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I’ll admit it, most Atari 2600 games didn’t exactly age like fine wine. Although the console has an important place in history and a special place in the hearts of many, by the time it was discontinued, the VCS library had more filler than killer. That said, one game I can still pop in today and have trouble putting down is Yars’ Revenge, released by Atari in 1982. This unique title was designed by Howard Scott Warshaw, a programmer who is sadly more remembered for creating the ill-fated E.T. game for the 2600, released later that same year.
Unlike most games of the time, Yars’ Revenge gameplay was backed by a full-fledged story. The packaging included a small comic book outlining a brief but odd tale involving time travel, a radioactive apocalypse, and the only surviving creatures known as Yars, which evolved from houseflies.
The player controls a newly recruited warrior insect, pitted against a highly protected enemy (Qotile). The objective is to wear down the protective barrier surrounding Qotile by firing a small projectile, then to strike with an auxiliary weapon (the Zorlon Cannon) once there’s a sufficient breach, quickly moving out of the way to avoid being hit. Throw in a secondary hazard that slowly chases the player and a neutral zone that provides partial safety, and you’ve got a complex but highly addictive score attack game. It went onto become the best selling original Atari 2600 title, spawning a handful of remakes and re-releases on various systems throughout the years.
