Rygar is a side-scrolling fantasy action game first released into arcades by Tecmo in 1986. In the original Japanese version of the game (called “Argos no Senshi“) the protagonist was called “The Legendary Warrior” and the main villain was called Rygar, but Western versions of the game switched that to make the player character be called Rygar instead. Which subsequently stuck.

Rygar is a dead warrior who has been resurrected in order to fight the evil that has taken over the land. He has a unique weapon, called “The Diskarmor“, which is a shield on a chain that he throws out in front of himself, and it then spools back. A bit like a giant yo-yo… Pushing up and pressing the fire button will also make it swoop in an arc above Rygar‘s head – useful for killing enemies that are falling down onto you or are stood on platforms above you.

Enemies come at you relentlessly as you run left to right. Some require that you duck to destroy them with the Diskarmor, others are dropped from the air by weird flying monsters. You can jump on top of some enemies without dying, but in general: if you’re touched by anything hostile, you lose a life.

There are stone circles that drop power-ups when you smash them, and there are holes in the ground that you have to jump over. Occasionally there are vertically-scrolling segments where you have to climb a rope and avoid the lashing tongues of large chameleons.

If you’re not moving along quickly enough for the game’s liking it will send out a large red blob monster to scare the shit out of you, because one touch from this thing will kill you instantly. So if you see it you need to run!

In between levels you enter a tomb where you’re awarded a bonus depending on the number of enemies ‘repulsed’ and the time taken to complete the level.

Graphically, Rygar is quite good although the sprites sometimes blend into the backgrounds, making them hard to see (the player character in particular).

Like many arcade games of the ’80s, Rygar is tough going from the outset and gets ever more difficult as you progress. You need to be on your toes and have fast reactions to stay alive, and you need to be supremely good at the game to make it through the 27 different rounds and beat the boss, Ligar, in the final level.

Rygar was ported to a variety of home computers and consoles in the late 1980s. It was also remade for the PlayStation 2 in 2002 under the title of Rygar: The Legendary Adventure.

More: Rygar on Wikipedia
More: Rygar on strategywiki.org