LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Rastan Saga
built 265 days ago
Rastan Saga is a platform game, originally released by Taito Corporation in 1987 for the arcade hall. The game is known simply as Rastan in the United States and Europe. The player controls a barbarian who has to cross a number of levels and defeat monsters. The game's background graphics featured broad landscapes, not earlier seen in video games in such detail and clarity.
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Rastan Saga is not, for most of its length, a very tough game. The difficulty curve is reasonable, and the enemies and platforming challenges can be overcome with enough practice. A significant problem... is that there are not enough health-restoring potions scattered around the stages. Moreover, the amount of health those potions replenish is negligible, to the point where it doesn't make a huge difference whether you pick them up or not. This makes some of the latter stages (as well as most of the boss fights) pretty damn hard, because you'll find it nearly impossible to get through them unscathed. A few 1UPs, or some more potent potions, would have gone a long way towards remedying the situation.
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Like the original, Rastan Saga II is a side scrolling hack 'em up, although the game plays very different to its predecessor. For a start, the sprites are much bigger and the emphasis seems more on rushing through a level like a maniac than taking it more carefully to avoid losing energy. As before, power-up weapons are included, such as double handed swords and swords that shoot fireballs, and ... familiar will be the rope swinging action, even if there is less emphasis on accurate platform jumping.
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After the huge commercial success of Rastan Saga (1987), Taito rushed to develop a sequel before its competitors started churning out the inevitable clones. Unfortunately, Rastan Saga II failed miserably on every conceivable level. The game is simply an unplayable mess. But where to begin? Ah yes, the story.
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Perhaps none of this would have mattered or ever impacted arcade culture the way it did if the original Rastan Saga cabinet was not one of the loudest arcade machines of all time. The input screens can usually tone down the volume, but no such luck for arcade operators in mid-to-late 1987 who had to contend with a machine that made as much noise as its hero.
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Rastan Saga II has some nice, colorful backgrounds, and then again it has some really flat, unimaginative ones. Many of the enemy designs are inspired and highly detailed -- especially later in the game -- but the amateurish animation ruins their effect. The music is at least consistent, being nerve-grating throughout. The composer tries to imbue his tunes with a vaguely epic feel but fails miserably, somehow managing to include jazz drums and piano sounds in the horribly mangled mess that is the game's soundtrack. What a disappointing sequel this is.
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