Atari’s raiding and revitalising of its back catalogue continues unabated with one of its most bizarre and ambitious reboots yet. Instead of just updating the graphics and mechanics of one of its arcade games, Yars Rising takes the world of the famous Yars Revenge and attempts to expand it out into, of all things, a Metroidvania.
The original Yars does make appearances from time to time in
the form of hacking mini games that need to be completed in order to open doors
and disable obstacles. These play around with the conventions of the original
game but basically amount to charging a meter then blasting a target with a
super shot. Sometimes there are barriers, sometimes there are mines to avoid or
other enemies to defeat but it all amounts to a single screen take on the original
arcade style experience.
These hacking games become more and more complex as the game
progresses. But if you feel you have really had enough of them it will let you
skip if you fail a certain number of times. On the flip side you can also
access them from the main menu if you just want to play them over and over.
The main bulk of the game has players take control of Emi
Kimura who has been hired to break into the QoTech corporation. This plays out
in the classic Metroidvania style with players exploring the 2D environment and
picking up new skills along the way to let them through previously unpassable
barriers. There are boss fights as well which normally need to be finished off
with a hacking mini game or they will spring back to life.
In terms of design, the environments are a fairly generic, sterile,
future sci-fi setting. It does help to keep things clear and easy to see but
there’s not a huge variety between the looks of each location which can make traveling
around a touch dull at times. Enemy design is very much in the realms of robots
and technology which shares the same clear but not inspiration feel (with the
occasional Atari reference). In a nice touch, all the characters are voiced,
and Emi will chime in with her own commentary on how thing are going from time
to time (this can be turned off if it gets too annoying).
Much better, is the general feel of the game. Emi controls well
and it’s easy to get her to execute whichever move you are trying. This means
you can get a good flow while traveling around the environments, allowing for
speedy trips across the map. There’s also a well-balanced mix of action and
stealth with a few areas requiring you to hide in doorways or vents to avoid
invulnerable enemies. It’s not exactly Metroid: Dread but it helps to break
things up and all the mechanics work well. The music is also excellent with a host
of jaunty, anime inspired tunes present.
Overall, Yars Rising is a fun and inventive take on an IP
that may have otherwise struggled to survive the expectations of modern audiences.
The classic Wayforward vibe is in full effect and while this may not be
anything revolutionary, it is certainly fun and breezy and there’s nothing bad
here. If you feel you need another retro tinged Metroidvania then this makes a
good choice, even among the mass of competition of the Switch.
Overall 7/10
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