Yars Rising

92%
Game Brain Score Based on 91 reviews
  • music
  • gameplay
  • story
Yars Rising Game Cover
Taking elements from the best MetroidVanias, retro shooters, and anime series, Yars Rising delivers a truly immersive experience with mass appeal.
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"Yars Rising" is a single-player platformer game with excellent mechanics that offers an expansive mystery to solve. As Emi Kimura, a young hacker, players infiltrate the shadowy QoTech corporation, evading obstacles, and using hacking skills to solve minigames. Emi's growing powers enable access to previously unreachable areas, creating a non-linear exploration experience referencing the classic game, "Yars' Revenge." The game boasts exceptional music, enhancing the overall gaming experience.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

92%
Audience ScoreBased on 91 reviews
music38 positive mentions
grinding5 negative mentions
  • The game features a fantastic soundtrack that has been widely praised, with many tracks being standout pieces that enhance the overall experience.
  • The art style and visuals are charming and well-executed, providing a vibrant and engaging aesthetic that appeals to players.
  • The hacking minigames offer a unique twist on gameplay, drawing inspiration from classic Atari titles and providing varied challenges that keep the experience fresh.
  • Frequent loading screens between rooms can disrupt the flow of gameplay, making backtracking tedious and frustrating.
  • The dialogue, while intended to be humorous, can come off as cringy and overbearing, potentially detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.
  • The combat and enemy variety are considered underwhelming by some players, leading to a lack of challenge and engagement during encounters.
  • music75 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising the soundtrack as a standout feature, often describing it as "amazing" or "top-notch." The diverse and catchy tracks enhance the gameplay experience, providing a vibrant backdrop that complements the game's aesthetic and exploration. Additionally, the innovative "mixtape" structure of the soundtrack, which allows for seamless transitions and continuity, has been highlighted as a particularly smart design choice.

    • “The soundtrack is straight up 10/10; it is amazing!”
    • “And how could I forget the absolutely top-notch soundtrack, one of my favorites of any game I've played this year.”
    • “The music features a 'mixtape' structure where each major area cycles through several songs with DJ-like transitions.”
    • “My only gripe about the music is that it changes when you hit a loading screen, which is pretty often, so it's rare to hear more than 30-40 seconds of a song at a time.”
    • “It's a shame because the game visually looks solid, and the music is full of bangers, and there's a lot of effort put into the story with all the voice acting (sometimes a bit too much), but as a metroidvania fan it was very generic, generally linear, full of loading screens, and it just failed to grab me.”
    • “Thirty bucks is too much, but wait for some updates and pick it up on sale - or better yet, pick up the soundtrack right now!”
  • gameplay52 mentions

    The gameplay in "Yars Rising" is characterized by solid controls and satisfying progression typical of WayForward's titles, blending traditional metroidvania elements with unique hacking minigames inspired by classic Atari gameplay. While the core mechanics are enjoyable, some players find the frequent hacking interruptions and repetitive dialogue detract from the overall experience. Despite these minor flaws, the game offers a polished and fun adventure, enhanced by its engaging aesthetics and music, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of the genre.

    • “The core gameplay is as solid as I'd expect from WayForward, with tight controls and satisfying progression.”
    • “Yars Rising is a pretty good metroidvania and adds a little bit on top of the typical gameplay from games in the genre.”
    • “The gameplay is great, fun metroidvania, and those are my favorite genre.”
    • “The hacking minigame in the form of classic Atari-style gameplay that was cute at first wears out its welcome long before the credits roll, with difficulty that seems to have been tuned to match the brutality of those 80's classics.”
    • “While all of the hacking challenges focus on the gameplay of Yars' Revenge (except one), they are all varied enough to keep the numerous challenges fresh.”
    • “Gameplay is where I felt the game lets itself down a bit.”
  • story34 mentions

    The story is generally well-received, blending nostalgia from the original Yars' Revenge with new twists and engaging character interactions, though some find the writing inconsistent and the pacing uneven. While it features strong voice acting and animation, the narrative can feel generic and linear at times, with a mix of humor and homage to the original game. Overall, it offers a satisfying experience, especially for fans of the franchise, despite some critiques regarding its depth and execution.

    • “The world is interesting, and the tie-ins to past entries in the franchise are handled better than I would have thought possible - the original was an Atari 2600 game with the 'story' limited to a couple of sentences in the manual, and the 2011 reboot is hardly a well-known classic after all.”
    • “The story is fun, voice acting is really well done, and it doesn't get stale.”
    • “The story while nothing flashy is still cute and serves its purpose of fleshing out characters while giving the player a purpose to progress forward.”
    • “The story itself is fine, but the game spends the first half deprecating itself by pointing out how weird or annoying certain things are--lasers are its favorite target--that when it decides that it wants to try taking itself seriously in the last act it's already trained me not to even bother getting engaged.”
    • “It's a shame because the game visually looks solid, and the music is full of bangers, and there's a lot of effort put into the story with all the voice acting (sometimes a bit too much), but as a Metroidvania fan it was very generic, generally linear, full of loading screens, and it just failed to grab me.”
    • “However, it feels like the developers wished to push the story a little further, but had to cut some corners.”
  • graphics33 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their vibrant and charming art style, which effectively captures a neo-retro-futuristic aesthetic. While the visuals are generally well-executed and run smoothly even on lower-end hardware, some players expressed disappointment over the absence of certain characters and the presence of multiple art styles that may feel inconsistent. Overall, the combination of appealing graphics, solid voice acting, and a catchy soundtrack contributes to a polished gaming experience.

    • “The art style and visuals are top notch.”
    • “The visuals are great, the art style is poppy and eye-catching, and it's fun to see games like this voice acted; it's always a nice treat.”
    • “I'm not at all an anime person and have never seen the appeal, yet I've really fallen in love with the vibrant and bold visuals that this game uses to present itself, from the character and environment design to the overall UI design.”
    • “The graphics aren't exactly intensive, so I'm not even sure why they needed this many load screens to start with. This just ends up taking away from the game experience.”
    • “If I remember correctly, there are no real settings regarding graphics to make it more playable in case you need to, which is a problem.”
    • “Maybe the graphical style is a little bit lacking... it's hard to say what's wrong with it though. The graphics really fit the vibe, but they seem a little bit generic.”
  • humor12 mentions

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the quirky dialogue and character design typical of WayForward, while others find it cringeworthy and overly reliant on tired tropes. Many reviews highlight the attempts at humor as either falling flat or being excessively sarcastic, particularly from the main character, leading to a polarized reception. Overall, the humor can be entertaining for some, but it may not resonate with all players, often feeling repetitive or forced.

    • “It really has a nice mix of both styles of gameplay, and the fabulously hilarious dialogue and character design that is standard for WayForward.”
    • “All in all, it's a solid 9/10 if you like a good 'metroidvania' and that signature hilarious WayForward dialogue and characters.”
    • “Also, there was more than one time where I looked at the name of a boss and screamed and was so excited for the dumb but very targeted humor.”
  • grinding5 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to the cumbersome process of switching builds and the repetitive nature of the hacking minigames. Many suggest the addition of build slots for easier customization and express frustration with the excessive backtracking required, which detracts from the overall experience.

    • “This is an action platformer interrupted by old-school shoot-em-up styled hacking minigames that grow increasingly tedious.”
    • “The twist is these hacking minigames that are cute at first, but 80 minutes in and I feel like I have done 100, and they are so slow and tedious.”
    • “All this backtracking can get tedious.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    Users note that the game lacks customizable graphics settings, which may hinder replayability for those sensitive to motion sickness. However, it is considered more engaging than older titles, suggesting some potential for replay value despite these limitations.

    • “The lack of meaningful choices and consequences makes replaying the game feel pointless.”
    • “Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to go back and play again.”
    • “The game offers very few variations in gameplay, leading to a repetitive experience on subsequent playthroughs.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Character development in the game is highlighted by polished design and engaging dialogue, which elevate the overall experience beyond standard gameplay. The combination of humor and well-crafted character aesthetics contributes to a deeper connection with the game, making it more enjoyable and memorable.

    • “So yeah, gameplay-wise this is far from revolutionary, but it's polished and fun. Fortunately, WayForward's usual attention to character design and excellent music elevates what would be a 'just good' game to one you can really come to love.”
    • “It really has a nice mix of both styles of gameplay, along with fabulously hilarious dialogue and character design that is standard for WayForward.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    The game is praised for its wholesome graphics and engaging voice acting, creating an emotionally uplifting experience. While the city pop soundtrack enhances the atmosphere, some players feel that the emotional impact could be improved with better accessibility and gameplay adjustments. Overall, it is seen as a commendable effort to revitalize the franchise.

  • optimization1 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with some users suggesting it may be worth trying during a sale due to its decent story and impressive visuals, despite potential performance issues.

  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The voice acting, while somewhat cheesy, aligns well with the intended atmosphere of the game, enhancing the overall experience rather than detracting from it.

    • “The voice acting is a little cheesy, but it seems to fit the atmosphere they were going for, so I won't hold it against the game.”
    • “The voice acting is a little cheesy, but seems to fit the atmosphere they were going for, so I won't count it against the game.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

71% average critic score

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Play time

7hMedian play time
7hAverage play time
6-7hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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