Difference between revisions of "Yars' Revenge"

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[[Image:Yars' Revenge - 2600 - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|North American box art.]]
+
{{Video Game
 +
| Title            = Yars' Revenge
 +
| Image           = Yars' Revenge - 2600 - USA.jpg
 +
| ImageDescription = Atari 2600 - USA - 1st edition.
 +
| Developer        = {{VideoGameDeveloper|Atari}}
 +
| Publisher        = {{VideoGamePublisher|Atari}}
 +
| PublishedYear    = 1982
 +
| PublishedMonth  = 05
 +
| PublishedDay    = ??
 +
| Platforms        = {{Platform|Atari 2600}}, {{Platform|Game Boy Color}}
 +
| Genres          = {{VideoGameGenre|Shooter|Shooter}}, {{VideoGameGenre|Single-screen video game|Single-screen}}
 +
| Themes          = {{MediaTheme|Action}}, {{MediaTheme|Science Fiction}}
 +
| Multiplayer      = {{GameMultiplayer|Alternating versus}}
 +
| Distributions    = {{VideoGameDistribution|Commercial}}
 +
}}
  
'''''Yars' Revenge''''' is a single-screen action game developed by [[Howard Scott Warshaw]] and published by [[Atari]] for the [[Atari 2600]] in May 1982. In the game, you control an insect-like alien called a Yar who is trying to destroy an enemy called a Qotile. The Qotile is hidden behind a powerful shield, which you must destroy before you can reach it. This is done by either biting off chucks or shooting them away. The Qotile cannot be destroyed with your regular shots, so you must instead hit it with a powerful Zorlon cannon. However, as you're trying to do this, the Qotile charges up to become a deadly Swirl, which fires out at you, and you must avoid the Destroyer Missile which steadily seeks you out. As you get further into the game, the Swirls fire more frequently and begin changing direction mid-flight, the Destroyer Missile becomes faster, and, your only safe haven, the Neutral Zone, vanishes forcing you to constantly be on the move.
+
'''''Yars' Revenge''''' is a [[shooter]] developed by [[Howard Scott Warshaw]] and published by [[Atari]] for the [[Atari 2600]] in May 1982.
  
The game came with a mini comic book snd had a fair amount of marketing surrounding it. There was the usual stickers, shirts, and the like, but there was also a Halloween costume, and a read-along [[Story of Yars' Revenge|book and album]].
+
In the game, you control an insect-like alien called a Yar who is trying to destroy an enemy called a Qotile. The Qotile is protected behind a powerful shield, which you must destroy before you can reach it. This is done by either biting off chunks or shooting them away. The Qotile cannot be destroyed with your regular shots, so you must instead hit it with a powerful Zorlon cannon which can kill you if you're not careful. However, as you're trying to do this, the Qotile charges up to become a deadly Swirl which fires out at you. You must also avoid the Destroyer Missile which steadily seeks you out. As you get further into the game, the Swirls fire more frequently and begin changing direction mid-flight, the Destroyer Missile becomes faster, and, your only safe haven, the Neutral Zone, vanishes forcing you to constantly be on the move.
  
Although my family got an Atari 2600 with a big bundle of games around 1986, this game was not among them. Instead, the first time I saw this game being played was by the boys who lived across the street. The game looked particularly interesting, and I was jealous that we didn't have it. Some time later, we did end up getting it, I think around 1987, but I'm not sure. It took awhile before any of us got decent at the game, but around 1988 my older brother was the first to reach the part where the shield changes color from red to blue to gray to pink, all in one sitting, which we were both amazed by. Unfortunately, after we got an [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] my mother convinced us to give away our Atari and games away, so I wasn't able to play again for years. It wasn't until middle school when I bought a bundle of duplicate games and an old Atari 2600 from a school friend that I got another copy of Yars' Revenge. I was able to get to the blue and gray stages fairly easy, but it took some time before I could also reach the pink stage consistently. Then, in an effort to beat my high score set over a decade back, I began playing the game again. Now in my 30s, with a better trained eye for video games, I discovered a playing tactic that allowed me to hit the swirl in mid-flight pretty much every time it fires. So, on 2018-03-11, I was able to not only beat my best score, but gain a free life each level to the point where I elapsed the 999,999 max score (it took about 40 minutes).
+
The game came with a mini comic book and had a fair amount of marketing surrounding it. There was the usual stickers, shirts, and the like, but there was also a Halloween costume, and a read-along [[Story of Yars' Revenge|book and album]].
  
I enjoyed this game so much, I programmed a clone game called Dar's Revenge which features additional enemies and, since I didn't know it at the time, a completely different backstory.
+
==Personal==
 +
{{VideoGameStatus
 +
| Own      = Yes. US cartridge and manual.
 +
| CantOwn  =
 +
| Won      =
 +
| CantWin  = No. The game doesn't have a win condition.
 +
| Finished = 2018‎-03-10.
 +
}}
  
==Status==
+
Although my family got an Atari 2600 with a big bundle of games around 1986, this game was not among them. Instead, the first time I saw this game being played was by the boys who lived across the street from us. The game looked particularly interesting, and I was jealous that we didn't have it. Some time later, we did end up getting it, I think around 1987, but I'm not sure. It took awhile before any of us got decent at the game, but around 1988 my older brother was the first to reach the part where the shield changes color from red to blue to gray to pink, all in one sitting, which we were both amazed by. Unfortunately, after we got an [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] my mother convinced us to give away our Atari and games away, so I wasn't able to play again for years. It wasn't until middle school when I bought a bundle of duplicate games and an old Atari 2600 from a school friend that I got another copy of ''Yars' Revenge''. I was able to get to the blue and gray stages fairly easy, but it took some time before I could also reach the pink stage consistently. Then, in an effort to beat my high score set over a decade back, I began playing the game again. Now in my 30s, with a better trained eye for video game mechanics, I figured out a playing tactic that allowed me to hit the swirl in mid-flight pretty much every time it fires. I was able to not only beat my best score, but gain a free life each level to the point where I elapsed the 999,999 max score (it took me about 40 minutes). So, although the game doesn't have an official win condition, I count it as won.
I own this game for the Atari 2600. I have elapsed the score with over 999,999 points with 9 lives remaining and can essentially play indefinitely.
+
 
 +
I enjoyed this game so much, I programmed a clone game called ''Dar's Revenge'' which features additional enemies and, since I didn't know it at the time, a completely different backstory.
 +
 
 +
[[Category: Video Games I've Beaten]]
  
 
==Review==
 
==Review==
* '''Overall:''' 6/10
+
{{Video Game Review|6|7|5|3|4|Atari 2600}}
* '''Best Version:''' Atari 2600
+
 
 +
{{Spoilers}}
  
 
===Good===
 
===Good===
Line 21: Line 46:
 
* Having two separate shield wall configurations is a nice way to eliminate some of the repetitious game play. I just wish there were a few more layouts.
 
* Having two separate shield wall configurations is a nice way to eliminate some of the repetitious game play. I just wish there were a few more layouts.
 
* The color-changing shield wall is a nice indicator of your progress and what type of behavior you can expect from the Swirl.
 
* The color-changing shield wall is a nice indicator of your progress and what type of behavior you can expect from the Swirl.
* The additional comic that came with the game was a nice addition, as was the, sold-separately, story book and audio drama.
+
* The additional comic that came with the game was a nice addition, as was the, sold-separately, story book and audio drama. I really wish games of today would go to such depths with mixed media.
* The big full-screen explosion is pretty awesome to watch.
+
* The big full-screen explosion is fun to watch.
* Re-purposing code to generate the random pattern of the neutral zone and explosion was a clever trick.
+
* Re-purposing code to generate the [[pseudorandomness|random]] pattern of the neutral zone and explosion was a clever trick.
 
* Like with many games of the time, I'm awed that [[Howard Scott Warshaw]] was able to fit the game into a mere 4K of memory and run with only 128 bytes of RAM!
 
* Like with many games of the time, I'm awed that [[Howard Scott Warshaw]] was able to fit the game into a mere 4K of memory and run with only 128 bytes of RAM!
  
 
===Bad===
 
===Bad===
* Once you get really good, the game becomes kind of boring because it stops getting harder after about ten minutes of play.
+
* Once you get really good, the game becomes kind of boring because it doesn't get any harder after around the ten minute mark.
* Although giving out a free guy for hitting the Swirl mid-flight seems like a good idea, those players who become good enough to do it every time are effectively guaranteed unlimited play.
+
* Although giving out a free guy for hitting the Swirl mid-flight seems like a good idea, those players who become good enough to do it every time are effectively guaranteed unlimited play. Admittedly, it takes awhile to get that good.
 
* The alternate game play methods don't add enough variety to the game.
 
* The alternate game play methods don't add enough variety to the game.
* While I get the importance of wanting to add an Easter egg into the game, I have accidentally triggered it on more than one occasion and ruined a good high score run.
+
* While I get the importance of wanting to add an [[Easter egg]] into the game, I have accidentally triggered it on more than one occasion and ruined a good high score run. I would prefer it be harder to stumble upon.
  
 
===Ugly===
 
===Ugly===
Line 37: Line 62:
 
==Media==
 
==Media==
 
===Box Art===
 
===Box Art===
 +
[[Hiro Kimura]] painted fantastic art for this cover. Not only does it convey an action-heavy space shooter, but it also looks amazing.
 +
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
Yars' Revenge - 2600 - USA.jpg|Fantastic art! Not only does it convey an action space shooter, but it also looks amazing.
+
Yars' Revenge - 2600 - USA.jpg|All regions.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
 
===Documentation===
 
===Documentation===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
Yars' Revenge - 2600 - Manual.pdf|Game manual (Atari).
+
Yars' Revenge - 2600 - Manual.pdf|Manual - Atari 2600.
Yars' Revenge - 2600 - Manual (Sears).pdf|Game manual (Sears).
+
Yars' Revenge - 2600 - Manual (Sears).pdf|Manual - Tele-Games.
Yars' Revenge - 2600 - Comic.pdf|Comic book included with the game.
+
Yars' Revenge - 2600 - Comic.pdf|Comic - Included with the 2600 games.
Yars' Revenge - 2600 - Atari Catalog.jpg|Atari Catalog advertisement.
+
Yars' Revenge - GBC - USA - Manual.pdf|Manual - Game Boy Color.
Yars' Revenge - 2600 - Book - Full.jpg|[[Story of Yars' Revenge]].
+
Yars' Revenge - 2600 - Atari Catalog.jpg|Advertisement.
 +
Yars' Revenge - 2600 - Book - Full.jpg|''[[Story of Yars' Revenge]]''.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
Line 57: Line 85:
 
Yar's Revenge - 2600 - Screenshot - Attacking.png|Attacking the Qotile's shield.
 
Yar's Revenge - 2600 - Screenshot - Attacking.png|Attacking the Qotile's shield.
 
Yar's Revenge - 2600 - Screenshot - Swirl.png|The Qotile has turned into a Swirl.
 
Yar's Revenge - 2600 - Screenshot - Swirl.png|The Qotile has turned into a Swirl.
Yar's Revenge - 2600 - Screenshot - Shooting.png|The Swirl shoots out toward my Yar.
+
Yars' Revenge - 2600 - Screenshot - Shooting.png|The Swirl shoots out toward my Yar.
 
Yar's Revenge - 2600 - Screenshot - Explosion.png|I hit the Swirl, cue full-screen explosion!
 
Yar's Revenge - 2600 - Screenshot - Explosion.png|I hit the Swirl, cue full-screen explosion!
 
Yar's Revenge - 2600 - Screenshot - Score.png|Taking a breather between levels to review my score and lives.
 
Yar's Revenge - 2600 - Screenshot - Score.png|Taking a breather between levels to review my score and lives.
 
Yar's Revenge - 2600 - Screenshot - Blue Shield.png|When you reach the blue shield, the Swirl appears three times as often.
 
Yar's Revenge - 2600 - Screenshot - Blue Shield.png|When you reach the blue shield, the Swirl appears three times as often.
Yar's Revenge - 2600 - Screenshot - Easter Egg.png|Howard Scott Warshaw's Easter egg.
+
Yars' Revenge - 2600 - Screenshot - Easter Egg.png|Howard Scott Warshaw's [[Easter egg]].
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
 
===Videos===
 
===Videos===
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=610urSEa5wI youtube.com/watch?v=610urSEa5wI] - Commercial 1.
+
{{YouTube|dXk9y6nfm1o|Commercial - 1.}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwUkEH95Cv8 youtube.com/watch?v=HwUkEH95Cv8] - Commercial 2.
+
{{YouTube|HwUkEH95Cv8|Commercial - 2.}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0Mvwh_Jjhc youtube.com/watch?v=c0Mvwh_Jjhc] - Atari promo.
+
{{YouTube|c0Mvwh_Jjhc|Promotional.}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqH4k_OEqhY youtube.com/watch?v=aqH4k_OEqhY] - Postmortem.
+
{{YouTube|aqH4k_OEqhY|Postmortem.}}
 +
{{YouTube|5HSjJU562e8|Neutral Zone source code.}}
 +
{{YouTube|qrHUJrhZMJI|Game play - 400,000+ points.}}
 +
 
 +
==Play Online==
 +
{{PlayOnline|https://www.free80sarcade.com/atari2600_YarsRevenge.php|Atari 2600}}, {{PlayOnline|https://www.retrogames.cc/gameboycolor-games/yars-revenge-usa.html|Game Boy Color}}
 +
 
 +
==Representation==
 +
{{Representation
 +
| Media                      = Video games
 +
| StrongFemaleCharacterStatus = Fail
 +
| StrongFemaleCharacterNotes  = There don't appear to be any women.
 +
| BechdelTestStatus          = Fail
 +
| BechdelTestNotes            = There don't appear to be any women.
 +
| StrongPOCCharacterStatus    = Fail
 +
| StrongPOCCharacterNotes    = There are no humans.
 +
| QueerCharacterStatus        = Fail
 +
| QueerCharacterNotes        = There are no queer characters.
 +
}}
  
 
==Credits==
 
==Credits==
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
{| class="wikitable"
! Role !! Names
+
! Role !! Staff
 +
|-
 +
| Designer || [[Howard Scott Warshaw]]
 +
|-
 +
| Programmer || [[Howard Scott Warshaw]]
 +
|-
 +
| Art Director || Steve Hendricks
 +
|-
 +
| Cover Artwork || [[Hiro Kimura]] (as Kim)
 
|-
 
|-
| Entire Game || [[Howard Scott Warshaw]]
+
| Manual Writer || [[Hope Shafer]]
 +
|-
 +
| Manual Illustrators || [[Frank Cirocco]], [[Ray Garst]], [[Hiro Kimura]]
 
|}
 
|}
  
 
==Links==
 
==Links==
* [http://www.mobygames.com/game/yars-revenge mobygames.com/game/yars-revenge] - MobyGames.
+
{{Link|MobyGames|http://www.mobygames.com/game/yars-revenge}}
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yars%27_Revenge en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yars%27_Revenge] - Wikipedia.
+
{{Link|Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yars%27_Revenge}}
 +
{{Link|GameFAQs|https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/atari2600/585280-yars-revenge}}
 +
{{Link|AtariAge|2=http://atariage.com/software_page.php?SoftwareLabelID=603}}
 +
{{Link|TCRF|https://tcrf.net/Yars%27_Revenge_(Atari_2600)}}
 +
{{Link|TVTropes|http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/YarsRevenge}}
 +
{{Link|IMDb|https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0372617}}
 +
 
 
* [http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-2600-vcs-yars--revenge_s7000.html atarimania.com/game-atari-2600-vcs-yars--revenge_s7000.html] - Atari Mania.
 
* [http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-2600-vcs-yars--revenge_s7000.html atarimania.com/game-atari-2600-vcs-yars--revenge_s7000.html] - Atari Mania.
* [http://atariage.com/software_page.php?SoftwareLabelID=603 atariage.com/software_page.php?SoftwareLabelID=603] - Atari Age.
 
* [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/YarsRevenge tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/YarsRevenge] - TV Tropes.
 
* [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0372617 imdb.com/title/tt0372617] - IMDb.
 
 
* [http://www.thealmightyguru.com/TheGuru/Projects/Index.html thealmightyguru.com/TheGuru/Projects/Index.html] - My Dar's Revenge remake.
 
* [http://www.thealmightyguru.com/TheGuru/Projects/Index.html thealmightyguru.com/TheGuru/Projects/Index.html] - My Dar's Revenge remake.
* [https://tcrf.net/Yars%27_Revenge_(Atari_2600) tcrf.net/Yars%27_Revenge_(Atari_2600)] - The Cutting Room Floor.
 
  
  
[[Category: Games]]
+
[[Category: Video Game Prime Order - Action, Adventure, Strategy]]
[[Category: Video Games]]
 
[[Category: Atari 2600 Games]]
 
[[Category: Game Boy Color Games]]
 
[[Category: Action]]
 
 
[[Category: Favorite]]
 
[[Category: Favorite]]
 
[[Category: Favorite Games]]
 
[[Category: Favorite Games]]
[[Category: Single-Screen]]
 
[[Category: Science Fiction]]
 
[[Category: Multi-Player]]
 
[[Category: Games I've Beaten]]
 

Latest revision as of 09:25, 14 March 2024

Yars' Revenge

Yars' Revenge - 2600 - USA.jpg

Atari 2600 - USA - 1st edition.

Developer Atari
Publisher Atari
Published 1982-05-??
Platforms Atari 2600, Game Boy Color
Genres Shooter, Single-screen
Themes Action, Science Fiction
Multiplayer Alternating versus
Distribution Commercial

Yars' Revenge is a shooter developed by Howard Scott Warshaw and published by Atari for the Atari 2600 in May 1982.

In the game, you control an insect-like alien called a Yar who is trying to destroy an enemy called a Qotile. The Qotile is protected behind a powerful shield, which you must destroy before you can reach it. This is done by either biting off chunks or shooting them away. The Qotile cannot be destroyed with your regular shots, so you must instead hit it with a powerful Zorlon cannon which can kill you if you're not careful. However, as you're trying to do this, the Qotile charges up to become a deadly Swirl which fires out at you. You must also avoid the Destroyer Missile which steadily seeks you out. As you get further into the game, the Swirls fire more frequently and begin changing direction mid-flight, the Destroyer Missile becomes faster, and, your only safe haven, the Neutral Zone, vanishes forcing you to constantly be on the move.

The game came with a mini comic book and had a fair amount of marketing surrounding it. There was the usual stickers, shirts, and the like, but there was also a Halloween costume, and a read-along book and album.

Personal

Own?Yes. US cartridge and manual.
Won?No. The game doesn't have a win condition.
Finished2018‎-03-10.

Although my family got an Atari 2600 with a big bundle of games around 1986, this game was not among them. Instead, the first time I saw this game being played was by the boys who lived across the street from us. The game looked particularly interesting, and I was jealous that we didn't have it. Some time later, we did end up getting it, I think around 1987, but I'm not sure. It took awhile before any of us got decent at the game, but around 1988 my older brother was the first to reach the part where the shield changes color from red to blue to gray to pink, all in one sitting, which we were both amazed by. Unfortunately, after we got an NES my mother convinced us to give away our Atari and games away, so I wasn't able to play again for years. It wasn't until middle school when I bought a bundle of duplicate games and an old Atari 2600 from a school friend that I got another copy of Yars' Revenge. I was able to get to the blue and gray stages fairly easy, but it took some time before I could also reach the pink stage consistently. Then, in an effort to beat my high score set over a decade back, I began playing the game again. Now in my 30s, with a better trained eye for video game mechanics, I figured out a playing tactic that allowed me to hit the swirl in mid-flight pretty much every time it fires. I was able to not only beat my best score, but gain a free life each level to the point where I elapsed the 999,999 max score (it took me about 40 minutes). So, although the game doesn't have an official win condition, I count it as won.

I enjoyed this game so much, I programmed a clone game called Dar's Revenge which features additional enemies and, since I didn't know it at the time, a completely different backstory.

Review

Video Game Review Icon - Enjoyment.png Video Game Review Icon - Control.png Video Game Review Icon - Appearance.png Video Game Review Icon - Sound.png Video Game Review Icon - Replayability.png
6 7 5 3 4

Best Version: Atari 2600

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

  • Over all, the game is well-made. You can play safe, but are rewarded for more aggressive behavior, and the challenge continues to improve as you get better.
  • The game makes good use of the Atari's poor audio capabilities. Though there isn't any music, the constant buzzing background sound, spin of the swirl, crash of attack, full screen explosion, and buzz of death are all distinct. They also help keep the game play aggravating.
  • Having two separate shield wall configurations is a nice way to eliminate some of the repetitious game play. I just wish there were a few more layouts.
  • The color-changing shield wall is a nice indicator of your progress and what type of behavior you can expect from the Swirl.
  • The additional comic that came with the game was a nice addition, as was the, sold-separately, story book and audio drama. I really wish games of today would go to such depths with mixed media.
  • The big full-screen explosion is fun to watch.
  • Re-purposing code to generate the random pattern of the neutral zone and explosion was a clever trick.
  • Like with many games of the time, I'm awed that Howard Scott Warshaw was able to fit the game into a mere 4K of memory and run with only 128 bytes of RAM!

Bad

  • Once you get really good, the game becomes kind of boring because it doesn't get any harder after around the ten minute mark.
  • Although giving out a free guy for hitting the Swirl mid-flight seems like a good idea, those players who become good enough to do it every time are effectively guaranteed unlimited play. Admittedly, it takes awhile to get that good.
  • The alternate game play methods don't add enough variety to the game.
  • While I get the importance of wanting to add an Easter egg into the game, I have accidentally triggered it on more than one occasion and ruined a good high score run. I would prefer it be harder to stumble upon.

Ugly

  • Nothing.

Media

Box Art

Hiro Kimura painted fantastic art for this cover. Not only does it convey an action-heavy space shooter, but it also looks amazing.

Documentation

Screenshots

Yars' Revenge is able to draw all the objects on the screen by flicking half of them on and off between redraws. Because of this, it's not possible to take a single screenshot of the game and have it display everything, so these screenshots are composites.

Videos

Commercial - 1.
Commercial - 2.
Promotional.
Postmortem.
Neutral Zone source code.
Game play - 400,000+ points.

Play Online

Atari 2600, Game Boy Color

Representation

Strong female character?FailThere don't appear to be any women.
Bechdel test?FailThere don't appear to be any women.
Strong person of color character?FailThere are no humans.
Queer character?FailThere are no queer characters.

Credits

Role Staff
Designer Howard Scott Warshaw
Programmer Howard Scott Warshaw
Art Director Steve Hendricks
Cover Artwork Hiro Kimura (as Kim)
Manual Writer Hope Shafer
Manual Illustrators Frank Cirocco, Ray Garst, Hiro Kimura

Links

Link-MobyGames.png  Link-Wikipedia.png  Link-GameFAQs.png  Link-AtariAge.png  Link-TCRF.png  Link-TVTropes.png  Link-IMDb.png