[5] The same motion also allows for opening treasure chests containing various items, or striking different parts of the environment, such as knocking trees over.

[5] Many pole-like structures are present to swing Ristar from one side to another, across gaps or to ascend or descend platforms vertically.

Additionally, "Star Handles" are placed in levels, where the player must have Ristar grab and use momentum to swing him around in a 360 degrees circle.

[8] If enough momentum is gained, sparkles appear behind Ristar and he performs a move called the "Meteor Strike", which makes him invincible and able to defeat any enemy upon touching them.

Bonus points are awarded based on Ristar's altitude when flying offscreen, similar to how levels are ended in Super Mario Bros. Additionally, every level also contains one hidden handle that sends Ristar to a bonus stage, which involve getting through an obstacle course within a given time limit.

In all versions of the game, the events take place in a far off galaxy, where an evil space pirate, Kaiser Greedy, has used mind control to make the planets' leaders obey him.

In the early 1990s, Sega asked its development teams to create a mascot to rival Nintendo's Mario.

[12] One proposed character had long rabbit-like ears which could extend and pick up objects, but this was discarded as too complex[5] The team moved on to animals that could roll into a ball, and settled on Sonic the Hedgehog.

[12][13] Some years later, Sega developed another prototype, Feel,[14][15] with a character that used its arms to pick things up instead of ears,[16] which became Ristar.

In English-speaking regions, that reference is non-existent, so it was changed to a "cold ice monster" being defeated by being melted by "hot food".

[28] Electronic Gaming Monthly's team of five reviewers gave it a 7.6 out of 10, with Mike Weigand summarizing: "An excellent new character, Ristar requires more technique than the typical run-and-jump action titles".

[b][24] A reviewer for Next Generation, while noting that Ristar borrowed heavily from Dynamite Headdy, contended that the player character has more than enough originality and versatility to go beyond being a mere clone.

Citing the excellent stage design, "slick transparencies, original bosses, and great music", he deemed it "one of the best platform games to date".

[25] Ristar received considerably more positive reviews over a decade later upon being re-released digitally and as part of Sonic and Sega themed game compilations.

IGN gave the Virtual Console version an eight out of ten, praising the game's graphics, music and gameplay, and closed with saying "platformer fans would do well to give this one a look".

[20] Nintendo Life scored it at 9/10 and referred to the game as one of the best of the system in regards to graphics, animation, and gameplay, writing: "Ristar proves that taking a radical approach to play control in a platformer can sometimes really pay off in the end.

[45] In a retrospective piece by Levi Buchanan of IGN, he praised the graphics and gameplay as being great for the aging Sega Genesis, but also asserted that the platform hurt the game's ability to succeed with sales and visibility: "Ristar never stood a chance.

[51] The game was also included on the North American and European edition of the Sega Genesis Mini 2, released on October 27, 2022.