PLATFORM: PC, PS4/5, STADIA, SWITCH, XBOX ONE/SERIES (REVIEWED) | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Written by Howard Scott Warshaw, the same chap who brought the E.T. videogame into the world (but we all make mistakes, don’t we, so let’s not hold that against him), and released in 1982, Yars’ Revenge put players in control of an insectoid craft known as a Yar, which is on a mission to destroy the Qotile, a laser-toting enemy ship. Overcoming a less than enthusiastic critical reception and ultimately becoming the best-selling original game for the Atari 2600, it went on to become a cult classic with its borderline migraine-inducing sound and visuals and top-down single-screen gameplay that sees players attempting to break through the Qotile’s shield using not only the ships laser but also the Yar’s very own teeth, before blowing the core to smithereens with an ultra-powerful cannon blast. Easy to understand, difficult to master but above all else extremely addictive, several attempts at recreating the formula have been made over the years but none have quite matched the appeal of the original.
The latest contender, Yars: Recharged, labels itself as a “trance shooter”, slotting itself alongside the likes of Tempest 2000, Rez and Geometry Wars as one of those games whose sights and sounds induce a “flow state” in the player where nothing exists apart from their absolute concentration on the task at hand. Retaining the gameplay of the original, players pilot the Yar and shoot and nibble away at the Qotile’s shields, building up enough energy to unleash the Zorlon Cannon which, if your aim is good enough, will take out the Qotile and end the level. Recharged adds a host of power ups to make things a little more interesting, as well as a range of other hostile defence cores to deal with which adds a puzzle-like element to each level as you figure out how, what and when to attack. Dodging the onslaught of enemy bullets while you break through shields, simultaneously keeping half an eye on the Qotile to see which of its defences it’s going to activate next and also zipping around the screen to collect those all important energy orbs, concentration is very much the key to success.
As well as a 30-level arcade mode, which acts as a sort of boss rush where you attack the Qotile and various configurations of its defence cores, 30 additional “missions” take the puzzle element up a notch and put you in some really rather taxing situations indeed, where you’re only given one single life to beat the boss. Both modes can be played locally with two players, and online leaderboards are available if you want to see how your skills match up with others around the world. Much like the original, Yars: Recharged is simple to play yet fiendishly difficult to beat. Shoot ’em up fans, especially those with an interest in the more bullet hell sort of stuff, should definitely look into this one.
