Yars Rising

Atari has had a rather unusual approach to conquering the modern games industry, as while many major companies have looked to make bigger games often residing in new and fresh franchises, Atari has turned its attention back to the past to instead tap the treasure trove of once iconic IP that it either still possesses or that it has steadily been acquiring as the years have rolled on. One such example that falls into the former category is Yars Rising, as this is a modern adaptation of a game that first arrived back in 1982 on the Atari 2600 and known as Yar's Revenge.

Now this game is incredibly important and authentic as in many ways it's the precursor to the Metroidvania idea, the concept of working through a limited world by acquiring upgrades and tools to reach previously inaccessible areas. It isn't as complex as modern offerings like Metroid Dread or the Blasphemous games, but the bones and core structure paint a very clear picture of what soon became a global sensation when the first Metroid and Castlevania titles made their arrival shortly after Yar's Revenge debuted. This same mindset can be applied to Yars Rising.

This game revolves around a hacker that goes by the name of Emi as she is tasked with infiltrating the very same shady corporation that she is employed by in order to unearth dark secrets. Using platforming moves and techniques, Emi climbs up and down the headquarters tower to access and hack various computer terminals to discover secrets and acquire various new powers that allow Emi to use amazing abilities to fight back against threats and to reach otherwise unreachable places. Again, it's all very traditional Metroidvania, but I'm not going to knock that since Yar's Revenge can be treated as the pioneer of this very concept.

What I will say about Yars Rising is that it does feel like a "my first Metroidvania". Yes, again, it literally is in many senses, but in 2024 where we're used to more complex and diverse gameplay mechanics and systems it does feel a bit too rudimentary and basic at times. There's only a handful of usable inputs and mechanics, the world isn't very deep or challenging to navigate, enemies rarely pose any serious threat, and frankly the biggest opposition to your success in this game are the stiff controls that make traversing the world and the more intricate elements a bit of a headache.

The mechanics and controls feel clunky and heavy, which for some of the less intense elements of the gameplay isn't a problem or even that noticeable, but when you're expected to jump between two vertical walls while remaining within tight spaces where dangerous and high-damage lasers threaten to strike Emi, the required precision is often not something that Yars Rising excels with. And this is applicable to leaping between floating platforms while avoiding attacking enemies and projectiles, and even some of the smaller arcade minigames too.

I find the arcade minigames to be one of Yars Rising's more interesting and unique features. Essentially, to hack computer terminals Emi uses a pixel avatar to infiltrate the system by completing minigames that feel right at home in the 1980s. This could be Galaga or Space Invaders-like action, Brick Breaker-type tasks, bullet-hell objectives, and so forth. These are usually mechanically very basic but due to the number of moving parts and deadly projectiles that will kick Emi out of the hack upon taking any impact, it can be much more demanding than meets the eye. I do appreciate the challenge and the retro authenticity in these minigames, but at the same time, they can be frustrating to complete, especially since failure will chip away at Emi's health bar, which only gets significant replenishment at save stations.

You may say that my criticism of the health system is far too pedantic, but it actually comes full circle to the jank and clunkiness I mentioned earlier. When you defeat an enemy, they will usually drop health cubes (or even ammunition for Emi's more destructive abilities), but the issue is that a lot of the time, these dropped elements will fall off the map or land behind an enemies corpse where it is unreachable, meaning there's basically no way to replenish the high-damage you take from being clipped by one of the many environmental hazards or enemy types, of which there are multiple, varying kinds to have to overcome. Strangely enough, this issue doesn't really affect the boss battles, as despite this being a place where you are supposed to be challenged the most, the boss encounters tend to have quite easy-to-overcome mechanics and plenty of opportunities to heal up, making them more of a breeze than some of Yars Rising's other areas.

One area where developer WayForward has excelled in Yars Rising is without a doubt the presentation. This game is very pretty and vibrant and feels truly lively thanks to the great soundtrack that plays at all times and offering up electronic and pop beats with a Japanese flair. Matching this up with the voiced dialogue and the moments when the art team clearly get to flex their talents by debuting narrative scenes in the form of comic strips, Yars Rising visually and audibly feels more in line with a modern Persona game than it does a retro title from 1982 where capturing core and basic mechanics was infinitely more important than delivering a narrative and artistic experience.

So, all in all, Yars Rising is a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, I think WayForward has done a great job bringing this older title into the modern day with top visual and audio prowess. On the other hand, it lacks a lot of the class and refinement that makes modern games such a joy and thrill to play. The jank and clunkiness hold this game back, which is a shame because it's video game history being brought back to life in front of our very eyes. Either way, this is definitely the better and more accessible way to experience a game that inspired some of the most popular and beloved games of all-time.