"Easy to learn, easy to master"

Pros: Easy to learn; fun and intense upon initial play; some cool graphics and sound effects.

Cons: Easy to master; challenge never really changes; little long-term appeal.

The Bottom Line: This is a good example of why most of the in-house Atari games were only average at best.

Technically, Yars' Revenge for the Atari 2600 follows the rule of old school gaming in that it's easy to learn but difficult to master. However, in order for a game to have long-term appeal it has to be fun to play every time. This held true for arcade classics like Pac-Man and Space Invaders, but in this game's case it's only mildly entertaining. It's by no means a bad game, but it's not as good as it could've been.

PRESS FIRE TO START

Yars' Revenge is a very simple action game in that there's only one screen throughout the entire game which changes only slightly as you progress. You play as a wasp-like creature that must blast or literally eat away at the enemy's shield on the right side of the screen. Once the enemy's defenses are vulnerable you can call up your heavy fire power, and, with a well-timed and aimed shot destroy them and advance to the next round.

The game is non-stop action in that you are constantly on the move to shoot at the enemy's shields as well as avoiding a slow-moving enemy missile that starts out as an annoyance but later becomes a major hazard. Also, the enemy base has a tendency to transform into a fireball and shoot itself at you very quickly. This can be equally challenging to dodge as the game progresses.

PLAYER 1 – READY!

As a game of pure dexterity, Yars' Revenge is quite an accomplishment. Not many Atari 2600 games of the time had such fast-paced action. By definition, the game is pretty much just a button-masher because the main object is to destroy the enemy's shield and then blast them to Kingdom Come. But at the same time you're constantly being hounded by that pesky destroyer missile. When you throw in the fact you never quite know when the enemy will turn into a fireball (and when it does how fast it will shoot itself at you) makes this quite a suspenseful game.

The problem lies within the fact that the object never changes. Sure the difficultly increases, but even at the most difficult stage in “expert” mode, Yars' Revenge is still a fairly easy game. Finding a winning strategy is fairly easy to do, as well as learning how to avoid the enemy. The field of play includes a “wraparound” concept to the screen so that if you go all the way to the top you're able to come out at the bottom and vice versa. This actually does the game a disservice because it makes dodging the enemy fairly easy (up to a point, of course).

JOYSTICKING

Fast-action games need great play control to make them not only fun but playable at the intensity they're intended to be. Controlling your character in Yars' Revenge is very easy to do. The controls are very responsive and fluid. Anything less would have really hindered the gameplay.

SPRITES & PIXELS

Describing the actual graphics in this game would be along the lines of simple and blocky. Ironically, enough this game does include some very impressive visual elements, namely the “Neutral Zone” in the middle of the screen which is a rectangular-shaped area composed essentially of colored static. It's very impressive because it seems totally random and ahead of its time in a way. Also, when you actually destroy the “Qotile” (enemy base) the entire screen flashes in an explosion of color and then implodes on itself and is a fantastic visual.

CHIPPED TUNES

How could a game whose sound palette consists almost entirely of white noise be so pleasing to the ears? Yars' Revenge incorporates generic first-generation VCS sonic features of very low tones and constant humming repeating itself. It's probably inspired by Space Invaders and gives the game a real sense of suspense. The explosion sound when you blow up the enemy base is also of the stock Atari sounds, but matches the visuals perfectly.

INSERT COIN TO CONTINUE

Some games have short-term replay value in that they're fun to play many times in a row in one sitting but don't quite hold up over time. This is an accurate description of the appeal of Yars' Revenge in that it's very addictive at first, but once you figure out a winning strategy it loses a lot of its cache.

GAME OVER

As it stands, Yars' Revenge is a good game, but could've easily been improved with more challenges, namely, having more than one screen. It's always fun to play for some short-term entertainment, but doesn't hold up over the long haul. It's definitely worth a look, though.

Recommended:
Yes

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 06/13/08

Game Release: Yars' Revenge (US, 1981)