Yars Rising

Yars Rising
Developer(s)WayForward
Publisher(s)Atari
Director(s)James Montagna
Writer(s)Adam Tierney, James Montagna
Composer(s)Tommy Pedrini
Platform(s)Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Release
  • WW: September 10, 2024
Mode(s)

Yars Rising is a 2024 action-adventure video game developed by WayForward and published by Atari, Inc. for home consoles and computers.[1] It is part of the Yars series.[2]

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot

Yars Rising has been described as a metroidvania genre with 2D exploration and labyrinthian level design.[1][3] The player is expected to hack into terminals while progressing through the game, giving the player-character different abilities by altering her DNA.[2]

Plot

Set in the year 2049, Yars Rising is about Emi Kimura, a young hacker who is hired to expose the dark workings of the shady QoTech corporation.[2][1]

Development and release

Yars Rising was announced at an Indie World Nintendo Direct on April 17, 2024.[4] Its creator James Montagna said that the game was made to be "a little bit unconventional" for the Yars IP.[2] He added that they were going for what he called "freeform stealth" in the gameplay, while the environment was based on retrofuturism.[5] Howard Scott Warshaw was not involved in the development of Yars Rising.[2]

The soundtrack of the game consists of music composed by a collaboration of twenty international artists, and includes vocal tracks in both English and Japanese.[2] The music too was designed to be parallel with the retrofuturistic game theme.[5] The team also worked on making the most out of the rumble feature of the Joy-Con, on the Nintendo Switch version of the game.[2]

Development was done by American studio WayForward, who are known for Shantae (2002) and River City Girls (2019).[2]

It was released on September 10, 2024, with physical editions for PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch.[3][6][7]

Reception

Yars Rising received a "mixed or average" critical reception according to the review aggregation website Metacritic, and a "positive" reception for the Nintendo Switch version specifically.[8] Reviews by PC Gamer, Rolling Stone and Slant Magazine found the game's 2D platforming sequences weak with simple platforming, while commenting that the hacking sequences were the high points.[1][3][9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Cruz 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Reynolds 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Riccio 2024.
  4. ^ Nintendo 2024.
  5. ^ a b Marrujo 2024.
  6. ^ Tailby 2024.
  7. ^ Brian 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d e Metacritic.
  9. ^ Chatziioannou 2024.

Sources

  • "Indie Games Burst Onto Nintendo Switch Promising Adventure, Cozy Vibes, and Curious Cat Mischief". Nintendo. April 17, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  • "Yars Rising". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  • Brian (May 24, 2024). "Yars Rising Confirmed for Physical Release on Switch, Pre-orders Open". Nintendo Everything. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  • Chatziioannou, Alexander (September 12, 2024). "Yars Rising Review". PC Gamer. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  • Cruz, Christopher (September 10, 2024). "'Yars Rising' Reinvents Atari's Forgotten Hit". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  • Reynolds, Ollie (June 3, 2024). "Feature: "This Isn't Just Yars, It's a Love Letter to Atari" - How WayForward is Breaking the Mould With 'Yars Rising'". NintendoLife. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  • Riccio, Aaron (September 10, 2024). "'Yars Rising' Review: A Side-Scrolling Metroidvania Divided Against Itself". Slant Magazine. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  • Tailby, Stephen (June 19, 2024). "Atari's Sci-Fi Metroidvania Yars Rising Hacks onto PS5, PS4 in September". Push Square. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  • Marrujo, Robert (September 11, 2024). "Nintendojo Interview: Yars Rising Director James Montagna". Nintendojo. Retrieved September 16, 2024.