Yars Rising – PS5 Review

I think I like the mood Atari is in. Their output from a preservationist standpoint has been cool and they have attempted to revive or reimagining some of their old classics. They don’t always hit but their willingness to try has been really admirable. Their latest attempt is Yars Rising, developed by WayForward and aiming to pay homage to an old classic whilst providing something very, very different.

Yars Rising places you in the shoes of Emi, a young woman who works at QOTech. She is primarily a coder for the corporate giant but a sudden alien invasion turns her mundane life into something with genuine stakes. She’s shown as a somewhat unreliable worker within a city that appears fairly futuristic. Over the course of the game, the nature of the invasion, QOTech’s projects and Emi’s backstory are uncovered in a number of ways.

The most common being in-game dialogue between characters. It’s presented in a fairly uninteresting way with the conversations being dished out in spoken and written text at the top of the screen. It’s not spectacular and the in-game models can be static in these exchanges. There are comic book cutscenes that, whilst not my cup of tea, do provide a lot more energy.

Yars Rising is a search action game. Whilst that certainly makes the links to the original feel tenuous, it was probably the right move. Emi begins with very few options for movement and combat but abilities do open up as you explore the company offices. I didn’t see many opportunities to skip ahead with some barriers being hard limits on where you can go. It’s all from a 2D side-scrolling perspective with a very effective map. At the outset, Emi can jump and crawl with vents providing access to other areas.

There is also some light stealth on offer. When it’s required, there’s typically a place for Emi to hide. Ledges and alcoves give her ample opportunities for cover. Being caught is close to an instant fail, though. Despite her having finger guns for combat, this has no effect on the guards. Still, these encounters are easy to read with patrolling enemies displaying a satisfied nod to every sweep of the room they do.

Emi’s abilities tend to split between traversal and combat. They mostly control well with only the wall jump providing minor frustration. Her additional armaments are usually a means to break down barriers or activate platforms to reach higher areas. It’s not bringing any new ideas forward but it does feel competent. There’s a lack of threat beyond the occasional laser grid with most opposition becoming minor nuisances.

Only boss fights seemed to provide me with a stern challenge. You’re given plenty of health to tank damage and save points are plentiful. It does make exploration pretty quick and you can uncover the map at a healthy pace. Any hacking nodes you’ve missed are easily distinguished and the map can be easy to read.

Boss encounters are an exercise in pattern recognition. I find they arrive not long after discovering new combat abilities and require you to utilise them. That can be an interesting way of teaching players the mechanics but I feel these battles are a few cycles too long. These feel like the rare times Emi can appear vulnerable and I don’t see any visual indication of how far into the fight I am.

Despite initially feeling far removed from Yars Revenge, the hacking mini game soon reminded me of the name on the box. I wasn’t a huge fan of the old classic but, out of necessity, Yars Rising has served me more of that original than I could’ve dreamt. There are dozens of these little stages and the variation has been impressive. Some of them borrow from other Atari alumni whilst maintaining a bug zapping motif. These are all quick, timed challenges that explain their objectives effectively.

They’re placed in the game well, allowing you to understand and then build upon rules. They all offer rewards, too. The compulsory ones open locked doors, pathways or new abilities. The optional ones deliver an assortment of upgrades. These can’t all be equipped at once with a Yars sprite providing the Tetris-like restrictions. As a result, I’ve had to pick and choose. Mostly, I prioritise health over firepower but there’s a great sense of compromise with it.

Emi is very talkative. Some people might get with her chirpy nature but I simply do not. I think it’s laid on very thick and her one-person banter tends to annoy me. That personality extends to her friends and I do wish I could glaze over that. In general, there’s a multi-coloured aesthetic running through Yars Rising. It might’ve been intended to evoke Atari’s colourful past but the purples and reds used in the colour palette strike a moodier tone.

I don’t dislike it. It’s commits to the look and, at times, replicates the colours of the original game. The visuals aren’t aiming for any high watermarks but it has an identity and a confidence. I’d hesitate to call it girly but the constant snarky dialogue and rainbow colours strikes those vibes, to me. I think the soundtrack continues in that vein. It’s very cheery and up-tempo with the occasional Japanese lyrics thrown in. It’s lively and that contrasts against the buttoned up, corporate setting. I just don’t think it blends together well.

I can’t quite get on with Yars Rising. Emi’s chatter and bubbly disposition grinds me down. Whilst the exploration can be rewarding, I find the design of the overall world to be limiting. For a search action game, it can devolve into a linear experience. That wouldn’t be too bad if the traversal and combat was fun but it just hasn’t reached those heights for me. The nods to Atari’s past are welcome but the whole package doesn’t combine well.