Nastar

About

Nastar is a side scrolling platform brawler where you control a hulking warrior armed with a sword and a need to destroy ancient evil. Developed by Taito in 1988, it tasks you with climbing, slashing, and dodging through 10 levels filled with geometric enemies and crumbling environments. The controls prioritize momentum, jumping, dashing, and spinning attacks form the core loop. Bosses range from giant spiderlike creatures to vaguely monstrous amalgamations, each requiring precise timing to defeat. The Mega Drive port streamlines the arcade version’s difficulty, but both stick to the same punishing rhythm of action. The game earns points for its unrelenting pace and visual flair, even if its level design feels repetitive by modern standards. Bosses like a cyclopslike giant and a serpent with a human face lean into mythic references without overexplaining them. While it doesn’t surpass its 1985 predecessor Rastan in execution, fans of tough, twitchy 2D brawlers might find it a brisk challenge. A small cult following keeps it circulating in arcade museums and retro compilations, though it rarely tops "best of" lists.

Storyline

A side scrolling hack-and-slash-em-up where you take the role of a barbarian who tries to defeat the evil wizard. Many of the bosses are based on mythological characters such as minotaurs and Medusa.