Yars' Revenge

Back to Arcade

How to play Yars' Revenge™

The object of the game is to destroy the Qotile with your Zorlon cannon. The player must eat and destroy the shield around the Qotile to earn enough Trons to activate the Zolron cannon. Fire the Zolron cannon at the Qotile with a perfectly timed shot to advance to the next level.

Controls

The Yar will move in whatever direction the keyboard arrows are pushed. The screen "wraps" from top to bottom, bottom to top. This means that if you fly the Yar off the top of the screen, it will appear at the bottom, and vice versa.

The red "fire" button [space bar or “Z” when not full screen] has two separate firing functions: it will fire an energy missile in the direction the Yar is pointed, or operate the Zorlon Cannon when it is on the screen.

Space bar is also used to restart turns and games. Press it after each turn to start a new "life", or continue a successful one. Press it at the end of the game if you want to play that same game version again.

GAME SELECT SWITCH

Use the game select switch to select the game number you wish to play.

GAME RESET SWITCH

Once you have selected the game number you wish to play, press the Game Reset switch to start the game. To start the same game over again, you may either press Game Reset, or the space bar on your keyboard. Game Reset can also be used to start a new game at any time.

DIFFICULTY SWITCHES

YARS' REVENGE has two difficulty levels - A and B. The B level is for normal game play. Level A is for the skilled player. When the difficulty switch is moved to A, the Swirl will be propelled faster, making it harder for the Yar to dodge it. Also, if the Zorlon Cannon and the Destroyer Missile touch, they will destroy each other.

In a one-player game, use the left difficulty switch. For two-player games, the left player uses the left difficulty switch, the right player uses the right difficulty switch.

TV TYPE SWITCH

Set this switch to COLOR if you have a color television set. Set it to B-W to play the game in black and white.

How to play

The primary objective of the game is to break a path through the shield, and destroy the Qotile with a blast from the Zorlon Cannon. The secondary objective is to score as many points as possible.

The shield is the red area in front of the Qotile base. It appears in one of two shapes, as an arch, or a shifting rectangle. The shield is made up of cells. The Yar scout can destroy these cells by firing at them with energy missiles, from any location on the playfield, or by devouring them on direct contact (The Zorlon Cannon can also be used to destroy the cells, but this is a waste of a powerful weapon.)

Once a path has been cleared through the shield, the Zorlon Cannon must be used to destroy the Qotile. To call up the cannon, the Yar can either eat a cell, or run over the Qotile. (See GAME VARIATIONS, Section 5, for more details on playing ULTIMATE YARS, Games 6 and 7.)

The Zorlon Cannon appears on the left side of the playfield, and moves in a direct line with the Yar. This means the Yar is in its line of fire. It is important therefore, to aim the cannon at the Qotile, fire it, and fly out of the way fast!

The Qotile shoots off two weapons: Destroyer Missiles and Swirls. The Destroyer Missiles come in a more or less constant stream, one at a time. The Yar must do his best to dodge them. Periodically, the Qotile transforms into a Swirl. This Swirl winds up and rushes off after the Yar. A Swirl can be destroyed with the Zorlon Cannon by hitting it either at its base location, or in mid-air. As a player's score increases, the Swirl becomes increasingly dangerous.

The glittering path down the center of the screen is the Neutral Zone. This area will protect a Yar from Destroyer Missiles but not from Swirls. While in the Neutral Zone, a Yar cannot fire any energy missiles of his own.

When a Yar is hit by a Destroyer Missile, a Swirl, or his own Zorlon Cannon, he dies. Each player has four Yars (turns) to play in a game. Additional Yars can be earned.

GAME VARIATIONS

GAME 0
This is the simplest version, a good choice for young children to play. It features a slow Destroyer Missile.

GAME 1
This is the two-player version of Game 0.

GAME 2
This is the "normal" game, with two alternating Shield configurations, plus a Destroyer Missile, and a Swirl travelling at normal speed.

GAME 3
This is the two-player version of Game 2.

GAME 4
This game features a Zorlon Cannon that bounces off the shield. (Watch out! It can destroy you on its return flight.) There are two alternating Shield configurations, plus a Destroyer Missile and a Swirl travelling at normal speeds.

GAME 5
This is the two-player version of Game 4.

ULTIMATE YARS

Games 6 and 7
Ultimate Yars features a bouncing Zorlon Cannon, plus some unusual twists that distinguish it from the other Yar games.

First, you must bounce the Yar against the left side of the screen to make the Zorlon Cannon appear. Also, to make the cannon appear, you need five TRONS. TRONS are units of energy which you can collect at the following rate:

• Eat a cell from the shield: 1 TRON
• Touch the Qotile: 2 TRONS
• Catch a Zorlon Cannon shot after it bounces off the shield: 4 TRONS

If a Yar bounces of the left side with less than five TRONS, it will not get a shot, but it won't lose the TRONS it has, either. (Each time a Yar is destroyed, it loses its TRONS). Each Yar has a capacity of 255 TRONS. If a Yar tries to take on more than that, it will short out and the Yar will lose all its TRONS. The count of TRONS is not displayed on the screen. Yar scouts understand the count instinctively.

Game 6 is the one-player version of ULTIMATE YARS.

Game 7 is the two-player version.

SCORING

ACTIVITY	POINTS	BONUS
Cell, hit by Missile	69
Cell, devoured by Yar	69	100 points
Qotile, destroyed	1000
Swirl, destroyed in place	2000
Swirl, destroyed in mid-air	6000	additional life

HIGH SCORE FEATURES

POINTS	ACTIVITY
70,000	Swirl triples in frequency and sometimes fires instantly. Shield turns blue.
150,000	Swirl returns to normal frequency but will remain in mid-air to hit you. Shield turns grey.
230,000	Swirl again triples in frequency and sometimes fires instantly. Shield turns pink.

Tips

When you destroy the Qotile, or a Swirl, there will be an explosion, during which the Yar stays on the screen. Use this opportunity to make up your own victory dance. And watch out for the Ghost of Yars! You'll see his mean streak, so stay off it!

The Qotile continually changes colors. The color sequence is your cue to the appearance of a Swirl, and gives you warning to plan your attack and defense.

If you fly over the Qotile as it changes to a Swirl, it will destroy you, so be careful.

When you think you are a tough avenger, switch the difficulty to A, and then try Ultimate Yars!