Rastan (aka Rastan Saga) was released by Taito, design credited to Toshiyuki Nishimura under the direction of Yoshinori Kobayashi. Nishimura also is credited as designing The Astyanax, a game that will likely get some coverage here down the line.
Along with Golden Axe, Rastan is probably the purest example of sword and sorcery in an arcade game and yet another game very clearly influenced by the Conan the Barbarian movie. The international version of the game doesn't have much to show for a story aside from the image of an aged Rastan on a throne, similar to the movie's final image of Conan as a king. The Japanese version, however, includes a screen explaining that Rastan has made a business arrangement with the princess of a kingdom: Rastan will slay a dragon and upon dropping its head before the princess, she will give him all of the money.
Rastan is one of the standout games of its time in terms of presentation. The character designs are instantly memorable, with Rastan being an agreeably drawn loin-clothed barbarian taking on various enemies that tend to have a mythological slant. Centaurs, amazons, chimeras, and harpies, among others. There isn't a lot of parallax scrolling, but the lush, richly colored environments are imbued with memorable effects such as changes in time of day or weather, and interesting features such as colossal statues far in the distance that any Tolkien fan would recognize as the Argonath. Best of all, Rastan has an absolutely great Basil Pouledoris-influenced soundtrack by Naoto Yagishita and Masahiko Tagaki that would probably make a fine transition to a full orchestral performance.
Whereas Golden Axe was modeled on brawlers like Double Dragon, Rastan is purely horizontal and enemies generally are vanquished with a single stroke. Levels are divided between an outdoor section, such as mountains or murky forests, and fortresses that Rastan must navigate until meeting an end-boss in a throne room. Rastan's basic weapon is a sword, but he can find axes, morning stars, or (best of all) a magical sword that shoots fireballs, along with items that carry effects such as replenishing his health or making him more resistant to damage. Rastan has a health bar that runs down to a heart that beats harder as his life runs down, another classy visual touch. An important distinguishing feature of the game's design is that Rastan need not stop before attacking or leaping. A big part of developing a successful strategy for the game is balancing the urge to rush ahead while cleaving through enemies with the need to occasionally slow down or even stop and wait for an opening.
An amusing touch is that Rastan will sometimes have to jump out and grab a swinging vine, calling back to Taito's Tarzan game, Jungle King, which was reworked as Jungle Hunt after the Burroughs estate rattled its saber at the company (not a lot of Tarzan or ERB-based games out there...).
Rastan is unusually difficult even by the standards of coin-munching arcade games. Enemies are numerous and never stop charging at you from both sides. Moreover, the stages are full of hazards such as pits and lakes that will kill you instantly if you fail to make a leap. On top of that, the game pulls a bit of a tough trick on players when it reveals that there are no continues for the final level. To actually overcome the game, one has to learn it very well instead of just purchasing credits all the way through. I confess I've never beaten the game. I'm not good enough.
If one is good enough to win, the game reveals Rastan moving on before concluding with the shot of his older self on the throne, stating that this was only one of his adventures on the way to earning his kingship, and that he might have other stories to tell. Taito did create more games featuring the character, but those are stories for another time...
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