Line #48 VideoGame/YarsRevenge


1	[[quoteright:208:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/9f756829b38a03479d18a14d14deb2b8.png]]
2	''Yars' Revenge'' is a TopDownView ShootEmUp for the Platform/{{Atari 2600}}. Developed and programmed by Howard Scott Warshaw and released by Creator/{{Atari}} in 1982, it became the 2600's best-selling original title.
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4	An included comic book sets up the plot: the Yars were originally ordinary Earth houseflies, who hitched a ride aboard a human spacecraft on a mission to the Razak solar system. While the mission ended in catastrophe for the humans, the flies escaped and mutated into super-beings that built advanced civilizations on three of the Razak system's planets. To protect themselves from alien threats, they began work on a {{BFG}} called the Zorlon Cannon, but before it could be finished, a race called the Qotile attacked and destroyed one of their planets. So now the Yars must get their revenge by destroying the Qotile.
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6	The game itself started as a port of ''VideoGame/StarCastle'', being retooled into an original title when Warshaw realized that it would be impossible to make a good port of the game, at least within the time frame he was given. The game still has some of ''Star Castle'''s gameplay elements, such as the main enemy hiding behind a shield, and a smaller enemy chasing you around. As you can tell from the plot description, you play as one of the Yar, a giant fly that shoots energy missiles. On the right side of the screen is the Qotile, surrounded by a shield, with alternating levels having different shield types. You can shoot away the shield, or come right up to it and ''eat'' it. Once you have destroyed enough of the shield, you call in the Zorlon Cannon. Different variations of the game have different methods for calling the cannon. Once you have called the cannon, you position it by moving the Yar up or down. The Qotile is always moving up or down, and the Zorlon fires a PainfullySlowProjectile, so you have to LeadTheTarget carefully. Then you fire it, and get out of the way or you will [[HoistByHisOwnPetard kill yourself with your own cannon]].
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8	The Qotile cannot directly harm you[[note]]In fact, touching it is one of the ways to call the Zorlon Cannon[[/note]], but it does launch a Destroyer Missile that chases you around. From time to time, the Qotile will also turn into a Swirl, that fires at you at high speed (higher difficulty levels cause the Qotile to become the Swirl more often). In the center of the screen is a Neutral Zone, where you are safe from the Destroyer Missile, but not the Swirl (being that it is a planet-annihilating weapon), and where you cannot fire. And that includes not being able to fire the Zorlon Cannon.
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10	Like many video games of the era, it is an {{endless\|Game}} where the only objective is ScoringPoints. More points are awarded for hitting the Swirl with the Zorlon Cannon than hitting the Qotile, and more still are earned for hitting a Swirl in mid-flight (not easy considering that both the Swirl and your own Zorlon Cannon can kill you).
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12	Outside of ports, the game has seen various sequels/re-imaginings since its original release:
13	* ''Yar's Revenge'' (Platform/XboxLive, PC; 2011) - An anime-styled RailShooter developed by Killspace Entertainment. Reimaging the insect Yars as four-armed humanoid creatures, the game follows a nameless Yar girl who, after being rescued from Qotile enslavement, seeks revenge on her former masters.
14	* ''Yars: Recharged'' (Platform/PlayStation4, Platform/XboxOne, Platform/PlayStation5, Platform/XboxSeriesXAndS, Platform/NintendoSwitch, Platform/AtariVCS, PC; 2022) - A remake/sequel of the Atari game developed by Adamvision Studios, the title is a TopDownView twin-stick shooter that sticks closer to the source material, with the protagonist once again being an anthropomorphic fly.
15	* ''Yars Rising'' ([=PS4=], XBO, [=PS5=], XSX, Switch, Atari VCS, PC; 2024) - A 2D {{Metroidvania}} title developed by Creator/WayForwardTechnologies. The story stars Emi Kimura, a human hacker who learns that she harbors a strange bond with the Yars race after being hired to infiltrate the mysterious and shadowy [=QoTech=] corporation.
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17	In a bizarre WhereItAllBegan [[BookEnds Book End]], a former Atari employee eventually did manage to do [[http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/698159145/atari-2600-star-castle what Warshaw said was impossible]]: an Atari 2600 port of ''Star Castle'' that works and doesn't "suck".
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19	----
20	!!''Yars' Revenge'' provides examples of:
21	* AllThereInTheManual: The original game included a mini-comic entitled "[[https://web.archive.org/web/20040912045849/https://www.atariage.com/comics/comic_thumbs.html?MagazineID=48 The Qotile Ultimatum]]" that explains the story, and exactly why the Yars were gunning for {{revenge}}.
22	* BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: You aren't in a ship. Yars are stated in the comic to be capable of unpowered interplanetary flight, as well as having a biological EnergyWeapon.
23	* {{BFG}}: The Zorlon Cannon. This becomes SuperWeaponSurprise as the Yars use it to blast the Qotile to pieces after they destroy one of the Yar worlds.
24	* BossGame: The whole game is the Yars vs variations of the Qotile, there are no minor enemies, there are no levels to traverse, no mini games.
25	* DeflectorShields: The Qotile deploys several different kinds, all of which are edible, no less (due to the Yars [[ExtremeOmnivore being able to eat any substance]]). Your energy missile also chips away at the shield quite quickly, but the Zorlon missile will just take a single cell out of it and, in some game variations, bounce off (and likely into you - though, again, depending on the game variation this could be a bad or a good thing).
26	* DifficultyLevels: Four, with one and two player variations: an easy game (with slow missiles and Swirls), a medium game (with faster missiles and Swirls), a hard game (same as medium, but the Zorlon Cannon bounces off the Qotile's shield and can kill you on the rebound), and Ultimate Yars (same as hard, but it requires you build up a resource called "Trons" to summon the Zorlon cannon; getting hit by the Zorlon Cannon when it bounces off the shield ''gives'' you Trons in this variation).
27	* EarthShatteringKaboom: The reason the Yars want revenge in the first place; the Qotiles vaporized Razak IV with a Swirl unprovoked.
28	* EasterEgg: If you kill a Swirl in mid-air, a black vertical line appears where the Swirl died. It's a WarpZone, and if you move along it at just the right time and place, it takes you to an ending screen with programmer Howard Scott Warshaw's initials, spelled both forwards and backwards ("HSWWSH"). Unfortunately, it's also an automatic "Game Over", since it freezes on that screen until you reset the game.
29	* EnergyWeapons: The Yars' shots are described as "energy missiles".
30	* ExcusePlot: After you take the Yars' revenge you have to do it again, and again, and again...it's an EndlessGame that just makes the scenario different or more difficult each time...so rack up that score!
31	* ExtremeOmnivore: As noted in the pack-in comic, Yars can eat any substance and convert it to energy missiles.
32	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: You, if you don't get out of the way of the cannon projectile.
33	* HomingProjectile: The Destroyer Missles follow the Yar relentlessly. And they get very fast as the game goes on.
34	* InsectoidAliens: Justified in that they're Earth insects that got mutated into intelligent beings while in space.
35	* Instant180DegreeTurn: There is no animation or delay for your Yar when pressing the joystick in the opposite direction.
36	* JustifiedExtraLives: Always another Yar to send out there.
37	* LeadTheTarget: Shooting the Qotile with the Zorlon Cannon; it's rather slow, so lining it up with the Qotile will result in a miss.
38	* TheNeutralZone: Referred to by name and {{Justified\|Trope}}, in-game it's a vertical stripe of rainbow-colored sprites, but in-story it's [[EarthShatteringKaboom the irradiated remains of Razak IV]]. Being inside it neutralizes normal shots from friend and foe alike, but does nothing to stop stronger attacks like the Zorlon Cannon or the Swirls.
39	-->''"We are safe from Destroyer Missiles in the Neutral Zone. But, while taking cover there, we lose our own ability to fire and communicate. We are'' '''''not''''' ''safe from Swirls in the Zone. They're deadly'' '''''anywhere''''''''."''
40	* NiceJobFixingItVillain: It's heavily implied that the human astronauts exploring the Razak system were killed by a Swirl, making the ship with the flies onboard crash into one of the planets in the Razak System, giving birth to the Yars in the first place.
41	* NuclearMutant: The irradiated remains of the human ship is what caused the transformation from houseflies into the Yars.
42	* OneBulletAtATime: The Zorlon Cannon shoots one shot at a time, and no more than one destroyer missile can be on screen.
43	* OneHitPointWonder: Your Yars die from one hit from anything, including your own Zorlon Cannon.
44	* PainfullySlowProjectile: The Zorlon Cannon, which works both for you and against you. For you, in that it gives you time to get out of the way; against you, in that you have to set up a shot against a moving target. In-story, this is explained with the same reason that it can end up attacking you by mistake: they couldn't finish the aiming system before the Qotiles began their onslaught.
45	* RadiationInducedSuperpowers: Not only did the radiation from the ship transform ordinary house flies into an intelligent race of aliens, it also imbued them with powers such as interplanetary travel and energy weapons.
46	* ScoringPoints: The main point is to go on as long as you can, score as many points as you can and see if you scored more than your friends.
47	* ShootEmUp: A weird take on the classic ShieldedCoreBoss of the genre.
48	* ShoutOut: To Atari CEO Ray Kassar. Yar and Razak are Ray's name spelled backwards. Also the [[Franchise/StarTrek Neutral Zone]], and {{Franchise/Tron}}s, which are used in some variations to call the Cannon.
49	* SpinAttack: The Swirls. It's not clear what they actually are in the comic, but in-game the Qotile transforms into it and flies across the screen.
50	* SuppressedHistory: The comic uses this to justify the InfoDump, with the new recruit to the mission being informed of their race's "sacred past" for the first time. It's unknown what the average Yar believes about their own origins.
51	* TopDownView: Like many games of [[MediaNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames the era]], the one playing field is viewed in its entirety from overhead.
52	* WrapAround: Vertical only, you have to cross the neutral zone the hard way but can reappear on any side of it with impunity.
53	* WritingAroundTrademarks: As noted above, this was supposed to be a port of ''Star Castle'' when the licensing deal fell through. Howard Scott Warshaw decided to rework it into an original game.
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55	!!The 2011 re-imagining (called "''Yar's[[note]]The placement of the apostrophe is important[[/note]] Revenge''") provides examples of:
56	* {{Animesque}}: This re-imagining's art-style was heavily influenced by Japanese anime films such Creator/HayaoMiyazaki's ''Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'' as well as anime-inspired Western animation such as ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' according the game's art director.
57	* ArrangeMode: The Challenge mode offers three alternate gameplay modes upon clearing the game for the first time. The Berserker mode features unlimited missiles and Annihilator stock, but cannot use the Shield. The Hardcore mode cuts Yar's maximum HP by half and shields are removed (yet strangely they are still usable and present as drops, and Yar starts out with one from the get-go). Finally the Juggler mode requires players to maintain their multiplier meter up as long as possible otherwise they lose HP to an extent but conversely can recover some by scoring combo chains.
58	* AutoSave: The game saves progress in between checkpoints and clearing stages.
59	* BloodKnight: Yar qualifies big time. Seen most clearly in Stages 2 and 3.
60	** Stage 2: The Qotile unit commander, wanting to make sure the Ankine queen is destroyed, orders the charging of the Zorlon Cannon, and tells Yar to retreat and leave the Qotile superweapon to kill the queen. Yar refuses, wanting to kill her herself. Cue the BossBattle!
61	** Stage 3: Yar reluctantly runs away or hides when Bar-Yargler tells her to stay away from the Qotile dreadnoughts, but ultimately grows fed up and, when one of them notices her, she attacks it with all she has. Cue BossBattle!
62	* {{Brainwashed}}: Yar was subjected to the Qolite's brainwashing to use her to fight against the Yar on their side, but she eventually comes to her senses by Stage 3 and Bar-Yargler informing Yar of her past and she was being used by Qolite.
63	* BreathWeapon: General Triatoma and Zyron can shoot bursts of glowing death.
64	* CutAndPasteEnvironments: The game only features three distinct environment types, re-used twice between the game's six stages.
65	* CollisionDamage: Flying into hazards or on-screen enemies flying into Yar will damage her.
66	* CoOpMultiplayer: The 2011 re-imagine features 2-player local co-op where each player controls Yar and have their own independent reticle, but both share the same lifebar.
67	* CoresAndTurretsBoss: MOG-01, who has a picture of the original game's Qotile on it.
68	* DeadpanSnarker: Bar-Yargler is very good at snarking. Yar picks up the habit herself while talking to him, though she can't match his zingers.
69	* DeflectorShields: In the {{backstory}} it is the Yars who use one of these, rather than the Qotile. Yar herself can bring up a rainbow shield to restore her health, though it has limited energy. Also, the Ankine bosses can bring up such shields.
70	* DifficultyLevels: The game features the standard Easy, Normal, and Hard difficulty levels, each affecting how much damage enemies can inflict to Yar.
71	* ADogNamedDog: Yar is a member of a race known as the Yars.
72	* EasyModeMockery: Playing any game mode on Easy prohibit players from submitting scores to the leaderboards.
73	* EnergyWeapon: Queen Goptrii and Zyron have lasers that you have to dodge by watching where they scrape across the screen, similar to ''Videogame/SinAndPunishmentStarSuccessor''. The main weapons are also called "pulse lasers".
74	* FantasticSlur: The Ankine are called "nectar drinkers".
75	* FightingYourFriend: Zyron and Yar used to be but the former becomes a boss battle for the latter.
76	* ForcedTutorial: The game's first stage in Campaign mode restricts you from being able to control Yar or use your weapons until the game tells you how to play the game and interrupt gameplay when a tutorial prompt pops up. The Challenge mode however does not have these interruptions or restrictions.
77	* GunsAkimbo: Yar is dual-wielding Pulse Laser guns for her basic attack.
78	* HomingProjectile: This time it is Yar who lock on to the enemy and shoot missiles. She can hold up to twelve at a time, however each missile salve can only lock onto six enemies at a time. She can also acquire a temporary helper that seeks out enemies.
79	* HumanoidAliens: Yars are still mutant Earth insects, but they now look like four-armed humans with wings and antennae. The Ankine and the non Yar Qotile slaves are still InsectoidAliens.
80	* InfoDump: The game's cutscenes has no voice-overs and instead uses text over images to convey the game's story between stages.
81	* KlingonPromotion: [[spoiler:After defeating Queen Aaktamalina, she helped give Yar a purpose in helping free the Yars and lead them into battling the Qotile by appointing Yar as their new Queen.]]
82	* MindOverMatter: General Triatoma can cause rocks to float towards you over matter rocks.
83	* MetaMultiplayer: The 2011 re-imagining features online leaderboards for the game's campaign stages and Challenge Modes.
84	* MultiPlatform: The game was released on Xbox 360 and PC via Steam within the same month. A [=PlayStation=] 3 version was also planned but it was quietly canceled.
85	* MythologyGag:
86	** The Shield power-up covers Yar in a rainbow-colored barrier not unlike the shield from the original Atari game.
87	** The MOG-01 computer displays the symbol used to represent the Qotile in the original Atari game.
88	* InNameOnly: There is some stuff from the original that remains here (namely, there are the Yars, the Qotile, the Zorlon Cannon, the Yar homeworld is still called Razak), but most of it has been re-imagined, including the gameplay, to the point that you wouldn't think that the original game and this one had much of a link between each other.
89	* MacrossMissileMassacre: Tarsus starts out shooting missiles straight up, where you aren't at, but then they swerve towards your position.
90	* MagneticWeapons: Yar has a personal rail gun. It's a WeaponOfXSlaying against arachnids and walking tanks.
91	* MidSeasonUpgrade: Yar gets a new armor in the beginning of Stage 3. Later on, she also gets the Zorlon Cannon.
92	* NotSoStoic: Yar is the stoic until she loses the armor the game starts you in.
93	* PowerUp: They come in these varieties as you defeat enemies:
94	** Missiles: adds one missile salvo.
95	** Swirl: charges the Zorlon Cannon.
96	** Shield: creates a barrier that temporarily protects Yar from harm and restores some HP, but she cannot attack while the barrier is up.
97	** Seeker: creates a temporary helper that homes in and attack enemies for a brief period of time.
98	** Destroyer: creates an electrical discharge that can clear enemy projectiles.
99	** Annihilator: increases the damage output of her pulse laser for a short time.
100	* {{Railgun}}: Yar's other weapon is a Railgun that fires a powerful beam at her enemies, but operates on a {{cooldown}} meter between use.
101	* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: As suggested by the title, Yar is out for revenge against the Ankine for breaking her armor, then against the Qotile for suppressing her memories.
102	* ScoringPoints: The game's scoring hooks is centered around a multiplier meter that builds as you destroy enemies in succession but decreases at varying rates depending if the player is firing or not.
103	* ShockAndAwe: One of your potential helpers will shoot down enemy projectiles with lightning.
104	* SlaveRace: Yar's race was once independent, but then the Qotile came to Razak and waged war against them. By the end of the war, the Yars that remained (including the protagonist) were brainwashed into believing they were subservient to the Qotile.
105	* SmartBomb: The Zorlon Cannon removes all enemies from the screen. The Qotile sent spies to steal it from the Yars but you eventually get it back.
106	* SpeakingSimlish: The characters' voice-over during gameplay consist of bizarre radio feedback noise.
107	* TeleportationWithDrawbacks: General Triatoma can teleport short distances
108	* ThirdPersonPerson: A variation with Yar who refers to herself as "this-one" (sic); also the villains.
109	* TitleDrop: The game's sixth and final stage is titled "Qolite Labs: Yar's Revenge".
110	* TrainingFromHell: MOG-01 tests warriors with live ammunition .
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112	!!''Yars Recharged'' provides examples of:
113	* BulletHell: While mostly faithful to the original's gameplay, the Qotile is much more capable of fighting back this time around, their shields having numerous types of turrets (referred to as "Silorak Cores") built into them.
114	* OneHitKill: While the Yar is no longer a OneHitPointWonder, the swirls don't care; they're every bit as instantly lethal as in the original game.
115	* PowerCopying: Destroying Silorak Cores will allow the Yar to use their attacks for a short time.
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117	!!''Yars Rising'' provides examples of:
118	* AdvertisingByAssociation: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPLapjFwSKo The reveal trailer]] touts the game as being from the "developers of ''VideoGame/{{Shantae}}'' [and] ''VideoGame/RiverCityGirls''".
119	* HackingMinigame: The reveal trailer depicts a hacking sequence where Emi controls a pixelated Yar.

Context VideoGame / YarsRevenge