Day 2: Uranim
For the next boss in this marathon, we need to look at an underrated gem for the Sega Genesis….
Me: A Gem-esis, if you will.
Lyra: Boo! You suck!
Me: Zip the lip, heckler!
Anyway we're talking about a boss from Ristar today.
As far as bosses from Ristar go, they're honestly pretty good, which is surprising given we're dealing with a game from 1995, a period when bosses weren't really that well known for being that robust.
Some of my favorites would have to be Ohsat, the boss of Planet Undertow, for making good use of Ristar's swimming controls, and Adahan, the boss of Planet Scorch, for those interesting segments where you're free falling and you have to do damage as you fall.
Those two bosses are great, but ultimately, I have to go with the battle against the first of Kaiser Greedy's minions, as well as the creation of his right hand man Inonis, Uranim!
Before the fight even begins, Uranim is already trying to take cheap shots at Ristar by throwing projectiles at him as he enters the boss arena. Just pay attention to the T.V screens in the background so you can see when he's going to throw them, and then jump when appropriate.
After that nonsense, you make it to the arena, and the fight truly begins.
First thing you'll notice about Uranim is that he is an absolute tank! His HP is easily the highest out of any of Ristar's boss battles, and you'll need to hit him multiple times before you start seeing results.
There are going to be moments in the fight when, after taking a barrage of hits, Uranim powers down and Inonis, who is in the background operating a giant claw, will try and take you down with said claw while Uranim gets his bearings straight. You can use this claw to your advantage and time its attacks and your jumps so that Inonis hits Uranim with the claw while he's down so you can do even more damage.
If you think that's all there is to this fight though, you'd better think again, because as a killer cyborg, Uranim not only knows how to take abuse, but he knows how to dish it out just as hard. Not to mention, some of these attacks are tricky as hell.
The first of Uranim's attacks is a simple jump, not too bad. But then Inonis will also provide him with some projectiles that he'll throw at you. The orbs will just roll across the ground and you have to jump over it, the bolts he'll throw at wherever Ristar is currently standing and when it hits the ground will bounce upward, and the springs, like the orbs, will travel across the ground but in a bouncing motion so you'll need to time your dodges perfectly.
On top of that, Uranim will do a difficult to dodge dive attack when he's at half health, he'll try and throw some punches at you, and he'll even go full Street Fighter mode and throw Hadoukens at you!
Me: I mean to be fair, borrowing an idea from Street Fighter is an awesome idea given how much of an impact it left on 90s culture. Almost makes me wonder what other bosses took inspiration from the series?
*Magma Dragoon from Mega Man X4 peeks out from the corner*
Me: Oh, we're going to get to him soon enough, trust me.
Anyway, dodging these attacks, like I said, can be very tricky because they happen fast, and even though hammering away at this ugly metal sack of crap is satisfying as hell, it's also how you'll likely get beaten down the most. Just take your time, climb up the arena's walls to dodge some of Uranim's attacks if you have to, take advantage of Inonis' claw when you get the chance, and the battle will be won.
Overall, Uranim is a fun boss fight in this otherwise overlooked Genesis gem, and a great lead up to the fights with Inonis and Kaiser Greedy.
Now Sega, if you're reading this, and your done sitting on your laurels from Sonic Frontiers, maybe you can give our good little star boi another game…
Please…
It's been almost 30 years…
We miss him…
Please…