Typically with the Recharged series of classic Atari reboots I’ve been coming to the table with a fondness for the original title. Perhaps that has been a bit of a curse since more often than not I’ve certainly enjoyed the new version but haven’t felt that the decades of a break between iterations have produced a clearly superior game. Weirdly, though I am very aware of the popularity and success of the original Yars Revenge on the Atari 2600, I can’t say I was ever thrilled with it. I appreciated the originality but found the gameplay ultimately to be too lacking in variety as you progressed to be compelling. The fact that this update feels like it has really run with that original idea and made the most out of it may then explain my more enthusiastic response to it than to most of its brethren. There’s certainly an arcade simplicity that stays true to the original, as you will work to shoot and nibble your way through enemy defenses, pick up power-ups, and collect gems that will eventually allow you to counter-attack with your big gun. The thing is, even though every new wave you move on to doesn’t change your objectives, the consistent upping of the challenge just feels well-implemented and compelling to me in a “Damn, so close! Just one more!” kind of way. Throw in the fact that it isn’t a one-hit-and-done situation, something I’ve been critical of some of the other Recharged series titles for choosing to go with, and I’m here to tell any fans of arcade-style games out there that this is a redux well worth your time to check out!