Ristar

This is one of the most precocious Sega genesis games in its library, mainly due to its presentation which gives it the impression it was made for younger audiences in mind even though it's far from the easiest game the system had to offer.

The thing stopping this from being perfect in my book is that the controls could be better, specifically when it comes to ristar’s stretching arms as it's often hard to stretch them at the right angle at the best of times, let alone when you're racing against the clock. Thankfully accurate hand stretching angles aren't necessary very often in this game otherwise I would struggle to find positive things to say about it. Speaking of, there's a ton of positive this game has. Ristar is an adorable protagonist from its design to its distinct personality it frequently displays on screen, I love how he reacts differently depending on what level you're in as it adds charm to these already creative environments. The level design is immaculate, taking full advantage of our heroes move set and is complimented with stunning art direction. The bosses are pretty intimidating here which is a nice contrast to the otherwise kid friendly worlds filled with largely cute enemies for our hero to defeat. Like most Sega platformers, there's tons to explore and collect in this game, further incentivising you to appreciate the level design and art direction on display. I also really like the soundtrack in this game, naturally there was an unwritten rule for all 90's games to have a great soundtrack, however this might be one of my favourites of all time due to how incessantly catchy each of the level themes are (the music world being a personal favourite of mine.)

It's a shame the controls aren't the best because otherwise this would be one of the best genesis games on the system, heck it's one of my favourites regardless and more than worthy of your time.