Developed and published by Taito in 1987
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The 1980's was a decade of that saw the rise of electronic music, shoulder pads, massive hair and significant social and economic reform. Seemingly, it was also a time where popular culture was full of muscle-bound action heroes, clad in little more than a furry loincloth and sporting a massive broadsword.
This was in no small part due to the release of the first movie adaptation of Robert E. Howard's "Conan the Barbarian", which starred 80's action icon, Arnold Scharzenegger. With high-fantasy becoming increasingly popular, video games seemed like the perfect vehicle for the genre.
Rastan (or Rastan Saga in Japan) is a side-scrolling action game based in such a high-fantasy setting. The player controls the titular hero during several of the adventures that would eventually see him become king.
Each of the game's six levels begins with an open-air section set against the backdrop of unforgiving terrain and huge mountain ranges, clearly trying to convey the sense of being on an epic journey in dangerous lands. Each of these levels is full of deadly falls, pits and other hazards that cause instant death should Rastan blunder into them, so good timing and jumping skills are essential to victory.
The second part of each level typically takes place inside a fortress that Rastan must conquer. These sections have greater verticality the outdoor sections, with Rastan shimmying up chains and falling down steep drops in order to find the exit. These level culminates in a one-on-one fight against a touch boss character with the player having to learn the enemy's various attack patterns and to attack at the right moment.
Natural hazards and traps are not the only things standing between Rastan and victory. A menagerie of mythical beasts and deadly foes block Rastan's path, all of which must be either killed or avoided. Rastan's default weapon is a two-handed sword (not completely unlike the Atlantean sword wielded by Conan), although additional weapons can be collected that upgrade range, attack power or add projectiles. The weapons only last a limited amount of time before reverting to the sword, so it's a good idea to press on to makes as much use of the weapon before it vanishes.
One of the game's more interesting features is the range of power-ups available in the game and their individual effects. Health can be topped up by collecting vials of blue liquid, whilst red potions are poison and should be avoided. Items such as the shield, cuirass and cloak will actually reduce the amount of damage that Rastan takes from enemy attacks for a short time, whilst rings and amulets will increase the number of points received for killing enemies. Once an item is collected, a small icon appears at the bottom of the screen to indicate that an effect is active, which is a nice touch. Such power-up systems were certainly nothing new at the time of release, but Rastan's feels closer to those found in RPGs, not arcade games. Overall, this is a nice touch and fits well with the game's fantasy setting.
Whilst I think the designers did a great job with the game's aesthetics, I think they were less successful when making the game fun to play. Whilst most games typically deliver new content over the course of the full game, you've seen pretty much everything that Rastan has to offer within the first level. The level designs don't really change much over it's six levels.
The game is also notable for being quite difficult, where most of the traps kill you instantly and monsters drain huge chunks of health for merely touching them. Making the game especially challenging is the the fact that Rastan's health bar doesn't recharge between levels, with the amount of health gained by collecting potions is minimal. If you're lucky then you might find a golden ram's head that can completely refill Rastan's health, but these are few and far between and I don't recall ever seeing them drop before the second level.
I have mixed feelings when trying to decide on what I think about Rastan. On the one hand, the game's unique setting made it stand out when compared to it's arcade-based contemporaries and it's certainly a memorable game. On the other, the pacing issues and level of difficulty make it a game that I don't think it's one that I would really want to play for extended periods.
When presented with the inevitable 'Insert Coin to Continue' screen appears, I think I'd be more likely to walk away than put another coin in the slot.
#retrogaming