WayForward will have its revenge!
Written by Jason Venter
Published Apr. 17, 2024
There was a Nintendo Indie World Showcase event today, and you know what that means: new game announcement. One of the titles revealed that came as a surprise was Yars Revenge, a contempoarary take on the classic series that is currently in development for release late this year.
WayForward has made a variety of retro-inspired games over the years, and even has a hit franchise of its own with Shantae. This "decidedly modern" take on the franchise represents a pretty significant evolution of the 1982 classic, Yar's Revenge. That's right: the original is old enouh now to be going through its mid-life crisis.
"WayForward's proven storytelling and worldbuilding powers made them a perfect choice for reimagining one of Atari's most enduring game franchises," said Wade Rosen, Atari's Chairman and CEO. "I am confident that fans are going to enjoy this new, dynamic chapter in the Yars storyline: Yars Rising."
Players will control Emi Kimura, who apparently possesses the skills to do all the usual hero things: run, jump, sneak and hack. There's also a sci-fi element, with the presence of an alien race of some sort being involved. That's all very natural for a genre that owes a great debt to woman bounty hunter extraordinaire, Samus Aran.
Although Yars Rising was revealed at Nintendo's event, it is coming to a variety of consoles and PC. You can even wishlist it on Steam, if you're so inclined. Given WayForward's pedigree, I'm cautiously optimistic that Yars Rising will be just the kick in the pants the franchise needs. The promise of "a balance of stealth and combat gameplay" has me concerned, since I hate stealth, but some people do seem to like it. Are you looking forward to Yars Rising?
