Entertainment
Atari announces Yars Rising reboot from Shantae creator WayForward-GameCentral-Entertainment – Metro
Yars Rising is the latest reimagined Atari classic, with WayForward recreating it as a Metroidvania with a very familiar hacking mini-game.
![Atari announces Yars Rising reboot from Shantae creator WayForward-GameCentral-Entertainment – Metro](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/YR_PC_Screen3-ae33.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1024)
Yars Rising – from single-screen shooter to 2D Metroidvania (Picture: Atari)
Yars Rising is the latest reimagined Atari classic, with WayForward recreating it as a Metroidvania with a very familiar hacking mini-game.
Many of Atari’s golden era video games are amongst the best known in gaming history, from Asteroids and Centipede to Pong and Missile Command. The problem with keeping them relevant today is that these games are old and there’s usually very little to work with, while still trying to retain the original look and feel.
After many years in the wilderness though Atari are doing their best, from a reboot of proto-survival horror Haunted House to a belated release for Jeff Minter approved coin-op Akka Arrh.
They’ve also got a narrative-based reimagining of Lunar Lander coming up soon but just announced today is Yars Rising, a reboot of Atari 2600 classic Yars’ Revenge that’s been reinterpreted as a 2D Metroidvania by WayForward.
We’re writing this before the Indie World showcase from Nintendo this afternoon, but we’re guessing when Atari says the game will be ‘revealed with a major partner’ that’s what they mean.
The original Yars’ Revenge was a very abstract, single-screen affair where you controlled an insect-like alien called Yar, trying to shoot an enemy on the other side of a destructible barrier.
By comparison, new game Yars Rising sees you controlling a human hacker who is hired to infiltrate an evil corporation’s headquarters but has an ‘inexplicable bond to a far-off alien race.’
Yars Rising – the hacking game is a neat idea (Picture: Atari)
That makes it sound as if the two have no connection in terms of gameplay, but we met Atari recently at a PR event and they revealed that the hacking mini-game is essentially the original Yars’ Revenge game, which seems a very clever gimmick. It’s not shown in the trailer below but you can see it in the screenshot above.
In the original game you were fighting the evil Qotile monster, whereas in the new game you’re infiltrating Qotech corporation – so we’re sure there’ll be lots of other references to the original game in the final thing.
More Trending
Unlike many of Atari’s best known classics Yars’ Revenge was never a coin-op but we get the feeling it must’ve been more popular in the US than here, as it’s been reinterpreted many times over the years.
The first was Yars’ Return, a semi-official remake release for the Atari Flashback 2 mini-console, then a Panzer Dragoon style on-rails shooter in 2011, called Yar’s Revenge. As recently as 2022 there was Yars: Recharged, which was a pseudo-remake that stuck closer to the original game.
Yars Rising will be released on both consoles and PC in ‘late’ 2024.
Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter.
MORE : Atari now owns Bubsy Bobcat – threatens new games and re-releases
MORE : Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration review – an interactive history of video games
MORE : Lego Atari 2600 recreates the golden era of blocky graphics
Follow Metro Gaming on Twitter and email us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk
To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.
For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.
Sign up to all the exclusive gaming content, latest releases before they’re seen on the site.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Entertainment – MetroRead More