Yars Rising

92%
Game Brain Score Based on 52 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.

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Reviews

92%
Audience ScoreBased on 52 reviews
music16 positive mentions
grinding3 negative mentions
  • The game features a charming art style and a fantastic city pop soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
  • Emi's voice acting is a standout feature, with no repeated lines, adding depth to the character and making exploration enjoyable.
  • The gameplay is fun and accessible, with a good balance of challenge and forgiving mechanics, making it suitable for both newcomers and veterans of the Metroidvania genre.
  • The dialogue can be grating and overly corny, which may detract from the overall enjoyment for some players.
  • The game is relatively easy, with some players feeling that the combat lacks depth and challenge, especially in the later stages.
  • Backtracking can become tedious due to the lack of fast travel options and loading screens, which disrupt the flow of gameplay.
  • music35 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its catchy city pop and retrowave soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Players have noted that the soundtrack is not only enjoyable but also a standout feature, often leading them to purchase it separately. While some minor complaints exist regarding music interruptions during loading screens, the overall consensus is that the audio design significantly contributes to the game's polished feel and nostalgic charm.

    • “Really enjoyable game with an absolute banger of a soundtrack that I ended up also buying.”
    • “The music is the showrunner here, clearly, and is just absolutely awesome to listen to.”
    • “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.”
    • “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.”
    • “Only complaint here is that a few times playing in bed on the Steam Deck has resulted in the music getting me way too energized to sleep.”
  • gameplay26 mentions

    The gameplay is generally well-received, characterized as a solid metroidvania experience with enjoyable mechanics, particularly in the hacking mini-games inspired by the original Yars' Revenge. While it offers a good balance of exploration, combat, and platforming, some players note that it inherits certain design flaws typical of the genre without significant innovation. Overall, it provides a fun and engaging experience, especially for newcomers, though it may not redefine metroidvania gameplay.

    • “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.”
    • “Very decent metroidvania game, good for people who don't usually play them, but the pro mode (new game+) does provide harder gameplay so you will get your $30 worth.”
    • “The gameplay is great, fun metroidvania, and those are my favorite genre.”
    • “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 vibrant, stylized aesthetic that blends neo-retro and cyberpunk elements, creating a charming and eye-catching visual experience. The full 3D design, character detail, and nostalgic references enhance the overall appeal, complemented by a catchy city pop soundtrack and engaging sound design. Players appreciate the polished presentation, which evokes fond memories of classic arcade visuals while maintaining a modern flair.

    • “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.”
    • “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.”
    • “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.”
  • story15 mentions

    The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it engaging and fun, while others feel it lacks depth and coherence, particularly in its self-deprecating humor. Although the narrative is simple and occasionally weak, it features well-done voice acting and enjoyable characters, contributing to an overall positive experience. Many players appreciate the blend of homage to classic games and the exploration elements, hoping for expanded content in the future.

    • “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.”
    • “Starting with the story, it remains very simple, stop the bad guys with a couple small surprises along the way.”
    • “However, it feels like the developers wished to push the story a little further, but had to cut some corners.”
  • 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 tired tropes, particularly criticizing the main character's attempts at humor as obnoxious and unoriginal. The reliance on clichés, such as the stereotypical sarcastic character, detracts from the overall comedic experience for many, though a few players do enjoy the nostalgic references and some clever lines. Overall, the humor seems to resonate differently among players, with a significant divide in opinions.

    • “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, but after 80 minutes in, 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 wholesome and approachable atmosphere, enhanced by stylized graphics and great voice acting. The city pop soundtrack adds to the emotional experience, while the retro minigames provide a fun challenge that players can choose to skip if needed.

  • 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 atmosphere of the game is characterized by a fittingly cheesy voice acting that complements its overall tone, suggesting a deliberate stylistic choice rather than a flaw.

    • “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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