Yars Rising stretches its ties to the Atari classic, but somehow kind of works

Yars Rising was recently announced as a follow-up of sorts to Atari 2600 classic Yars’ Revenge. Rather than taking the form of a Zorlon Cannon-blasting shooter, Yars Rising is a hacking-centric Metroidvania with a demo now live during Steam Next Fest. As odd as the concept is, after playing some of what WayForward has in the works, I’m willing to hear them out.

This time around you take control of Yar — okay… so far, so good — which is the hacker handle for a young woman named Emi Kimura. A mysterious patron has hired Emi to hack her way into the shady corporation known as QoTech, and in true Metroidvania fashion she’ll do so through exploration that expands with every new technique she picks up along the way. It’s all presented in a clean, but somewhat stiff aesthetic that’s serviceable if a bit lacking in style and fluidity. 

As Emi jogs through corridors, she’ll occasionally talk to herself. This can be cute at times, but it doesn’t necessarily bode well if she’s going to be doing it throughout the entire game. Yars Rising is also chock full of fully-voiced dialogue exchanges, so if you’re into that there’s plenty of it in this short jaunt. On the opposite end of the audio spectrum, the soundtrack slaps. 

Yar’d house

The real Yars’ Revenge flavor comes into play during the hacking minigames. With flashing Atari-style visuals, hacking typically tasks you with breaking down a barrier so your Yar can fire its cannon. Some require shooting while others require nibbling, and they’re all fast and fun enough diversions. Successful hacks can unlock doors, reveal new Biohacks — equippable pickups that augment everything from crawl speed to Emi’s Zorlon Shot — and unlock abilities. 

Stealth is also one of the game’s bullet points, and you’ll get to try one section out during the demo. It’s very straightforward, with Emi waiting for guards to turn their backs before slinking past, or crawling through an nearby air duct. Thus, the jury is out on whether or not the stealth portion of Yars Rising will be a thorn in the side of those who aren’t fond of sneaking missions. 

Metroidvania 101

I can’t be certain of what WayForward is going for here outside of spinning the license title roulette wheel, but Yars Rising seems like it could make for a solid introduction to the genre. As presented in this bite-sized sampler, everything from the structure to the combat is pure by-the-numbers Metroidvania action. There isn’t enough on display to give you a full taste of what exploration will be like, but you’ll secure two early abilities, one of which is essential to opening up new areas. 

It all closes with a battle against the Burning Sentinel, a rotund security robot that puts both of Emi’s current abilities to the test. Like the rest of the demo, it’s a clean and uncomplicated affair, but it’s enjoyable and manages to work the hacking minigame into the heat of combat in a novel way. 

At this point, we’re stretching the meaning of spiritual successor so thin it’s practically transparent, but there are enough nods to the source material in this demo to give it a pass. I may not be wild about what I’ve played of Yars Rising, but I’m curious. It has a deliberately stiff quality to it, and general movement isn’t quite as enjoyable as it should be given the genre, but I want to see more. Maybe it’s the WayForward name that has me looking past some of its flaws, but I’ve got more terminals to hack and I’m keen to see how the rest of this adventure plays out when it launches sometime this y(e)ar.