieght bonus if you grab the star handles at the end of each stage FACING TO THE LEFT. This way, It's easier to time the meteor strike & to control Ristar after he lets go.
*** STRATEGIES FOR EACH PLANET ***
The following sections describe how to finish the game, beat all the bosses, find all the treasure, and find all the bonus rounds. Don't read it if you want the satifaction of finishing the game yourself!! It is recommended to use this to get past areas where you really are stuck (That extra tough boss you just can't beat.)
A heavily forested planet filled with neon-colored bats, rabbits, & lizards. This is the world from which Ristar recieves the distress call which informs him of his father's capture & Greedy's evil plans to dominate the solar system. This laid-back planet is the perfect spot for Ristar to test his abilities.
AREA 1:
you'll probably notice a lot of bushes here. Be aware that they usually contain
either strangely aggressive rabbits or exploding pollen spores that can be
removed with a quick hop or two. There's also a few high-altitude footholds
that contain a few gems & other items - you can access these by nimbly
leaping over the hovering fly traps (these open, so watch it). Greedy's orblet
creatures are scattered throughout this round, so dispatch them as necessary
as you explore the terrain fully. Halfway through the stage, you'll come
across a 1UP in a hole & later, the entrance to a snake's lair scattered
with holes. The snake's head will appear from one of these portals, look
around, & head for a new hole. Grab him several times quickly to dispatch
him, taking care to avoid contact with the head, then continue to the end
of the stage.
BONUS ROUND LOCATION:
There's a star handle about a screen before the wall that forces Ristar to
take on the snake. Swing yourself diagonally upward & to the right on
this handle to reach this wall & the special star handle which serves
as the bonus round entrance.
TO GET THE TREASURE:
There's only one handle here. Launch upwards & slightly to the right
or left & you'll land right on the land mass where the treasure, a STAR
ICON, is. Bust open the chest & grab the treasure & it's yours to
keep for the rest of the game.
AREA 2:
There are cocoons in the trees that contain orblets. Bop 'em to remove
their contents, then waste the little creeps. If you take the low road, you'll
have to bring down a few trees to continue- DON'T grab their leafy tops.
If you do, tons of orblets will rain down from the branches to give you plenty
of trouble. Halfway through this round, the lights will dim & some goon
deep in the background will toss (of all things) deadly strawberries at you
to impede your progress. Run to avoid them, taking care to bop the lizard
hidden in the hill between the first & second lantern trees. Hit the
top of these lantern trees to light your way through (not totally necessary,
but helpful), then grab the star handle & it's off to Riho, the first
boss.
BONUS ROUND LOCATION:
At the top of the screen, there are a series of annoying purple bats that
toss land mines at you. Grab each one before/after they do & drop to
each landmass they carry you to. Eventually, you'll see the bonus round handle.
TO GET THE TREASURE:
There's a series of partitions here that tests your ability to climb. And
climb you will - grab each horizontal partition from the bottom & each
vertical one at a diagonal angle until you see the chest, then grab that
too. A beautiful CRYSTAL APPLE is the reward for your troubles.
BOSS:
After passing by some gratuitous lighting effects, Ristar will encounter
the leader of the land, corrupted by, appropriately enough, a monkey on his
back. Luckily, Riho's attacks are pretty half-hearted (just a few giant
snowflakes & a tiny tornado), so grab the old coot by the legs &
bop 'em. Every third successful hit will bring down your true enemy- while
he's eating dirt, bop him, too (you can also lure him off Riho's back by
getting caught in that tornado, but more often than not, you'll be sucker
punched if you try). Three hits sends him on a much deserved permanent vacation
& you to your next desination...
A planet whose surface is composed almost entirely of water seems like quite a threat, but since Ristar is an accomplished swimmer, & stars don't really need to breathe, it's not really a problem at all. Too bad there's the matter of Ohsat the hammerhead shark & his rowdy gang of aquatic life to make up for this...
AREA 1:
Mostly, this is just an intro to the rigors of swimming, so take your time.
Watch out for the hidden eels in the seaweed & keep running if you find
yourself on dry land to avoid the flying fish.
BONUS ROUND LOCATION:
Couldn't be easier- just go straight up after the round fills with water.
To the far left, you'll find the handle floating just above a small island.
TO GET THE TREASURE:
There's an oval-shaped gauntlet which you've got to navigate to reach the
treasure, a CLAM. Keep in mind that, since you're underwater, the prize will
be swept up in the current & you'll have to go after it. It's easier
going right as opposed to down to snag the treasure - the route down is a
shortcut, but It's very difficult to snag the clam before it speeds off going
this way.
AREA 2:
This round takes a little more skill. It's a long series of underwater catacombs,
filled with dangerous nautili & enemy generators (these look like Incan
artifacts). Before you enter these, take note - there's a free 1UP on that
seemingly unreachable island just above the water. Give yourself a good runner,
SWIMMING start, then cling to the right side of this land mass until a stray
bubble comes your way. Hop on it, then to the island before it pops. Make
your way through the caves, keeping in mind that you'll have to kill the
generators & nautili to open the pathways to new locations. To kill each
nautilus, bop its offspring, then hit it three times after it fires out a
sea urchin. The strategy to destroy the generators varies, but in general,
clear the way to reach it & bop it once to rid yourself of this pest.
Once you're out of the caves, the round is just about over, but...
BONUS ROUND LOCATION:
...you don't want to go speeding off until you've taken the treasure,
right? Of course. Go the the far left once you're out of the caves. Destroy
the generator, then walk to the edge of the land mass where the small orange
starfish resides. Drown it if it attaches to you, then hop the bubbles one
by one until you reach another hovering island & the handle.
TO GET THE TREASURE:
If you'll look carefully, the numerous handles in this round form a
'greater than' symbol like this- >. Grab the handle nearest you, then
the one at the point of the symbol, then swing up to the treasure chest.
Bop it & you'll recieve a rather hyperactive TEA SERVICE. Que?
BOSS:
Ohsat isn't too big a deal if you stay out of his path of movement,
generally about 3-4 inches from the surface of the water. To beat him, grab
him as he comes into your field of view. You'll bop him & break open
one of the four corks holding the water in. Occasionally, he'll let loose
a herd of coelecanths (prehistoric fish) that'll take the same path he normally
does or some jellyfish-like detonators which are equally easy to dodge. Worse
are the torrents of rocks that rain down as Ohsat tears the place down with
his hammer-like head - swim off the screen & you'll be fine. After four
hits, Ohsat will be beached- & that's the perfect opportunity to finish
him off.
Things get harder (to say nothing of hotter) on this desolate Mercurian world. There's never a shortage of fire here, giving you plenty of opportunities to toast poor Ristar should you slip up, & the boss here is no pushover, either. There's a cache of extra lives for the resourceful Ristarian in the second round, but that aside, this is one round that just won't let up.
AREA 1:
As you begin, you'll note that there's an orblet launcher placed over
four thrusters. Swing down on the pipe below it, waste the orblet, &
hit the switch & it's as good as gone. Turn the thrusters off & continue.
There's a set of traps here. You can elect to set these off with the handy-dandy
Ristar decoy (a small pewter statue), or manually, by triggering them with
your toe & scampering off before the trap falls. Either way, you've got
to destroy the cages to move on. Once you have, you'll eventually come across
a vulture. Bop it & leap from pit to fiery pit. Making your way through,
you'll come across several white circles similar to those that set off the
traps earlier. If you want a free gem, trigger this too, although be warned
that doing so sends in a near ocean of flame that becomes VERY hard to elude
if you're not an expert climber. Once you've made your way up via climbing
the various pipes after the trap, you'll be confronted with a large quantity
of flaming debris. Run like hell & use the floors above as umbrellas
whenever possible. Soon after this, you'll discover what amounts to a memory
test. Orblets will pop out of six holes. Bop them in the sequence in which
their eyes appear & you'll get free goodies. After this, the round ends
& you're on your merry way.
BONUS ROUND ENTRANCE:
Remember the handle you saw after that vulture? Use it to spring straight
upwards. After some trail & error & a little aerial exploration,
you'll see the handle.
TO GET THE TREASURE:
It's another gauntlet, this time with plenty of ladders & nasty
spikes that serve as punishment for those that fail to grab each set of rungs
accurately. Make your way upward and then to the right & down carefully,
then eventually claim your prize: a FLAMING SWORD. Too bad you can't actually
USE it...
AREA 2:
you're in a steel factory, now, apparently. You may explore the place
at will, as there are plenty of star handles here that'll ensure your safety,
but the unadventurous low road is fine to take, too. Just don't forget to
take a pitstop at the cache, a long vertical stretch of area peppered with
profitable dead ends. Use the handle at the bottom to grab the 1UP chest
to the top-right hand corner of the cache, then bop the ground directly under
it to cash in yet again. Continue on once the cache's dried up, killing the
orblets protected by a flame shield by grabbing them from above (dispose
of the large bullet-spitting half-orbs by grabbing them when not spewing
flames). Use the pulleys to make your way up the walls, taking care to avoid
the flame-shooting cannons recessed into them, then continue until an orblet
you can't reach literally trashes the place with a well-timed dynamite blast.
From here, you're almost finshed. Just keep to the right & you're there.
BONUS ROUND LOCATION:
Remember the cache? Of course, here's where the handle is. Just take a LEFT
from the handle below & you should find the bonus round entrance (now
actually REACHING it is tricky- Ristar is a little hard to guide in those
meteor strikes!).
TO GET THE TREASURE:
There's a long, LONG horizontal line of star handles here, so obviously,
meteor strikes are the key to the treasure here. Simply grab a handle, spin
like mad, let go, then grab another handle when your momentum runs out. You'll
have to do this 4 or more times to reach the FLAME POT.
BOSS:
A giant mechanized mole with an attitude is your nemesis here. Run like mad
to the right, grabbing the blue star if you've taken damage from the falling
rocks. Once you're face to face with him, remember to stay near the right
or left side of the screen... he'll usually burst forth from the center.
Once he has, watch his arm- if he swings it as if to pitch an underhanded
softball, he's going to toss a ground breaker. If he lifts it as if to point
toward you, he'll launch both arms, one by one, at you. In either case, leap
the projectiles and bop him. Should he take to the air, grab his arm as it
comes down and ride it up to him, where he'll be vulnerable to yet another
hit. After taking two hits, the mole drops you down a shaft, where you'll
have to fight him on your way down to terra firma (to reach some, you've
gotta hit him - in mid-air, no less). The second time you're dropped down
the shaft will be his last if you manage to grab him one more time. From
this point, you'll discover that a much smaller red mole was pulling the
strings inside the mech- & yes, he's still a threat, if not to the extent
that his robot was. Bop him quickly & grab the handle for a one-way trip
to...
This music-obsessed planet of birds is your next stop. It's quite a contrast from the previous worlds you've visited... in fact, it'd be hard to tell that Greedy's got his claws in the place if it weren't for the occasional orblet & a tone-deaf raptor named Awaunek.
AREA 1:
This round has you playing errand boy to a series of aspiring musicians.
Note the simplicity of the BGM near the beginning- every time you successfully
deliver a metronome to one of these song sparrows, the soundtrack actually
lengthens somewhat. The trick to delivering each metronome is as follows
(in no particular order): study the layout of the land, use the fans and
portals for quick transportation of your precious cargo, kill any orblets
you see (as they'll spirit the metronome away if you give them the chance),
& stand under the pincers to have them take the metronomes over spikes.
After your fourth & final delivery, you'll have to contend with a menacing
concerto of three goofy birdmechs. Each will take three hits to destroy,
& they're only vulnerable with their heads down, so it'll take some sharp
reflexes to scrap them all. When their heads begin to bob & the music
changes, orblets will fly out from either side of the screen to liven things
up- their pattern, a sharp sine wave, is fairly easy to anticipate &
counter. Once the mechs are destroyed, you'll find the end of the stage to
the immediate right.
BONUS ROUND LOCATION:
Just before you reach the second song sparrow, you'll notice a series
of light blue footholds. Climb these until you reach an alcove with the bonus
round handle inside & you're off!
TO GET THE TREASURE:
This is easily one of the hardest items to reach, as the path to it
is littered with empty treasure chests. You've got to use these chests as
stairs from which you can grab a set of rungs on the ceiling. Once you've
accomplished this, snagging the BELLS is simply a matter of swinging from
the left side of the glowing partition seperating you from the treasure to
the right. However, one mistake on the chests is all it takes to prevent
you from reaching the bells at all. By all means, take your time- you only
get one chance to do this, so do it right. I suggest grabbing the third chest
from the bottom & working your way up, then falling on the first column
& carving out some stairs from which you can reach the partition &
treasure.
AREA 2:
There's no big twists to the basic game engine here- just make your
way to the right as usual. Be careful when you slide down ropes on the hand
bars- more often than not, spikes will be waiting for you at the bottom,
jump off early to avoid unecessary damage. Also, note that the large metal
objects to which the ropes are tied often have items (like 1UPs!) in them,
so bop them & cash in. There are sumo wrestlers in key spots- learn to
anticipate just when they'll toss their dolls (!?!), then waste them once
they're unarmed & the offending object has been lept. Dancing electric
guitars guard the path to especially useful items- they cannot be destroyed,
& their patterns are erratic, so be advised that crossing these paths
could spell death for Ristar. Halfway through the round, there are a series
of drums which serve as trampolines. This part is tough to navigate, so practice
a little before going into the nastier spiked areas. Once the drums are out
of the way, the round is just about over.
BONUS ROUND LOCATION:
Once you're in the midst of the drums, you'll notice a shaft lined with
spikes. Yep, you guessed it - the entrance is down here and to the right.
Keep your energy high, as the shaft isn't the only area in this path that's
dangerous. Once you've grabbed the bar at the bottom, you'll be bounced
mercilessly in an equally claustrophobic tight spot. Grab the walls of the
spiked pockets to avoid impalement & make your way to the right, where
the bonus round awaits.
TO GET THE TREASURE:
Starting from the left, you must bounce your way over a series of
spike-encrusted mountains. You can get stuck a good many times on these spines
& still make it to the treasure, but if you want to go for the continue,
you'll want to try to hit the direct centers of each glowing trampoline pad
& steer as far as possible to the right without scraping the left side
of each mountain (for obvious reasons). The treasure here is a CLEFF NOTE
STATUE.
BOSS:
Your foe here is Awaunek, a shower-singing scoundrel who aims to torture
an audience with his not-so-golden throated rendition of the BGM (note how
it alters whenever he sings). To rid the auditorium of this menace, you have
to bop his perch about three times (keep yourself at about arm's length to
avoid being trapped between his sour notes & the perch). He won't harm
you when he rolls off, but once he's recovered, watch out! He can rain down
feathers & dive-bomb you like nobody's business. From here, you've got
two choices. Keep Awaunek occupied while the song sparrow belts out a tune
that, when complete, will award Ristar some much-needed health, or just bop
'em twice if you're feeling impatient. If you choose the latter, he'll swoop
back to the perch, knock off the sparrow, & continue screeching until
he's knocked off again. Keep beating Awaunek to a pulp and, after about three
perch dismounts, he'll be through for good, & you'll be ready to zip
up that parka & head for...
Hey, what's a "Sonic" clone without an ice world? Ristar should've brought along a pair of cleated shoes or at least some salt or SOMETHING- most of the terrain here is just too slippery for words, even in comparison to those of other Sonicky games. Along your travels, you'll meet a parsnickity kid who you'll eventually befriend (after his 10,000 attempts on your life, no less!). He'll come in handy when you're toe to toe with the head honcho here, one very large & hungry beastie named Itamour.
AREA 1:
Your main foe here is an alien child that looks like a cross between
a pill bug & a panda. He's not a big deal, though... what's worse are
the innumerable ice slicks that'll make your life hell as Ristar slips &
slides his way over them. The only way to gain control here is to jump- while
doing so, you can switch positions or ditch the slick you're on entirely.
There are icy gems on some of these paths that act as instant momentum builders-
just one touch of a full-sized gem is the equivalent of about 3 seconds of
wild spinning on a handle, so take advantage of them when possible. Later
in the round, you will once again encounter that annoying kid- he'll try
to shishkebab you with icy spines first, so lure him away from them, then
make your move over the spines & to safety. Once that's over, be prepared
for a snowball fight of epic proportions- to roll a snowball, don't DO anything.
Ristar'll make it on his own; but once it's finished, quickly grab it &
toss it right at your adversary's vulnerable purple midsection (the best
time is when he's holding a snowball over his head). Three direct hits is
enough to send him packing.
BONUS ROUND LOCATION:
There's a set of icy blue keys on the high road along with a few hovering
icicle droppers. Dispatch the ice droppers while taking care not to fall
off the collapseable keys- towards the end of these keys, you will see an
outcropping of land just above you. Grab the handle located not so conveniently
on its left, & you're as good as there.
TO GET THE TREASURE:
You'll be doing a lot of slipping & sliding here (sound familiar?),
so at the first ice slick, leap over the curl & grab the rung on the
right-hand wall, then the partition so as to slide left on the second ice
slick & avoid the one furthest down entirely. Leap the curl at the far
left, then the treasure, a delicious ICE CREAM SUNDAE, is yours.
AREA 2:
Hmmm... shades of Undertow here! That's right, the water is back. That's
no big deal, but the loonie tossing ice bombs on the shore is, so obviously,
taking a dip is much perferrable to dealing with him. If you by chance DO
have to tangle with him, note that his bombs can be deflected with a simple
flail of your trusty arms, & that the snowmen provide a vantage point
from which to finish him off. The toad statues, however, are a different
story - they can drop bombs too, & they CAN'T be stopped.
BONUS ROUND LOCATION:
It's a little complicated & definately the longest of the paths
to the bonus round, but hey, isn't it worth it? To reach this one, take the
landlubber's route until you reach a waterfall with salmon swimming in it.
The trick here is to swing from the first salmon, then snag the second on
the fly & grab the icy partition QUICKLY, as for some strange reason,
Ristar can't hang from the second unless you grab it first. From here the
path becomes painfully obvious, but it's still pretty long... eventually,
you'll see a pyramid of ice slicks. Ride these to the top, leaping to reach
each higher level, then dismount at the top, heading for the left. You should
land on a plot of ground with a toad statue & the entrance on it.
TO GET THE TREASURE:
This is kind of tricky - you first must leap from an ice slick into
a opening not much larger than Ristar himself, then swim quickly thru a series
of spikes to the destination, which is also guarded by an ice slick. Here's
what to do- time your first jump just right (it will probably take you several
tries), then zip thru the spiked channel in S-shaped arcs by pressing the
jump button & steering like mad thru them. Once back on dry land, jump
to the far left wall & climb it until you're high enough to reach the
partition. Swing across that & claim your prize- a fabulous ICE GEM.
BOSS:
You're feeling pretty good about yourself right now, aren't you? Well,
don't get too cocky- the boss here, Itamour, is large & definately in
charge. While one of the least intellegent world leaders on Greedy's payroll,
this frosted flake has a tough sore spot to exploit & his various nasty
attacks are more than enough to make up for his lack of a complex pattern.
Your one-time nemesis will offer his support by bringing out dish after dish
of hot curry, which you must in turn toss into Itamour's mouth. To do this,
stand at about the 4th orb on the bridge and, as he's chomping on frozen
radishes, hop straight up & toss the plate at It's lips after he stops
chewing. Should you succeed, Itamour will freak out & leap above the
screen's view- watch his shadow. It'll rest either at the far left of the
screen or a Ristar's length from it. If it's the latter, head for the far
left; if it's the former, stand a Ristar's length from the shadow. Itamour
will hurtle back to Earth & bounce back to the right- if you've positioned
yourself correctly, it'll give you the perfect opportunity to run under him.
Once he's back, he'll proceed to eat radishes, or possibly you if he's feeling
testy (he may also opt to freeze you in your tracks- wriggle free quickly
to break the ice's grip). If the latter happens, & you're holding a plate
of curry, toss it quickly & if he eats both you & the plate, you
won't sustain any damage. After about 4-5 helpings, you'll have thawed It
out & he'll be helpless to defend against a head butt. Do so & your
last planet'll be...
The first half of this android-filled assembly plant is perhaps one of the most annoying parts of the game. The second, entitled 'The Brain Maze ', isn't really non-linear at all & in fact will probably remind veteran gamers of one of the more inspired rounds in Treasure's fantastic "Gunstar Heroes". In any event, here are both in greater detail...
AREA 1:
There are PLENTY of aggravating places here. After defeating an accordian
(warning-it splits in two after the first hit), you'll encounter a grid of
girders which switch positions every time you hit the grab button. Climb
up this confusing mess as best you can, hitting grab whenever your support
or overhead disappears, heading to the left &, when at the top, the right
(on the rungs overhead). You should find a glowing surface with properties
similar to the ice slicks' in Freon. There's a treasure chest with a 1UP
on a ledge on its right. Leap the slope & claim your prize. After continuing
to the right, you'll see floating surveillance robots (bop these the FIRST
time they appear, or they'll fire lasers the next) and a small vertical bed
of spines. Swinging from the left of these spines to the right won't hurt
you, so do so to continue on. You'll come across some anti-gravity shoes
about 1/3rd of the way into this round - touch them & they're yours.
I must warn you that this footwear is somewhat of a mixed blessing however
- they're next to impossible to activate at will, yet they always manage
to work at the WORST times! Drop down from this point & head to the left,
then drop down again & head for the right. You will see a long shaft
with spiked girders inside it. Float or climb into this rather nasty chimney,
then QUICKLY grab each girder from the bottom, grab either side of the shaft
after swinging over the spikes, then repeat the process until you've made
it out. It'll take some trial & error to get the timing right for this
particularly tough part of the game, so be prepared to go thru a few lives
before you can make it out consistantly. From here you have two options-
head to the left & pick up some rather tricky 1UPs, or just continue
to the right & glide your way thru bed after bed of spikes via several
small green choppers, taking care to time each dismount precisely. Once this
part's been negotiated, a long wide corridor & a wall seperates you from
your last challenge. Grab the handy-dandy star handle & fire to the right
and the wall's history. You'll come face to face with a helmeted orblet &
a literal army of lesser orblets much like the ones you've seen in spades
on the previous planets. This armada has four patterns- rain (in which they
first attack you in unison, then hover above just out of reach & each
take a potshot), helix (where they spill to the floor & spiral around
the ground you're on), cross (where they assume a cross formation & spin
at you), & circle (where the sargeant orblet shields himself with his
flunkies). In rain, dodge the initial attack, then grab or dodge the raining
baddies & bop the sarge when possible. In helix, sidestep the first attack,
then grab the sarge from below. Work your way into the last formations &
take the sarge from there. After 5 consecutive hits, the orblet's leader
finds itself on its back, where you can finish it (& the stage, mercifully)
off.
BONUS ROUND LOCATION:
Remember the shaft with those spikes? Go to the left from this point,
where you'll be met with an assortment of unfriendly critters and a wall
you've got to climb. Take out the accordian(s) clinging to it, then make
your way up & swing from orblet to orblet until you see the entrance.
TO GET THE TREASURE:
Much like the drums, there are a set of glowing pads that serve as
trampolines. All you need to do is bounce to the top of the screen, avoiding
the spikes, of course, switch positions with either glowing partition, then
fall down the shaft AVOIDING the pads that hinder your progress downward.
The MACHINE PART is your reward for such dilligent work.
AREA 2:
This stage of Automaton is, in direct contrast with the first, a great
deal of fun to play, since it's so much different from the other rounds in
the game. You are trapped in a series of rooms, each with its own transporter.
To leave one room & enter another, you'll need to either find an activator
gem with which to turn the transporter on or, occasionally, just find it.
Given its straightforward nature, I won't dwell too much on this round, but
there are a few things you should be aware of. For one, you'll sometimes
find rooms with foreground/background teleporters. There's a glitch in the
game that makes the conditions in both planes of vision identical, so even
if you're in the foreground & an enemy is in the back, you WILL take
damage if you touch it. Also, you can't leave a room until you've returned
to the foreground. Next, in an earlier section of this round, you'll have
to battle a large blue robot which will try to press you into the wall on
the far left. As it takes steps, hit its feet- this will make it lose its
balance & stumble backward. Gain enough ground & the mech takes out
a wall & itself in the process. If there's a room with 2 transporters,
go off the beaten path & enter the hard to reach one for freebies like
1UPs & the round's secret treasure. There are rooms with floating platforms
in them as well - hit them from the bottom & they'll start moving vertically
(BE CAREFUL, though- they can & will crush you if you're between them
& a wall). At one point, you'll find a room with some SERIOUSLY deteriorating
wallpaper - take it down by grabbing loose ends, but be aware that there'll
be orblets & an incredibly annoying droid that will pour from the openings
left behind. It's best to just find the gem & leave well enough alone
from there. Oh, & if you find yourself in a room with just one star handle,
grab it quickly & hang on for dear life, because you won't have one if
you're caught in the literal downpour of orblets with no means of protecting
yourself.
BONUS ROUND LOCATION:
Near the end of the stage, there's an L-shaped room with an abundance of
spikes. You'll find yourself at the hinge of this L with two ways to go.
Grab the star handle & head up, keeping your course as straight as possible
so as to avoid running out of momentum prematurely. Swing over to the transporter
from the lone orblet & enter the transporter & you're there!
TO GET THE TREASURE:
This one looks as if it's literally impossible to complete given Ristar's
limitations. The trick here is to grab walls just below the oval-shaped purple
gems (which can't be grabbed) with a simple horizontal flail of the hands,
then QUICKLY grasp diagonally at the wall above it. Surprise, surprise! The
star boy actually makes it!!! The same advice pretty much applies through
the entire stage until you've reached the end, where you must grab the three
suspended land masses consecutively, then swing to the middle one & grab
at the island where the treasure resides. A lucky diagonal shot at the glowing
partition & jump to the island itself is all it takes to collect your
much deserved prize, a spinning, diamond-shaped icon I call an ARTIFACT.
Congratulations! They're all yours. Too bad they don't enhance the ending
at all & all the passwords from the post-win screen are in this FAQ.
BOSS:
A nice, easy to defeat mech! Just what we all needed after the previous
two planets. Some advice, though - those monitors aren't there for show...
when the robot on them tosses a bolt, you'd better know when to jump. Once
you're face to face with it, stay that way by pounding its eyes with head
butts. Don't let up until the monstrocity drops to its knees. At this point,
the scientist in the booth overhead will get in on the action by dropping
a large pair of pincers on you. Coax the pincers over to the mech... it'll
be hit instead & lifted back into the battle. Repeat the above described
process about 3-4 times and he's toast. From here, Greedy's Space City will
launch & you'll be ready for your final battle.
Well, you've made it. The previous six planets have been purged of Greedy's influence & you've even managed to scrap his most powerful soldier & sneak onto the tyrant's battleship. But none of this will matter if you can't defeat the big cheese himself. After all, he's got plenty of orblets to go around, & big, intimidating mechs are a dime a dozen these days, what with the price of technology so low and all. Even the gigantic hole you've made from literally bursting thru the wall of his cruiser is no big deal, although that's probably all the more reason for him to be extraordinarily mad with you. So even with all the work you've done, this Fight's for all the marbles. So don't mess this one up!
AREA 1:
After making a spectacular entrance, you'll have to make your way up
through the bowels of the ship. You won't be alone, but don't worry about
the eye- it can't hurt you (yet...). After a nice, long, & relatively
easy-going climb, you'll find a huge doorway that'll lead you to the...
BOSS:
That pesky scientist is back, & you've gotta confront him at close
range this time. That wouldn't be a big deal if it weren't for his steed,
a serpentine mech which becomes active after that eye nestles itself into
the proper socket. No matter. Mech or no mech, you'd have to be a complete
goober to lose to this guy- just constantly beat on that eye just like you
did with the good professor's last creation, the laser blasts & boomerangs
(which are the worst) won't give you too much trouble. Pretty soon, the eye
will begin to show obvious damage & the scientist will drop down in an
attempt to fix it. Hit 'em & the entire mech will sustain the damage.
After 5-6 such hits, it's toast. Enter the tube & you're to the second
area...
AREA 2:
WHAT area 2? All this part is is an excuse for Sega to throw in some
plot continuity & some nice eyecandy. Ristar gets sucked into the final
confrontation at this point.
GREEDY!!!:
Yes, it's that devious little world conquerin' fool himself. He's not
really in the mood to get his hands dirty at first, so he'll just toss out
a few little cannon-orbs to keep you occupied. As they move in, stick your
hands out in anticipation of the moment when they're ready to attack- if
your timing is right, you'll snag one just before the quintet fires &
save yourself from taking damage. Dispense with the cannons & Greedy'll
enter the fray himself. He still won't do too much in the way of attacking
at this point (although he WILL drop 2 orblets if you succeed in grabbing
him), so you'll want to take advantage of this courtesy & leave him alone
when he lifts his arm. When he does, he'll surround himself with small black
orblet-ettes. Pace to avoid these (i.e. run to the right as he tosses one,
then run to the left), then if you can, turn for the last one & grab
it before it hits the ground. Presto! You get a star for your troubles. You
can not only fill your life bar this way, but also keep a few stars ferreted
away on the screen itself should you need them, effectively giving you more
life than you can actually keep in your meter. With that said, you SHOULD
hit Greedy whenever possible otherwise. After about 5 hits, Greedy flips
his cape open & disappears, & from here, THIS is where he means business.
Once he reappears, he'll create a vortex which his orblets are oblivious
to. Grab & hold on to them to avoid being sucked out. Once the vortex
is sealed, Greedy warps around the screen, appearing & disappearing twice.
Jump up and snag the heel of his extended leg & Ristar will headbutt
Greedy right where it hurts. Of course, this by no means endears him to our
little hero, & he'll demonstrate this fact by sending down lightning
bolts. When you see electricity crackle in a sort of outline of Greedy, take
a running leap to the left and the bolt will miss (unless he manages to back
you into a corner, which often happens. THAT is what you need those extra
stars for.). When Greedy once again takes to the skies, continue giving him,
er, low blows, and after 5 such hits, the big guy takes a tumble & the
REAL fun begins. Sit back and enjoy the ending- you've earned it.
WARNING! SPOILERS FOLLOW! (Don't read this if you want it to be a
surprise):
After Greedy takes his 10th lump, the moment is captured in a cinematic slow
as the screen becomes letterboxed. To ensure the possibility of a sequal,
Greedy scrapes himself up from the floor & makes a convenient escape
alongside his accomplice & that strongarmed mech you tore up on Automaton.
The ship begins to self-destruct & Ristar finds himself trapped. Lucky
for him, though, a star handle appears, giving him a split-second or two
to escape the wreckage himself. The kid squeals out a barely audible "Hasta
la vista, baby" & the ship, well, what do YOU think? There's a nice series
of Ristar animations & postcard-esque artwork that accentuates the initial
credits screen, then a somewhat clunky-looking rotating galaxy that accompanies
the U.S. credits. And of course, Ristar finds his pop, who's a full 20x times
larger than the tyke himself. To give you an idea of his size, all you actually
see of the guy is his arms, & they take up about a quater of the screen
by themselves! Don't ask me how Greedy managed to capture this behemoth but
let himself fall to a puny little imp like Ristar... After all of this, you'll
be awarded passwords for all of the treasures you've collected.
"Ristar" doesn't use passwords as most games do (i.e.complete a round & get a code for it), I guess it's kind of original for the game to give them out after you've won, but still, I don't much care for getting half a password just because I missed a treasure that was nearly impossible to reach in the first place.
| Code | Effect |
| AGES | About as helpful as those "About" files in Microsoft programs. Just says(C) 1995 SEGA ENTERPRISES or something & that's it. |
| DOFEEL | "Sonic CD"-style "Time Attack" mode. See how quickly you can rip thru bonus rounds in this one. |
| ILOVEU | The elusive round select! Practice on tough stages & bonus
with this very handy code. This is the code that the CPU teases you with if you've collected just 10 treasures. |
| MAGURO | A booby prize code if ever there was one. With this, you can alter the music in the BGM selection screen much like Awaunek would. |
| MUSEUM | Fight all eight bosses in what's called a "Boss Rush" mode. |
| SUPER | Rediculously hard difficulty setting. Ristar dies with one hit, & there are absolutely NO stars to pick up. Mercifully, this code also comes with the ability to use unlimited continues (you'll need 'em with just one life per credit!). |
| XXXXXX | Any codes entered will be erased- no more shutting off the system for the same effect! |