Yars: Recharged | Xbox Review
I was only two years old when Yars’ Revenge released on the Atari 2600 in 1982. Despite being so young at the time, I feel almost as nostalgic for this title as I do, say Pac-Man. I mean, look at that box art. The detail of the box alone sparked my imagination to such a high degree, it might be what spawned my love for sci-fi in general. Although the graphics are primitive by today’s standards, the gameplay was something fresh, requiring a bit more strategy than merely blasting aliens one-by-one.
When Atari announced Yars: Recharged for modern consoles, I was immediately stoked to play it. After all, I had a blast with Pac-Man Championship Edition and its sequel. I even enjoyed Galaga Wars+ on iOS. But this is Atari and not Namco, and the former hasn’t had a great track record as of late, especially with the lackluster Atari VCS. Could Yars be a step in the right direction for the legendary video game company?
Dual of the Fates
In the original Yars’ Revenge, you were in control of an insect-like creature called a Yar. You fly on a two-dimensional plane attempting to take down the enemy Qotile, which is protected by a large barrier. The catch here is that you can’t fire on the enemy directly, but must do so with a large cannon that is placed off-screen to the left. The cannon, unfortunately, is not able to destroy the barrier, so as the Yar, you must clear a path and fire your cannon through a space you’ve created. The level resets with a slightly higher difficulty each round, and the process repeats itself until you can last no longer.
Yars: Recharged expands on that formula both graphically and mechanically. It plays much more like a twin-stick shooter with slightly more going on. For starters, there is no longer just a single Qotile for you to take down, nor a single barrier. Instead, each enemy is surrounded by hexagon barriers that must be brought down one at a time. The enemy now has extra defenses like laser cannons and energy projectiles to make your mission a bit harder. In order to clear a path for your cannon, you must fire your Yar’s weapon or “nibble” away at the barrier. As you do, the barriers and enemies release pieces of energy that charge up your cannon. Once fully charged, the cannon appears, and you can fly your Yar into the cockpit and blast away at the exposed Qotile until none remain. Then it’s on to the next level.
Firepower
Although you can’t destroy the Qotile directly with your Yar, you can take down their defenses with your peashooter of a weapon. As you destroy each, they will drop a special weapon that you can grab. These include lasers, spread shots, and rapid-fire projectiles. Each allows you to eat through the barriers at a much more rapid pace. But more importantly, this gives you the opportunity for chain attacks. Once you acquire a special weapon, your goal becomes attacking the next one in order to obtain another and keep the flow going until the core is exposed. This becomes helpful for higher scores, as clearing the board in a timely manner offers greater point rewards.
As you progress through levels, they increase in difficulty, often teetering on small puzzles. The game introduces barriers that are impervious to your weapons, and you must destroy the artillery towers to clear a path. This becomes super tricky, as you must navigate through dangerously tight spaces as you whittle away barriers.
The satisfaction comes in destroying defenses or Qotiles. Once you do, the barriers explode in a cascade that makes the board more manageable with each attack. As your skill increases, you’ll learn a pattern to taking out each level in a timely fashion, which makes for better scores.
Yars: Recharged Final Verdict
Yars: Recharged is a pleasant surprise that gives the original game its due justice. It’s a very clever arcade title that is incredibly satisfying to play. There’s even a co-op mode where you can take on the enemies together.
My only real issue with this title is its short length. The arcade mode can be completed in less than an hour, and there are additional “missions” that take maybe double that to complete. The price tag makes this more or less a non-issue, however. Your extra play comes through beating your previous scores. Unfortunately, there’s no online leaderboards to compete against your friends, so replayablity is limited.
Still, this is a very fun, although short-lived title that I had an absolute blast with. My hope is that this sparks Atari to make similar upgrades to classic titles in the future. It’s well-worth your time, especially if you have nostalgic feelings for Yars’ Revenge.
This review is based on an Xbox copy of Yars: Recharged provided by UberStrategist for coverage purposes. It is also available on PlayStation. Nintendo Switch, Atari VCS, Stadia, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.
Yars Recharged
$9.99
Pros
- Improves on the Original Nearly Perfectly
- Easy to Learn, Challenging to Master
- Satisfying End-of-Level Experience
Cons
- Short-Live Experience
- No Online Leaderboards
