How do you honor a classic video game’s legacy while simultaneously pushing it into the future? This question is at the heart of the gaming industry’s current obsession with nostalgia. While simple ports, HD remasters, and flashy remakes might satisfy some, they often feel like mere echoes of the past. WayForward, a studio known for its creative reinterpretations, tackles this challenge head-on with *Yars Rising*, a Metroidvania that reimagines the Atari 2600 classic *Yars’ Revenge*.
Instead of a straightforward polish, *Yars Rising* transforms the series into something entirely new. At first glance, it may seem like a departure from the original, but a closer look reveals a deeply respectful and transformative approach, grounded in the series’ history. The game’s economical Metroidvania design, while not without its quirks, sets a new standard for reviving retro titles, proving that nostalgia doesn’t have to be a crutch. *Yars Rising* stands on two legs and soars with four wings, embracing both past and present.
In the original *Yars’ Revenge*, players controlled an insectoid character battling alien ships. The gameplay involved nibbling away at shields and firing a Zorlon Cannon, a unique concept for the space shooters of its era. Bringing that experience to a modern audience presented a challenge. WayForward met it with creativity, expanding the simple core into a full-fledged Metroidvania with side-scrolling shooting, stealth, and hacking puzzles. While this might initially seem disconnected from the source material, the connections run deeper than expected.
The story begins with Emi (codename: Yars), a blue-haired hacker, infiltrating an evil corporation. This sets the stage for a light espionage narrative that unfolds into an alien invasion conspiracy, echoing the spirit of *Yars’ Revenge* and expanding upon its lore. The callbacks are subtle but clever, woven throughout the experience.
For instance, the original *Yars’ Revenge* came with a colorful comic book that set the stage for its alien conflict. *Yars Rising* pays homage with its own vibrant art style and motion comic cutscenes, creating a fun reference for dedicated fans. The game captures the narrative energy of a classic Atari title while incorporating modern influences.
What’s truly impressive is how WayForward expertly balances these elements. They take the original’s hard sci-fi and blend it with a bright 1990s anime aesthetic, complete with bubble voice acting and witty jokes (though the humor might be a matter of taste). The soundtrack replaces the triumphant music of the old Kid Stuff Records cassette with jazzy pop jams that wouldn’t feel out of place in a *Persona* game. It’s a harmonious fusion of past and present, held together by WayForward’s distinct creative stamp.
This stylistic balancing act extends to the gameplay, which takes even bolder creative liberties. *Yars Rising* is a 2D action adventure heavily influenced by *Metroid*. Combat is straightforward, with Emi using her cannon and occasional missiles. Exploration involves crawling through vents and dodging laser grids. She gains a few traversal abilities, like wall jumps and air dashes, but WayForward keeps everything streamlined. The game has the economical design of a Game Boy Advance title, making for a breezy adventure. This is something WayForward excels at, as seen in gems like *The Mummy Demastered*.
However, the simplicity can sometimes feel too stripped down. The shooting mechanics are basic and don’t evolve much, while the rigid stealth sections force players to wait for guards to follow predictable paths or face instant death if detected. Traversal gimmicks can also feel clunky, like the frustratingly slow underwater movement or the somewhat unwieldy upwards burst. If you’re looking for a sprawling and complex genre experience like *Hollow Knight*, you’re in the wrong place.
Despite these drawbacks, the streamlined design has its benefits. *Yars Rising* keeps the map small and easy to navigate, making secret hunting less intimidating. Every unexplored path is clearly marked on the map and highlighted in red if inaccessible. I completed the game at 100% in about nine hours, with minimal padding, even if it meant some visual repetition as I navigated the same areas repeatedly.
The rewards for exploration feel worthwhile. Instead of hiding missile expansions or health upgrades, Emi collects equippable mods that enhance her abilities. Each mod is represented by Tetris-like blocks that fit into a pixel art grid resembling the insect hero from *Yars’ Revenge* (another cute nod to the series’ history). This creates an inventory puzzle where players must strategically arrange these blocks to maximize stats like shot power or air dash distance. *Yars Rising* is a rare Metroidvania that compels you to explore every nook and cranny, as you never know what helpful bonus awaits behind a challenging platforming puzzle.
While the connections to the Atari game might seem superficial at first, *Yars Rising*’s creativity truly shines in its hacking puzzles. Throughout the adventure, Emi must hack into computers to unlock doors and acquire new chips. Each computer features a timed minigame inspired by *Yars’ Revenge* and its retro space shooting gameplay. Players must nibble shields, blast Qotiles, and avoid deadly swirls, just like in the original.
Initially, these are charming nostalgic throwbacks. However, they quickly become the most compelling aspect of the game. Each hacking challenge becomes increasingly complex, building upon the core concepts of *Yars*. One puzzle has players nibbling heart shapes while dodging raining missiles. Another requires biting through one side of an enemy shield to charge a Zorlon Cannon and fire it into the metal shield on the foe’s backside. Some even reference other Atari games like *Centipede* and *Missile Command*.
These bite-sized challenges highlight the elegant design of games like *Yars’ Revenge*. They are as rewarding as the secrets they unlock, becoming part of a minigame collection that can be replayed. This inventive interplay between 2D action and classic space shooting is what makes *Yars Rising* so special.
Atari has been struggling to find the right way to make its old properties relevant again. Games like *Lunar Lander Beyond* attempted to build upon the strengths of their predecessors, but *Yars Rising* truly nails the assignment. WayForward creates a broader world around the series’ premise, expanding beyond the confines of a single screen while seamlessly integrating the original game into that universe.
It’s a perfect blend of nostalgia and modernity, where Easter egg references evolve into a genre-changing hook that sets the game apart from its mechanically complex peers. *Yars Rising* sets a new standard for how to revitalize classic games, and I hope it serves as a blueprint for Atari’s future endeavors.
*Yars Rising* is a loving tribute to the past that reveres its source material enough to confidently expand upon it rather than simply giving it a fresh coat of paint. It takes the original franchise’s worldbuilding seriously and transforms every aspect into a larger adventure that lives up to the Yars name. Sometimes, the best way to keep the past alive is to allow it to evolve into something new. Nostalgia can be a heavy anchor, but *Yars Rising* soars free without it.
*Yars Rising* was tested on PC and Steam Deck OLED.
