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Ristar (Genesis)/Regional Differences

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This is a sub-page of Ristar (Genesis).

Region Lockout

KEEP OUT
The Japanese version has a region lockout system. This was removed from the international versions, which are region free.

Intro

Story text was added to the intro sequence in the US and European versions. The Japanese version had no text at all. 

IN A FAR OFF GALAXY...
AN EVIL ALIEN FORCE
IS AT WORK.

 THE EVIL TYRANT,
            GREEDY,
HAS CORRUPTED
  THE PLANET LEADERS
 AND ENSLAVED
       THE POPULACE.
EVEN THE LEGENDARY HERO
    HAS BEEN CAPTURED.
A DESPERATE PLEA
  FOR HELP IS MADE.

AND ANSWERED,
 BY THE HERO'S OWN SON.
Ristarjpveronlystorysprite.png


This sprite of the Star Goddess, Oruto, only appears in the Japanese version's intro, and is used after the Elder's star reaches Ristar's planet. However, the Game Gear version still retains this character, regardless of the region.

Title

Japan/Asia US/Europe
Ristarjpscreen.png Ristaruseutitlescreen.png
  • The title screen was altered to remove "the shooting star" in the US and European versions.

RistarDemoPlay.png

  • Every gameplay demo in the Japanese version has a constant "DEMO PLAY" graphic flashing at the center of the screen.

Graphic Changes

Japan/Asia US/Europe
RistarDefaultStanceJP.png RistarDefaultStanceINT.png

Ristar's default stance is more cheerful in the Japanese game.

His default idle animation (Used in Round 1, 7, and Bonus Areas) was also changed.

  • In the Japanese version, it's a happier version of his boss stage animation. Occasionally, he'll either say "Go!", "Ehh", or giggle.
  • In the localized game, his default idle animation is identical to his boss stage animation.
Japan/Asia US/Europe
RistarEnemiesJP.png RistarEnemiesINT.png

Most enemies with neutral expressions in the Japanese game are angrier in the international versions. The enemies pictured here only had their eyes altered; Some of the other enemies have more elaborate changes.

Japan/Asia US/Europe
RistarOwlJP.png RistarOwlINT.png

This owl is angrier, but it also has a smaller mask in the international game. The shading on its tail and wings was also changed slightly.

Japan/Asia US/Europe
RistarBagwormOrbletJP.png RistarBagwormOrbletINT.png

The shading on the bagworm Orblets is brighter in the international sprite, and the string's palette was changed from blue to brown.

Japan/Asia US/Europe
RistarFlyerJP.png RistarFlyerINT.png

The flying squirrel in Round 1-2 was replaced with some kind of bat-thing.

Japan/Asia US/Europe
RistarHeatOrbJP.png RistarHeatOrbINT.png

The fire Orblets in Round 3-2 were given darker shading and a wider shine spot for the localized game.

Japan/Asia US/Europe
RistarHornEnemyJP.png RistarHornEnemyINT.png

This horn enemy, found in Round 4-1, has a second shine on its right side and some less sophisticated shading in the Japanese game.

Japan/Asia US/Europe
RistarDancerBirdJP.png RistarDancerBirdINT.png

The dancing birds of Round 4-2 have noticeable breasts in the Japanese game. The graphics were changed to disguise this; Now it just looks like a fold in the shirt.

Japan/Asia US/Europe
RistarItamorJP.png RistarItamorINT.png

Itamor's design was heavily altered:

  • In the Japanese version, he's a cat monster. This is a reference to a Japanese idiom: A person who doesn't like hot/spicy food can be said to have a "cat tongue", which is why throwing hot soup into his mouth hurts him.
  • In the international game, he's a frost monster and lost his cat-like features. It still makes sense to defeat him with hot soup, since he's a frost monster and all. Despite this, Itamor still has a cat tail during the ending sequence, which was likely an oversight.

Additionally, the shading on the back of his tongue was changed, and the light on his stomach was shrunk.

Japan/Asia US/Europe
RistarNextStageJP.png RistarNextStageINT.png

The Japanese version has a Valdi System display in the Next Area screen. This was removed from the localized build, probably because some of the new planet names are too large to fit in the box.

Text Differences

  • Every planet has a different name in the international versions.
  • In the Japanese version, each name is based on an English word that describes the theme of the world. This word is then scrambled, and a letter is added, dropped, or replaced.
  • In the localized versions, each name is a real, semi-obscure English word.
JP Name Source INT Name
Neer Green Flora
Leatow Water¹ Undertow
Onaclove Volcano Scorch
Neous Sound Sonata
Elykiki Icicle² Freon
Rewope Power Automaton

¹ The planet's name was romanized as "Reatow" in earlier versions, making the connection clearer.
² This planet's name was romanized as "Elycici" in earlier versions.

  • In the Japanese game, each treasure has a name:
Round Treasure Name Round Treasure Name Round Treasure Name Round Treasure Name Round Treasure Name Round Treasure Name
1-1 Star Flower 1-2 Twinkle Apple 2-1 Pearl Oyster 2-2 Magical Lamp 3-1 Fire Blade 3-2 Flame Cup
4-1 Happy Bell 4-2 Sound Trophy 5-1 Delicious Ice 5-2 Snow Crystal 6-1 Golden Screw 6-2 Shining Board
  • "Grab" in the control setup option is "Catch" in the Japanese game.
  • Beating a Bonus Area fast enough gives a continue. The message for this is "CONTINUE UP‼" in the Japanese game, which was shortened to just "CONTINUE‼"
  • The text for beating a Bonus Area staff time or getting an exceptionally high Round score is "GIVE UP" in the Japanese game and "NO WAY‼" in the international game.
  • The text after beating a Round is different:
    • In the Japanese game, the text is "ROUND X CLEAR", where X is the Round number.
    • In the localized game, the text is "Y CLEAR", where Y is the Round name.
  • The two highest results in the post-credits Password screen were changed: "WONDER‼" was changed to "WONDERFUL", and "MIRACLE‼" changed to "GREAT JOB‼"
  • The message in the credits after beating Super mode is "YOU ARE RISTAR MASTER.." in the Japanese game, and "YOU ARE THE MASTER‼" in the international game.

Passwords

The Japanese game has seven additional passwords that were taken out of the localized version.

Password PAR Code Message Effects
AAAAAA FFFE04:10 FREE CONTINUE
OK‼ 		Infinite continues.
CANDY FFFE04:02 RISTAR WAS
INVINCIBLE‼ 		Disables collision damage. Certain other damage sources, such as Itamor's chewing attack, still work.
FEEL FFFE04:0E HYPER MODE
ON‼ 		Enables Invincibility, True Sight, and Stage Select.
MACCHA FFFE05:10 THE MIYAKE
COLOR‼ 		RistarPassMaccha.png
Changes the palette of Greedy's Castle to a greenish color scheme. "Maccha", or "matcha", is a type of finely ground green tea powder.

"Miyake" refers to chief designer Takumi Miyake.
MASTER N/A PLEASE WAIT FOR
NEXT STORY
THANK YOU… 		N/A
STAR N/A WHAT IS
YOUR WISH? 		RistarPassStar.png
A shooting star flies in from the top-left corner of the screen to the bottom-right corner.
VALDI N/A N/A RistarPassValdi.png
Jumps to an interactive version of the Valdi star system seen in the credits.
Controls:
  • Up/Down: Moves star system up or down.
  • Left/right: Rotates star system.
  • A Button: Zoom in.
  • C Button: Zoom out.
  • Start Button: Exit screen.

Stage Differences

Round 2

  • At the beginning of Round 2, there is a hidden gem in the wall. In the Japanese version, hitting that spot in the wall won't raise the water right away, whereas the water will still rise in the international versions.

RistarRound22Starfish.png

  • The second half of Round 2 contains starfish-like objects that cling onto Ristar and slow him down. They don't appear in the Japanese version, although their graphics are used in the turbine sections.

Round 4

RistarRound41Notes.png
In the Japanese version, notes appear above a bird robot's head when they're about to slam down. These were removed from the international game.

Round 5

RistarRound51Ski1.png
A short stage intro was added in the international build. Ristar rockets down a snowy slope before falling back...

RistarRound51Ski2.png
...and reappearing with a set of skis. Ristar jumps off of the slope and the stage begins proper.
It should be noted that this intro can be skipped.

Round 6

RistarRound61Shoes1.png
Halfway through Round 6-1, Ristar enters a swimming section with invisible water. There's no explanation given in the Japanese version, so the international game adds a sprite for a set of anti-gravity shoes.

RistarRound61Shoes2.png
There's even a nice animation of Ristar admiring his fancy new footwear.

Ending

Japan/Asia US/Europe
RistarEnding51PicJP.png RistarEnding51PicINT.png
  • Sega of America remembered to change Itamor's sprite in this picture, but left the tail in. Oopsy.
  • Ristar has a five-fingered fist in the Japanese credits. However, the international credits have Ristar with a four-fingered fist. This change seems awkward, given the next scene has Ristar with five fingers.
Japan/Asia US/Europe
RistarEnding52PicJP.png RistarEnding52PicINT.png
  • What should be the brightest color in the Aurora Borealis is darker than the surrounding colors in the Japanese picture.
  • The ending screens are starkly different.
Japan/Asia US/Europe
RistarEndingJP.png RistarEndingINT1.png
RistarEndingINT2.png

In the Japanese version, Greedy, Inonis, and Uranim are stranded on an unknown planet. A contemplative Greedy stares at a distant flickering image of Ristar. In the international game, Ristar finally reunites with his father, the legendary hero. This ending was changed to fit with the new text in the game's intro. Also, Ristar has four fingers again, along with his father.

Miscellaneous

  • Besides the additional SOA Staff credits, the international game also adds Ryoichi Hasegawa's name at the end of the Special Thanks section.
  • The text "- RISTAR - THE SHOOTING STAR" was removed from the international credits.
  • On Normal difficulty, the game starts with 9 continues in the Japanese version and with 5 continues in the international ones.
  • The starting health for the Hard difficulty setting was changed from 1 to 2 in the international versions.
(Source: Ristar Cluster, Original TCRF research)
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