Ready the Zorlon Cannon – Atari’s Yars: Recharged is Now Available

Yars: Recharged Brings the Heat with Updated Neon Graphics, a Thumping Soundtrack, and a Hive of Progressively Difficult Challenges

Atari® — one of the world’s most iconic consumer brands and interactive entertainment producers — are thrilled to bring us the newest installment to the Atari Recharged series: Yars: Recharged. Available today on PC via Steam and the Epic store, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Stadia, and Atari VCS, Yars: Recharged infuses elements of arcade shoot-em-up and bullet hell chaos into the classic’s formula. Execute a dauntless assault on a neon-drenched battlefield, all to a dynamic, hypercharged synthwave soundtrack.

Watch the Yars: Recharged release trailer here.

“With Yars: Recharged, we didn’t just want to recapture the innovation and thrill of the original, but explore and expand on what made it so deeply fun,” said Wade Rosen, CEO of Atari. “Yars’ Revenge was a must-have game on the Atari 2600, and now with the Recharged version, we’re able to share the excitement again, and with new fans.”

In Yars: Recharged, players launch a daring attack against the enemy homeworld, which is guarded by mechanical hives that pulse deadly cannons and emit flurries of swirling missiles. Shoot ranged attacks while utilizing pockets of safety amongst the hail of incoming fire, and then charge forward in daring forays to chip away at enemy defenses. Gather enough energy by destroying the enemy’s shields and you can power up your massively destructive Zorlon cannon, which sends searing blasts of golden energy into the enemy hive.

Credited as the first video game to be released with a backstory, Yars’ Revenge was the most popular title released on the Atari 2600, spawning two sequels, both of which also received an official Atari 2600 cartridge release this year through Atari XP. In the original, creator Howard Scott Warshaw sought to overwhelm players with audio, movement, and color as the game progressed. Drawing inspiration from its predecessor, the Recharged team incorporated this motif into Yars: Recharged, layering in more color, movement, visual cues, and complex graphics.

Yars: Recharged Key Features:  

• Boss Rush: Experience a nearly endless barrage of enemies. Three hits and you die, but don’t worry! The hit-count resets when moving to the next round.
• Mission Mayhem: Mission mode features 30 unique, challenging bosses and only one life to beat each. Take bosses head-on with a barrage of bullets, or opt for a different strategy and start with the smaller, Minor Cores first.
• Juiced-Up Power-Ups: Minor Cores will drop power-ups when destroyed. Shoot in all directions at once, utilize rapid-fire, blast with explosive shots, or fire a railgun – the nature of the power-up is tied to the nature of the core that dropped it.
• Co-op with a Co-Pilot: Featuring local co-op in both arcade and mission mode, partner up with a pal and take on the hordes of enemy fighters

Yars: Recharged is available now on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4|5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, Atari VCS, and Stadia as part of the Stadia Pro subscription.