Developed by Eclipse Software and published by Epic MegaGames in 1999 (original 1995) Follow me on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Al82_Retro Add me on Google+:
Tyrian was originally released in 1995 as a game for MS-DOS/compatible computers and was regarded as one of the best arcade shooters available at the time. The game was released in a number of episodes, with the first being made available for free under the Shareware model (as was popular at the time) - this was how I first became aware of the title and was mightily impressed. Fast-forward to 1999 and the decision was taken to release an updated version of the game. This included an extra episode (episode 5) and a number of bug fixes for the base game. The game was eventually made freeware in 2004. The story focuses on the exploits of Trent Hawkins, a terraforming pilot employed to search for inhabitable locations on freshly terraformed planets. His most recent mission sees him scouting the planet Tyrian, a planet inhabited by the reptilian Hazudra. Things go south when Trent's best friend is shot in the back and killed by a drone on the planet's surface. With his dying breath, Trent's friend informs him that he was killed by agents of the MicroSol corporation, the corporation responsible for terraforming the planet. It seems that the planet is host to a rare form of ore known as Gravitium, something that has the potential to provide MicroSol's ships with unlimited power and a threat to any who might oppose them. Unfortunately, the fact that Trent now knows about the ore means that he is now a target also. Trent manages to capture a small fighter craft and plans to escape to Savara, the closest free world free from MicroSol's control. The game itself is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up where the player must destroy wave upon wave of enemy craft and other obstacles across multiple levels. Each episode features roughly 10 separate missions, although there are plenty of secret missions to uncover along the way. From the main menu, the player can choose whether to play arcade or story mode. As you might expect, arcade mode is a straightforward progression through each mission available in the game. When played in story mode, however, the game features various news bulletins and communications that progress the story of Trent's escape from MicroSol, forging alliances with other individuals and much more besides. Additional nuggets of information and story can be opened up by collecting special data cubes dropped by certain enemies - not all of these are plot related, but they usually amusing and reminded me of the guide entries from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series of novels by Douglas Adams. The player can upgrade their ship with new weapons, shields and other components by using the cash collected from killing enemies. The upgrade system is one of the best features of the game and the fact that equipment on offer changes between levels means that you have to make some tough choices as to how you want to spend your hard earned cash - certain items are only found in the shop on a specific planet. The player's ship is equipped with a shield generator that protects you from damage, as well as recharges over time. This is quite a departure from most shmups where coming into contact with a single bullet means instant death. This makes the game far more accessible to players of all abilities and is one of the reasons why I enjoy the game so much. The game boasts some extremely attractive graphics for the time. The screen is packed with tons of ships, advanced parallax effects, transparency and much more besides. Despite being a sprite-based game this is still quite a looker, even by today's standards. I must give special mention to the game's music (composed by Alexander Brandon and Andras Molnar). The music is absolutely fantastic, but those who remember the Wild West of PC gaming back in the day will remember the impact a decent soundcard or MIDI device (Soundblaster AWE32, Gravis Ultrasound, Roland SC-55) could have on a game's audio and Tyrian is no exception. For those interested, this video was recorded using the general MIDI option linked to a Roland SC-55 soundfont pack for some truly auditory awesomeness! If you love your shooters then Tyrian is still immensely fun to play and is definitely worth a download. You'll need to download DosBox to get the best out of it, but it's definitely worth the effort! #retrogaming
