Atari and WayForward team up for Yars Rising Metroidvania-style adventure

I have a weird soft spot for the original Yars’ Revenge for the Atari 2600 (and yes, I’m certainly old enough to remember it), so when Atari announced they were set to revisit the game series as something other than an “Extreme” or another “Recharged” version of the classic, I certainly perked up.

Yars Rising being envisioned as a Metroidvania-style side scrolling adventure by developer WayForward was definitely not on my BINGO card, but most certainly something I was excited to see announced during Nintendo’s Indie World Showcase event earlier today.  The developers of the Shantae and River City Girls series (among others) definitely has the experience and pedigree to pull off something interesting with the IP, and the trailer seems to support that so far.

Yars Rising is scheduled to hit consoles and the PC later this year. The Steam version is available to wishlist right now.

Yars Rising screens:

Yars Rising – Official Announcement Trailer:

Yars is back! Today, Atari® — one of the world’s most iconic consumer brands and interactive entertainment producers — is delighted to announce a collaboration with renowned development studio WayForward Technologies (Shantae, River City Girls) to create a decidedly modern chapter in the storyline of Yars’ Revenge, Atari’s best-selling first-party game for the 2600. The new title, Yars Rising, comes to PC and consoles in late 2024.

“WayForward’s proven storytelling and worldbuilding powers made them a perfect choice for reimagining one of Atari’s most enduring game franchises,” said Wade Rosen, Chairman and CEO of Atari. “I am confident that fans are going to enjoy this new, dynamic chapter in the Yars storyline: Yars Rising.”

In Yars Rising, players take control of the young hacker Emi Kimura, who is hired by a mysterious patron to infiltrate the shadowy Qotech corporation. Run, jump, sneak, and hack a way through challenges to unravel layers of intrigue in this expansive sci-fi mystery. Embark on Emi’s journey to decipher the mystery of the corporation’s closely guarded secret and uncover her inexplicable bond to a far-off alien race.

WayForward has built a reputation for developing franchises featuring strong characters and rich storytelling. In Yars Rising, the studio delivers a side-scrolling Metroidvania adventure with platforming action, a balance of stealth and combat gameplay, and retro-inspired mini-games.

Yars Rising is slated for release on PC and consoles in late 2024. Wishlist the game now on Steam.