Play Ristar (August 1994) Online

Ristar came out on the Sega Genesis in 1994, developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. It was a late release for the system, arriving when the 16-bit era was starting to wind down, and it had a very distinct, fluid look that stood out from a lot of other platformers at the time.

You control Ristar, a young star-being who can stretch his arms to grab onto things. The main goal is to travel across different planets, freeing their leaders from an evil force. Your primary actions involve grabbing enemies and objects, then pulling yourself toward them or flinging them away; you use this stretching ability to swing from poles, climb vines, and solve environmental puzzles. The pacing is methodical, encouraging exploration in each screen-based level to find hidden items and alternate paths, and the difficulty is fair but requires some precision with your grabs. It feels wonderfully tactile and responsive, like you're really pulling the world toward you.