Yars' Revenge is a video game released for the Atari 2600 in 1982. It was created by Howard Scott Warshaw and was Atari's best-selling original title for the 2600.
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The Atari 2600 games I’ve played were so far removed from the context of their original release that a Gen Z scrub like me could not salvage any appeal from them. Yars’ Revenge is a seriously cool exception; happy accident or not, the game boasts both tense action and a bizarre, kind of eerie atmosphere punctuated by the constant droning bass. It’s a seriously awesome arcade-style shooter with a style all its own.
genuinely a work of art
Sometimes, working with what you have is better. That’s why these simple shooters hold up best on the Atari. This game is fun even now, and probably as good as it gets for this system.
Yars' Revenge is probably the best Atari 2600 game I've played. The gameplay itself might be a bit too simplistic for some, focusing on a singular boss surrounded by a destructible barricade, but it all shines for me with the comic and whole backstory created for this game. Had I not known the Yar feed on materials to power their cannons, I probably wouldn't have known to eat the surrounding barrier instead of shoot it.
The only thing that bums me out a bit is that this never got "reverse-ported" over to arcades. If Tron (which happened to also come out the same year) could have a similar section involving destroying a barrier to reach a boss, then I think Yars' Revenge deserves to be presented with arcade board flair. It's a shame this IP never really went further.
The only thing that bums me out a bit is that this never got "reverse-ported" over to arcades. If Tron (which happened to also come out the same year) could have a similar section involving destroying a barrier to reach a boss, then I think Yars' Revenge deserves to be presented with arcade board flair. It's a shame this IP never really went further.
Played as part of Atari 50.
By itself, Yars' Revenge is a fairly bland shooter, being a complete cakewalk even on the hardest difficulty (but still admittedly one of the better 2600 games lol). But when taking into consideration the comic book it shipped with, it having an actual story and clear aesthetic direction, and some of the best sound design and graphics the 2600 has to offer, this had to have been pretty damn cool for the time.
By itself, Yars' Revenge is a fairly bland shooter, being a complete cakewalk even on the hardest difficulty (but still admittedly one of the better 2600 games lol). But when taking into consideration the comic book it shipped with, it having an actual story and clear aesthetic direction, and some of the best sound design and graphics the 2600 has to offer, this had to have been pretty damn cool for the time.
Yar. My beloved. I don't know what that Qotile meanie did to u but I will help u kick his ass.