Tyrian

Tyrian is a science fiction shoot-’em-up game developed by Eclipse Software and published by Epic MegaGames in 1995 for DOS. It became freeware in 2004 and has been ported to suit iPad and iPhone in 2010 and 2009, respectively. It was also re-released in 1999 as Tyrian 2000.

Taking on the role of space pilot, Trent Hawkins, you are sent on a mission to the planet Tyrian that goes tits up, and fast. After witnessing the death of his friend, Trent is now on the run from the evil corporation, MicroSol, who now want him dead. Trent manages to escape in a fighter and it’s up to him to save the universe. Tyrian has a surprisingly deep storyline for a game of its type and it will offer many surprises. Trent’s fighter is fully upgradable and you can change everything from hulls and shields to weapons and generators. Buy and sell multiple weapons and upgrades to build your ideal ship. Tyrian has many secret levels to discover, as well as 2 hidden difficulty settings. There is also an arcade mode than can be play single or two player.

Tyrian was released to very positive reviews and many gamers swear that even if you don’t like shoot-’em-ups, you’ll like this one. With varied levels and fast-paced gameplay, Tyrian is a credit to the genre.