Yars Rising

93%
Game Brain Score Based on 55 reviews
  • music
  • gameplay
  • graphics
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 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

93%
Audience ScoreBased on 55 reviews
music18 positive mentions
grinding3 negative mentions
  • The game features a phenomenal soundtrack that enhances the overall experience and is enjoyable even outside of gameplay.
  • Gameplay is satisfying with smooth controls, engaging mechanics, and a charming art style that captures a retro aesthetic.
  • The game successfully combines elements of classic Atari games with modern design, offering a fun and accessible Metroidvania experience.
  • Fast travel mechanics are poorly implemented, making backtracking tedious and sometimes frustrating.
  • The dialogue can be grating and overly quirky, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.
  • Some gameplay elements, like the hacking mini-games, can become repetitive and tedious, impacting the pacing of the game.
  • music39 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its phenomenal soundtrack that features catchy city pop and retrowave tunes, often described as a standout element of the experience. Players appreciate the nostalgic vibe and polished sound design, noting that the music enhances gameplay and evokes fond memories of classic arcade games. However, some have mentioned minor issues, such as frequent changes in music during loading screens, which can disrupt the listening experience.

    • “I was also amazed that they were able to get some well-known artists to do the soundtrack.”
    • “The soundtrack is easily one of the best parts!”
    • “The music is the showrunner here, clearly, and is just absolutely awesome to listen to.”
    • “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.”
    • “Only downside is the price seems a bit steep; I don't know how long the game will be, but for $30, I feel like we should at least be getting the game and the soundtrack as a bundle.”
    • “If the visual and audio aesthetic does vibe with you, you're in for a great time because the game is pretty consistent in its flavor with catchy music that feels of the era, and a handful of references to other games that also very much feel of their time.”
  • gameplay27 mentions

    The gameplay is generally well-received, offering a satisfying mix of classic metroidvania elements and engaging hacking mini-games inspired by the original Yars' Revenge. While it features solid mechanics and enjoyable level design, some players note that it inherits certain design flaws typical of the genre without significant innovation. Overall, it provides a fun experience, especially for newcomers, with a decent amount of post-game content and a challenging new game+ mode.

    • “In summary, it's a metroidvania with the gameplay of the original Yars' Revenge interspersed throughout in hacking minigames, all while you confront a corrupt corporation with the police in their pocket during an alien invasion.”
    • “The gameplay is great, fun metroidvania and those are my favorite genre.”
    • “The gameplay is simple but fun and very responsive.”
    • “And while it's a competent metroid-inspired game on the whole, it seems to have followed the roots of the genre closely enough to inherit most of the genre's worst design flaws and very few of the mechanical upgrades and refinement that have been seen from indie metroid/vanias in the past two decades.”
    • “What Emi can do and what the boss can do is too far apart with the speed and mechanics provided; it just came down to luck.”
    • “Gameplay is where I felt the game lets itself down a bit.”
  • graphics15 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming, stylized aesthetic that blends neo-retro and cyberpunk elements, creating a vibrant and eye-catching visual experience. The full 3D design, coupled with engaging character and environment details, enhances the overall polish of the game, while the nostalgic art style and catchy soundtrack evoke fond memories of classic arcade games. Players appreciate the consistency in visual and audio design, making it a delightful experience for those who resonate with its unique artistic direction.

    • “One of WayForward's biggest leaps forward graphically too, completely 3D, full voice acting, the works, and in general the stylization is fantastic.”
    • “The art style is full of charm, from the characters to just the simple detail of using the Atari rainbow pixels as her projectile.”
    • “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.”
    • “I will admit, the graphics made me think of Mighty No.”
    • “This aesthetic is going for a specific kind of neo-retro-futuristic anime-esque cyberpunk sort of world; you can tell if you'll vibe with it from the trailer footage.”
    • “I'm not at all an anime person and have never seen the appeal, so this game was already something I wasn't sure about. 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.”
  • story15 mentions

    The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it engaging and fun, while others criticize its self-deprecating humor and simplicity. Although the narrative features enjoyable characters and well-executed voice acting, it often feels underdeveloped and lacks depth, leading to a disconnect when the game attempts to take itself seriously. Overall, while the story serves its purpose and includes nostalgic elements, many players hope for more substantial content in potential future expansions.

    • “The story has so far kept me engaged even if I'm not finished with the game, which was not something I was expecting.”
    • “The story is fun, the voice acting is really well done, and it doesn't get stale.”
    • “However, the story is also told in a comic way, which was nice.”
    • “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.”
    • “However, it feels like the developers wished to push the story a little further, but had to cut some corners.”
    • “Starting with the story, it remains very simple, stop the bad guys with a couple small surprises along the way.”
  • humor9 mentions

    The humor in the game is polarizing; while some players appreciate the quirky and ironic dialogue, others find it overly forced and reminiscent of clichéd character tropes. Many critiques highlight the main character's attempts at humor as unlikable and annoying, with jokes often falling flat or relying on tired stereotypes. Overall, the reception of the humor varies significantly, with some enjoying its nostalgic references and irony, while others feel it detracts from the experience.

    • “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.”
    • “Delivery matches the humor well.”
    • “I think some of the dialogue is meant to be ironic, which is pretty funny.”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to repetitive hacking minigames that become increasingly monotonous over time. The backtracking required further contributes to the sense of frustration, detracting 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; 80 minutes in and I feel like I have done 100, and they are so slow and tedious.”
    • “All this backtracking can get tedious.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    The game is praised for its emotional appeal through its wholesome stylized graphics and engaging voice acting, complemented by a nostalgic city pop soundtrack. Players appreciate the balance of challenge in the retro minigames, with the option to skip them, enhancing the overall enjoyable experience.

  • replayability1 mentions

    The game offers enhanced playability compared to older titles, suggesting a level of replayability that may appeal to players seeking a more engaging experience, even for those with limitations like motion sickness.

  • 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

72% average critic score

Buy Yars Rising

Play time

7hMedian play time
7hAverage play time
7-7hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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