Rastan Saga II - Sega Genesis Review

Let's look at the sequel to one of my favorite arcade games from the 1980s.

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Opening "Sega" jingle is from Astal for the Sega Saturn.

Ending Music during the credits is from Batman for the Sega Genesis.

SLX Logo
By: Jan Neves

Intro by Evan S.

Outro Animation by Kevin Bhall

Episode Notes:

1. Captured from the Mega SG.

2. The series always had a weird naming scheme. The original in Japan was Rastan Saga. The sequel here in the US was originally Nastar Warrior.

3. The 3rd game would be released on the PS2 via the Taito Memories series.

4. In terms of color and sound, I think the PC Engine version is closer to the arcade than the Genesis version, though it has more slowdown.

5. Rastan is long overdue for a remake. I think it would make a killer Metroidvania.

[samuraicer]

The quality swing for the entire Rastan Saga is wild

[SteveBrandon]

I think the small character sprites in the first Rastan worked in its favor since it made the levels feel more "vast", adding a lot to the atmosphere of the game, while everything feels a lot more "cramped" in Rastan Saga II/Nastar Warrior due to the giant character sprite.

[GlerpidyGlarson]

I've watched this channel for so long that your intro is just fucking awesome dude. So relaxing and calm but nostalgic at the same time I don't know it just hits me every time

[bananonymouslastname]

Rastan is one of my favorite arcade games of all time. Rastan II was such an astronomical letdown that it was jarring at the time.

[stevetb]

It will always have a special place in my heart, as I had it as a teen. It wasn't so horrible back then. Big sword, claws. Yes. It sucks though, I see that now. It hasn't aged well.

[oldmanretro]

I ❤️ this game!!!!
All versions, I still have the soundtrack CD in my car CD player, it not a game for everyone I understand but it holds a special place for me.
I had the the Genesis version and the arcade game was in the bar in town.

[Superdimensional]

Don’t know why the first one never got a 16 bit console port. Could’ve easily been ported to Genesis or SNES. I think even PCengine could’ve done it sans the parallax backgrounds.

[Jamesamong]

I wonder who suggested to Taito that Rastan should walk like Simon Belmont in this instead of his fast pace badass one from the first.

[Aragorn]

this OST vs. SoR1 ...shows you what magic can be made with talent 😏🥰

[VenusHeadTrap]

9:34 Rastan pokes his sword up the way an old granny hits the roof of her apartment with the broom.

[pda]

Rastan on c64 was one of my favorite games and it featured fantastic music.

[patchouli]

5:42 He looks like "We have Ax Battler at home".

[stepheng]

Gotta love when you drop a reference to our home town I’m going back on Saturday to take my kids to the pool at forest lakes where my parents live just up, the road from the old mall

[malant]

The irony is that sega lord x puts out this video on the same day that a rastan saga clone game (Volgarr the Viking) gets its very own sequel

[malecus]

New game Abathor just dropped last week and is similar but 4 player and has a demo that spans several levels. Hooked my Switch up to my 27in CRT and plays/looks great! Wow had no idea Warrior Blade was ever made and will definitely seek it out thanks! Black Tiger and Cadash also Arcade favorites of mine.

[GameBoyGuru]

I dumped a fair few quarters into Nastar Warrior at the bowling alley in my hometown. I was drawn to the game, despite kind of knowing it wasn't a great game. Also, I'm not sure how, but I intuitively knew it was a Rastan sequel because I recognized that Nastar was Rastan spelled backwards. I never played the Genesis port, but having enjoyed the arcade game at the time for what it was, I'm glad I didn't drop $50 on the home port. It probably would have been one of the small handful of games I would have ended up trading off or selling after I beat it.

[AndrewJWildey]

Only game I ever took straight back to the video store. Like some 8-bit looking thing

[jessragan]

Rastan looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger in Conan The Barbarian. Rastan II looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger NOW, forty years later. "Augha blagha blaaaws! I have Austrian-ritis! It's not a toomah! I should be so lucky! I'm so frail and ugly even my maid won't touch me!"
The arcade version of Rastan Saga II at least has an awesome soundtrack. Zuntata was in full force when they made the music for this game. They seemed to take a vacation when Taito made Ultimate Qix for the Genesis, which is a pity as it's fifteen thousand times the game Rastan Saga II is.

[aliensun]

Rastan III is easily one of my favorite arcade games. I was so happy when, after hours of playing, I discovered "Video Options, Side-by-Side (gapless)". Love your videos man!

[RobertLewis]

I'm Rastan Lord X and I WILL catch you next time