Yars' Revenge
Encyclopedia
Yars' Revenge is a video game developed for the Atari 2600
in 1981. It was created by Howard Scott Warshaw
, who also wrote the 2600 titles Raiders of the Lost Ark and the much-derided E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Yars' Revenge was Atari's best selling original title for the 2600.
arcade game Star Castle
. In the original game, a powerful cannon is protected by three layers of counter-rotating shields. The player must shoot holes in these shields in order to destroy the cannon inside. But once these holes are made, the cannon can also shoot out at the player. If the outermost layer is completely destroyed, new layers of shields are grown. Harassing the player are two free roaming torpedoes that hunt out the player's ship.
As the Atari version grew, change after change was introduced until the final product had very little resemblance to the original. In this game, the hero (a Yar) is an insect-like creature who must nibble or shoot through a barrier in order to fire his "Zorlon Cannon" into the breach and destroy the evil Qotile, which exists on the other side of the barrier. The Qotile can shoot at the Yar even if the barrier is undamaged, by turning into the "Swirl" - fortunately, the player is warned before the shot is fired, and he can retreat to a safe distance to dodge the enemy's energy blast. Also in the game is a safe area, "the neutral zone", where the pursuing enemy torpedo cannot harm him (although the Swirl can). The Yar cannot shoot from within the neutral zone.
Shooting a block of the Qotile's shield - 69 points
Eating a block of the Qotile's shield - 169 points
Shooting the Qotile with the Zorlon Cannon - 1000 points
Shooting the Swirl with the Zorlon Cannon before it launches - 2000 points
Shooting the Swirl in mid-air with the Zorlon Cannon - 6000 points and an extra life (maximum of 9 lives stored)
Each level ends with the destruction of the Qotile or Swirl. Odd-numbered levels will have a stationary shield protecting the Qotile, even-numbered levels will have a rotating shield protecting the Qotile. The destroyer missile will follow the player faster as levels progress.
When a player's score reaches 70,000 points, the Qotile's shield will turn blue and the Swirl will begin to fire three times more frequently, sometimes firing without warning.
When a player's score reaches 150,000 points, the Qotile's shield will turn gray, the Swirl will return to its normal frequency but turn into a guided missile, remaining in mid-air to try to kill the player.
When a player's score reaches 230,000 points, the Qotile's shield will turn pink and the Swirl will again begin to fire three times more frequently, sometimes firing without warning.
was included in the game package, illustrating the story behind Yars' Revenge. The comic book explained the "revenge" of the game's title: that the Yars were avenging the destruction of one of their worlds, Razak IV. The Yar race and the planet Razak were named after Ray Kassar
, CEO
of Atari
at the time.
Atari also released an album, under the label Kid Stuff Records
, which contained a theme song and a radio drama
-style reading of an expansion of the story in the comic book. A different, 7" recording explained the tragedy that revealed that a Yar could use himself to target the Zorlon Cannon rather than eating from the barrier. Both recordings were produced by John Braden
.
The game has an Easter egg. After killing the Swirl in mid-air, a black vertical line will appear on the screen across the spot where the Swirl was shot. If the player moves vertically along that line and is about 1-2 inches below the middle of the screen when the explosion closes, the game will end and go into the Game Select screen with programmer's initials, HSW, shown both forwards and backwards in place of the word Select. In game 6 or 7, JOV appears when this trick is performed, under the creator's initials.
version was developed by Vatical Entertainment and released by Telegames
.
A version was created in 2005 for the Atari Flashback 2 system. There was also a 3-in-1 cartridge released for the Game Boy Advance
in 2005, published by DSI Games. This title also featured Pong
and Asteroids.
The game was made available through Xbox's Game Room
in 2010.
A reimagining was released as a downloadable title on April 12th, 2011 on Xbox Live Arcade
and on April 28, 2011 for Microsoft Windows
. It is still pending release for the PlayStation 3
. It was developed by Killspace Entertainment and published by Atari. In this version, the titular Yar has been reimagined as a humanoid female in mechanized power armor.
Another remake, a prequel to the original, Yars' Revenge: First War was released as a part of the Atari GO initiative on April 8th, 2011 on Facebook
. It was developed by Baboom Games and published by Atari
. This version is an arcade social game reminiscent of the original Atari 2600
game. This version has been acclaimed by remaining faithful to the original and still offering new innovative content.
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
in 1981. It was created by Howard Scott Warshaw
Howard Scott Warshaw
Howard Scott Warshaw is an American former game designer who worked for Atari in the early 1980s, where he designed and programmed the games Yars' Revenge, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and infamously, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial...
, who also wrote the 2600 titles Raiders of the Lost Ark and the much-derided E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Yars' Revenge was Atari's best selling original title for the 2600.
Details
The game began as a licensed port of the CinematronicsCinematronics
Cinematronics Incorporated was a pioneering arcade game developer that had its heyday in the era of vector display games. While other companies released games based on raster displays, early in their history, Cinematronics and Atari released vector-display games, which offered a distinctive look...
arcade game Star Castle
Star Castle
Star Castle is a 1980 vector arcade game by Cinematronics. The game involves obliterating a series of defenses orbiting a stationary turret in the center of the screen. The game was designed by Tim Skelly and programmed by Scott Boden. Tim Skelly also created a number of other Cinematronics...
. In the original game, a powerful cannon is protected by three layers of counter-rotating shields. The player must shoot holes in these shields in order to destroy the cannon inside. But once these holes are made, the cannon can also shoot out at the player. If the outermost layer is completely destroyed, new layers of shields are grown. Harassing the player are two free roaming torpedoes that hunt out the player's ship.
As the Atari version grew, change after change was introduced until the final product had very little resemblance to the original. In this game, the hero (a Yar) is an insect-like creature who must nibble or shoot through a barrier in order to fire his "Zorlon Cannon" into the breach and destroy the evil Qotile, which exists on the other side of the barrier. The Qotile can shoot at the Yar even if the barrier is undamaged, by turning into the "Swirl" - fortunately, the player is warned before the shot is fired, and he can retreat to a safe distance to dodge the enemy's energy blast. Also in the game is a safe area, "the neutral zone", where the pursuing enemy torpedo cannot harm him (although the Swirl can). The Yar cannot shoot from within the neutral zone.
Scoring and levels of difficulty
Eating a block of the Qotile's shield - 169 points
Shooting the Qotile with the Zorlon Cannon - 1000 points
Shooting the Swirl with the Zorlon Cannon before it launches - 2000 points
Shooting the Swirl in mid-air with the Zorlon Cannon - 6000 points and an extra life (maximum of 9 lives stored)
Each level ends with the destruction of the Qotile or Swirl. Odd-numbered levels will have a stationary shield protecting the Qotile, even-numbered levels will have a rotating shield protecting the Qotile. The destroyer missile will follow the player faster as levels progress.
When a player's score reaches 70,000 points, the Qotile's shield will turn blue and the Swirl will begin to fire three times more frequently, sometimes firing without warning.
When a player's score reaches 150,000 points, the Qotile's shield will turn gray, the Swirl will return to its normal frequency but turn into a guided missile, remaining in mid-air to try to kill the player.
When a player's score reaches 230,000 points, the Qotile's shield will turn pink and the Swirl will again begin to fire three times more frequently, sometimes firing without warning.
Comic book and album
As with several other video games for the 2600 system, a miniature comic bookComic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
was included in the game package, illustrating the story behind Yars' Revenge. The comic book explained the "revenge" of the game's title: that the Yars were avenging the destruction of one of their worlds, Razak IV. The Yar race and the planet Razak were named after Ray Kassar
Ray Kassar
Raymond E. Kassar was president, and later CEO, of Atari Inc. from 1978 to 1983. He had previously been vice-president of Burlington Industries, a textile company....
, CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
at the time.
Atari also released an album, under the label Kid Stuff Records
Kid Stuff Records
Kid Stuff Records was a record label of the 1980s devoted to children's music. The label's albums were mostly tie-ins for franchises such as Care Bears, The Pink Panther Show, Strawberry Shortcake, Fat Albert, Garfield, E.T...
, which contained a theme song and a radio drama
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
-style reading of an expansion of the story in the comic book. A different, 7" recording explained the tragedy that revealed that a Yar could use himself to target the Zorlon Cannon rather than eating from the barrier. Both recordings were produced by John Braden
John Braden
John Braden was a writer, producer, and director of motion pictures and television programs, as well as a public advocate against drugs in the movie industry....
.
Easter egg
Remakes
In 1999, a Game Boy ColorGame Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
version was developed by Vatical Entertainment and released by Telegames
Telegames
Telegames, Inc. is a North American video game company based in Gun Barrel City, Texas, with a sister operation based in England.Telegames was well known for supporting not just modern game systems but also classic game systems, after they've been abandoned by its manufacturer. Effective September...
.
A version was created in 2005 for the Atari Flashback 2 system. There was also a 3-in-1 cartridge released for the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
in 2005, published by DSI Games. This title also featured Pong
Pong
Pong is one of the earliest arcade video games, and is a tennis sports game featuring simple two-dimensional graphics. While other arcade video games such as Computer Space came before it, Pong was one of the first video games to reach mainstream popularity...
and Asteroids.
The game was made available through Xbox's Game Room
Game Room
Game Room is a gaming service for the Xbox 360 video game system, Microsoft Windows PCs, and Windows Phone 7. Launched on March 24, 2010, Game Room lets players download classic video games and compete against each other for high scores...
in 2010.
A reimagining was released as a downloadable title on April 12th, 2011 on Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
and on April 28, 2011 for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
. It is still pending release for the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. It was developed by Killspace Entertainment and published by Atari. In this version, the titular Yar has been reimagined as a humanoid female in mechanized power armor.
Another remake, a prequel to the original, Yars' Revenge: First War was released as a part of the Atari GO initiative on April 8th, 2011 on Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
. It was developed by Baboom Games and published by Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
. This version is an arcade social game reminiscent of the original Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
game. This version has been acclaimed by remaining faithful to the original and still offering new innovative content.
External links
- Official Version of "Yar's Revenge" at AtariAtariAtari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
Arcade - AtariAge entry for Yars' Revenge
- Yars' Revenge at TheAlmightyGuru
- Yars' Revenge original TV commercial
- Yars' Revenge: The First War Facebook App