Yars Rising is a creative reinvention of the classic Atari game

WayForward has managed to transform one of Atari’s most curious games into a beautiful and accessible Metroidvania

THE Atari remains firm and strong in reinterpreting its classic properties, this time with Years on the risea Metroidvania-style game that marks the return of Yars’s Revengevery differently than 80s veterans remember.

Produced by Keep going like thisa studio renowned for series such as Shantae, River City Girls, Against: Operation Galuga and many more, the game features a young hacker, Emi “Yars” Kimura. Infiltrating the evil QoTec corporation, Yars must reach the company’s servers and hack into classified information to expose her plans to the world.

Visually, the game is simple but very well animated, with scenes that remind one of a comic book. Yars is very charismatic and a little clumsy and her fellow hackers add some variety to the plot. The soundtrack is the highlight, with sung tracks that accompany the action and exploration.

The action is all 2D, in true Metroidvania style. You must explore the many floors of QoTec’s headquarters, a veritable labyrinth filled with traps, guards, robots, and platforms. As you progress, Yars collects new equipment that helps you reach previously impossible areas, as well as allowing you to eliminate the robots that guard the company’s rooms. An interesting detail: the inventory screen where you equip the improvements found by Yars works like a set of Tetris pieces.

The maps are well designed and the controls are precise. There is a certain lack of difficulty, so much so that I consider it one of the most accessible Metroidvanias I have ever played. There are several retro references, such as bosses inspired by other Atari games, such as Missile Commandfor example, which will leave nostalgic gamers with a smile on their faces.

But everything changes when you find a terminal to hack – and there are many of them. Hacking consists of minigames that are actually based on the original Yars Revenge. You basically control an alien mosquito across the screen, completing tasks to place a cannon and fire missiles at the target on the other side. There are many variations of this, some simple, some quite challenging.

If you have a hard time getting through a minigame (when you die you have to start the activity from scratch), the player can activate the invincibility option. You will still have to play the minigame, but without the risk of losing everything because of a small mistake, and without any harm to the player who opts for this ‘cheat’.

Considerations

Yars Rising is a really interesting Metroidvania game, even if it is not the most challenging. Its mechanics, which mix action, exploration and shooting minigames straight from Atari, result in an unusual and creative mix. And I must add that the game works very well on Steam Deck.

Yars Rising is available for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch and Xbox Series X/S.

*This review was done on PC and Steam Deck, with a copy of the game kindly provided by Atari.

Source: Terra

Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.