known in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

as ''Nastar'' and in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

as ''Nastar Warrior'' (except for the North American

Sega Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...

version, which was released as ''Rastan Saga II''), is a

hack and slash Hack and slash, also known as hack and slay (H&S or HnS) or slash 'em up, refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat with melee-based weapons (such as swords or blades). They may also feature projectile-based weapons as well (such as ...

platform Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system or ...

arcade video game An arcade video game takes player input from its controls, processes it through electrical or computerized components, and displays output to an electronic monitor or similar display. Most arcade video games are coin-operated, housed in an arca ...

developed and released by

Taito is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. It b ...

in 1988. It is the sequel to '' Rastan'' (released as ''Rastan Saga'' in Japan). The story in this game tells how Rastan got his titular name (meaning his real name is unknown) and saved a vast region called 'Rastania' from evil monsters known as "The Wicked Group." Rastania, the kingdom which Rastan saves in this game, subsequently becomes his kingdom to rule.

Gameplay

''Rastan Saga II'' is a side scrolling hack-and-slash-em-up where the player takes the role of a barbarian who tries to defeat an evil wizard. The controls of Rastan consist of an eight-way joystick, a button for attacking, and a button for jumping. Like the first installment, the player is able to swing Rastan's sword in multiple directions. By using the joystick in combination with either button, the player can determine the height of Rastan's jumps. There are a total six rounds, each consisting of two areas: an outdoor scene, and a castle hall where the player must confront the stage's boss. The backgrounds of the outdoor areas feature broad landscapes with changing sunlight effects with detail. The game's bosses include

Medusa In Greek mythology, Medusa (; Ancient Greek: Μέδουσα "guardian, protectress"), also called Gorgo, was one of the three monstrous Gorgons, generally described as winged human females with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Those ...

, a

Gladiator A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...

Centaur A centaur ( ; grc, κένταυρος, kéntauros; ), or occasionally hippocentaur, is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse. Centaurs are thought of in many Greek myths as being ...

, and the final boss, the evil wizard.

Reception

In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''Rastan Saga II'' on their May 15, 1989 issue as being the eighth most-successful table arcade unit of the month. Retrospective opinions have been mixed to negative. Chris Rasa of

Hardcore Gaming 101 ''Hardcore Gaming 101'' is an online video game magazine founded by Kurt Kalata. Kalata established the site after graduating college, when he noticed the overabundance of game strategy guides, and felt that someone should create more books about ...

called the game "a huge step down from the original", with completely linear and "banal" level design, and poorly animated sprites. Ken Horowitz of Sega-16 rated the Genesis version a 5 out of 10, calling it a "decent hack-'n-slash" that is "fun enough to spend an afternoon or two with." However he lamented the removal of 2-player mode and the poor audio quality when compared to the arcade. Mark Bussler of

Classic Game Room ''Classic Game Room'' (commonly abbreviated CGR) was a video game review web series produced, directed, edited and hosted by Mark Bussler of Inecom, LLC. The show reviewed both retro and modern video games along with gaming accessories, pinball ...

said the Genesis version has "painful, terrible music, and the visuals are just laughable", and criticized the level design as "mindless."

Gameplay

Reception

Notes

References

External links