Rastan

Rastan is Taito's sword-and-sorcery arcade game: a muscle-bound barbarian hacking his way through mountains, caves and castles, swinging from ropes and cutting down everything in his path. In late-80s arcades, when barbarian movies were all the rage, it was impossible to walk past without dropping a quarter.

It had the brutal difficulty of its era, but also an epic sense of adventure that few games pulled off: every stage ended with a powerful guardian and that feeling you'd barely made it out alive.

History

Taito released Rastan in 1987; in some places it was known as Rastan Saga. It lived in the same world as the heroic fantasy movies of the 80s and became one of the company's best-remembered action games.

It was ported to several computers and consoles of the day and got a couple of sequels, but the original is still the favorite of anyone who played it at the arcade.

How to play

Walk with the joystick, swing your sword with one button and jump with the other. You can strike upward, slash downward midair and grab onto ropes, vines and chains to get around.

Along the way you'll find weapons that boost your reach and power for a while, like an axe, a mace or a fire sword, plus defensive gear like a shield or a cloak. Watch out, though: not every item is your friend. Each round ends in a throne room with a guardian you need to beat to move on, and a dragon waits at the very end.

Fun facts

• In some regions it was titled Rastan Saga.
• The hero can grab ropes and chains to swing through levels.
• The final boss is a dragon.

In the arcade

Rastan isn't on the UsuArcade floor yet, but it's on our wish list. If you want to swing that sword in the arcade, hit Want to Play on this page. The most-voted games get added first.

Meanwhile, the arcade has other action adventures from the same era: Ghosts 'n Goblins with its knight in boxer shorts, Black Tiger with its dungeons and barbarian hero, and Golden Axe for some two-player sword swinging.

FAQ