It's astounding that Yars Rising even exists. The original Yars' Revenge was one of the Atari 2600's biggest hits, yet it was nearly inscrutable at a glance – a single-screen shooter where you go back and forth across a bizarre energy field, nibbling away at protective barriers to open a path for your cannon to fire at an enemy on the other side. How, then, would you reboot that concept over 40 years later? Naturally, you turn it into a 2D Metroidvania starring a spunky anime girl.
The idea makes a lot more sense when you consider developer WayForward's own history with 2D Metroidvanias and spunky anime girls. This is, after all, the studio that brought us Shantae. Yars Rising doesn't stray too far from genre conventions – you'll be exploring open-ended areas, looking for upgrades, and using uncovered abilities to find new places to explore – but the twist is a hacking component that mixes in classic Yars' gameplay mechanics alongside some other classic Atari tributes.
