Atari and WayForward Technologies have announced that the upcoming Metroidvania Yars Rising will be heading to the Nintendo Switch on 10th September 2024.
Initially announced during an Indie World showcase, Yars Rising is a brand new take on the classic Yars franchise, which began all the way back in 1982 with Yars' Revenge for the Atari 2600. The new game goes in a decidedly different direction from the original, utilising WayForwards' flair for character-led adventure games by combining stealth mechanics with comprehensive hacking minigames.
Taking on the role of Emi 'Yar' Kimura, you'll be sneaking your way into the depths of the corrupt organisation Qotech, where you'll need to explore for hidden secrets, dispatch enemies, hide from more enemies, and hack into a host of terminals. The hacking minigames feature gameplay that's much more in line with the original Yar's Revenge, albeit with far more variation.
We recently spoke with director James Montagna and Atari CEO Wade Rosen about the upcoming release. Montagna describes Rising as a "love letter to Atari", highlighting the cool little easter eggs that you'll be stumbling across as you make your way through the game. Check out our full interview down below. But first, let's remind ourselves of the key features:
Otherworldly Abilities: Emi must jump, blast, and sneak her way past waves of robotic and alien enemies. Her latent powers are revealed as she progresses, granting her wild augments and biohacks to reach inaccessible areas.
Stealth Traversal: Emi can’t always shoot or jump her way out of a jam — tense sections of stealth gameplay force her to skillfully duck into the shadows to hide from relentless security bots.Sci-fi Intrigue: A seemingly bottomless mystery takes Emi from drab office buildings into underground labs, and even to the farthest reaches of space as she uncovers the dark truth behind the Qotech corporation. A sprawling, interconnected map allows for hours upon hours of gameplay.
Genre Bender: A Metroidvania at its core, Yars Rising progresses the story with a series of hacking minigames paying homage to the original Yars’ Revenge, along with other levels and boss battles that take Emi far and beyond her “normal” adventure, like fight scenes and turn-based battles.