In Yars' Revenge , your goal is to destroy the Qotile laser-base located on the right side of the screen behind a shield. You control the fly-like Yar, which can destroy the shield piece by piece by either shooting it or running into it. Once the shield is down, you will need to use the Zorlon cannon to destroy the Qotile. The Zorlon cannon is located on the left side of the screen, and when fired can destroy the Qotile with a direct hit. However, the Qotile isn't completely unarmed against your attacks. A destroyer missile will constantly be homing in on your Yar, but you can temporarily hide from it in a vertical shield that runs across the center of the screen.
The game requires strategy and quick reflexes as you dodge the swirls fired by the Qotile and deal with the destroyer missile. You'll need to balance attacking the shield and using cover to avoid the missile while trying to destroy the Qotile's defenses. The game offers several variations, allowing players to adjust the difficulty and speed of play to suit their skills.