Rastan - Sega Master System

Rastan for the Sega Master System is a port of Taito's beloved 1987 arcade hack-and-slash classic — a Conan the Barbarian-inspired side-scrolling action game that was one of the finest coin-ops of its era. Rastan is a giant of a man, a bounty hunter by trade in a savage land ruled by cutthroats and villains — a man whose path death follows wherever he strides. When a king summons him to court and offers untold riches in exchange for rescuing his kidnapped daughter from the darkest reaches of Semia — a region where even the foulest thieves fear to go — Rastan sharpens his barbarian sword and sets out alone into the nightmare.

Players control Rastan through seven fantastical worlds, each divided into three separate parts. The first act of each world is typically an open outdoor environment — forests, mountain passes, castle ramparts — with multiple branching paths toward the exit. Stage 2 heads indoors to a castle or cave with more linear, claustrophobic layouts, and Stage 3 delivers a boss encounter against one of Semia's evil lords. If too much time is spent in a level, the screen turns pitch black and endless swarms of bats and bees descend until the area is cleared — a punishing time pressure mechanic that keeps complacency lethal.

Rastan starts armed only with a sword, but stronger weapons including flaming swords, maces, and battleaxes can be collected and used throughout each level. Armor, shields, and cloaks are picked up automatically on contact and provide temporary damage reduction, while potions restore health or inflict it depending on their type. A wall-jumping mechanic exclusive to the Master System version — absent from the arcade original — lets Rastan zig-zag up sheer vertical walls, and many levels have been redesigned specifically to make use of it. Rastan does not die immediately upon landing in lava or water — he takes hits but can still jump free to safety in most cases, a surprisingly forgiving touch in an otherwise demanding game.

The Master System version is considered a solid adaptation of the arcade original, with graphics that put its 8-bit home computer competition to shame, and Taito's programmers were praised for coaxing atmospheric music out of the Master System's limited sound chip. The port redesigns several level layouts from the coin-op to add value beyond a straight conversion. Rastan was published by Taito for the Master System in 1989 and released across North America and Europe. It has since been included in various Taito compilation releases, but the original Master System cartridge remains the most collectible physical version of one of the great arcade hack-and-slash games of the late 1980s.

Japanese Title: ラスタン (Rasutan / Rastan Saga)
Language: English
Rating: N/A (pre-ESRB release)
Platform: Sega Master System
Genre: Hack-and-Slash / Action Platformer
Players: 1 player
Developer: Taito
Publisher: Taito
Release Year: 1989