In 1982, Atari released a shooter called Yar’s Revenge. Over the next few decades, the game has been rebooted and remade, but it wasn’t until this year that a full sequel was released. Rather than returning to the same genre as its predecessor, the sequel Rising year by yearlooks to design elements from Metroidvania games like Hollow Knight, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and Blasphemous for new inspiration, and the resulting reinvention, helmed by Shantae and the Seven Sirens creators WayForward, has now been released on Steam.
Yars Rising is a Metroidvania reinterpretation of the Atari classic, putting players in the role of a hacker named Emi “Yar” Kimura. In this version of the game, Yar is held captive by a mysterious corporation she’s been asked to hack, and over the course of the ensuing story, she discovers secrets about her own background and the nature of an alien race that’s connected to both her and the headquarters corporation in which she’s held captive.
Progressing through this corporate building involves platforming, combat, and stealth sequences, as well as the gradual power unlocking and exploration that is characteristic of the Metroidvania genre. As a hacker, Yar can also take part in mini-games based on his computer talents, which serve as a nice break between traversing the vast maps and taking part in genre-mixing boss battles. The game also has a sharp visual style, combining metal-dominated level environments with colorful, cartoony characters.
Yars Rising is out now on Steam. You can get your copy here.
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