Genre: Action
Perspective: Top-down
Visual: 2D scrolling
Gameplay: Arcade, Shooter
Setting: Sci-fi / futuristic
Published by: Epic MegaGames
Developed by: Eclipse Software
Released: 1995
Platform: DOS
Simple guy Trent Hawkings didn't want to save the galaxy. He was not interested even for some miserable moment to transform into a hero and walk through the streets of a beautiful city, full of welcoming residents, joyfully screaming children and languid sighing girls. But, as they say, you can’t escape fate, and now an ordinary research pilot has to run away from his own employers, monopolists from Microsol, on a stolen fighter, while being completely unaware of why they are still trying to kill him. The beginning of the heroic path has been laid, and what happens next depends directly on us. Let's take a closer look at the top-down arcade with the amusing name Tyrian and try to figure out what's what.
"Oh my God!" - you will probably say when you see the gameplay for the first time. And then you just freeze in dumb surprise. Yes, and there is something to be surprised - Tyrian immediately takes the player into circulation, and before the screen finally “brightens” after loading the mission, we will be attacked by fleets of attack aircraft, futuristic fighters, some kind of flying saucers and other enemies, not a bit inferior to each other in the originality of forms and strategies of behavior in the air. The introductory mission is already capable of putting the game in first place in the personal lists of many players by the number of villains destroyed, and what follows it will surely satisfy the craving for destruction of even the most irritated person in the outside world. Fly over a planet full of bright colors, leaving a trail of scorched earth, deprive Microsol of hundreds or two of brand new killer droids, collect bonuses that drop from some opponents, and for dessert - to grapple with the boss who wants to literally “crush” us with his huge size, - this is how Tyrian's gameplay looks like in a nutshell, if you try to capture its very essence.
But the matter does not end with a continuous wave of total annihilation. You will experience no less (or even more) pleasure when preparing for the next crazy flight. After accumulating enough money credited to the account for each successfully defeated enemy, Trent can look into the intergalactic store in order to convert the currency he has on hand into additional firepower. And this is where the available choice literally dazzles - you can modify almost everything, from the fighter model and the force field generator to the parameters of the selected guns, each of the dozen types of which can be improved as much as ten (!) times. And after all, all subsequent changes are reflected not only in the lethal force of the means of destruction, but also in the visual effect, the firing radius and the affected area. It will take a long time to test all these magnificent devices and choose the most suitable ones for the next task. And do not forget about the bonus types of weapons that are rare, but do not leave enemies with not only debris, but even handfuls of dust!
Meanwhile, Trent goes from a "struggle for survival" state to a "saving the universe" mode. How? Again, you will be helped to learn about this by special bonuses that occur in large quantities during the mission. Friends, enemies, just sympathizers - everyone wants to send you some kind of message, notify you of their future plans or intimidate. But since you are fighting not with some puny aliens or bandit groups, but with a sinister mega-corporation, these messages will reach you only if you are faster than the enemy and manage to intercept them along the way. Of course, you will be told about the main events of the upcoming military campaign, but if you want to know the background of what is happening, in no case do not forget to pick up these shiny multi-colored cubes.
As the story progresses, the fights become more and more insane, and the abundance of dark humor in the briefings and messages found will greatly cheer you up. An old friend who sends Trent to save the universe again and again, despite the latter's complete indifference, numerous references to the famous Jazz Jackrabbit, references to "this strange planet Earth", and many other things that make the plot notes more alive and interesting.
If the thrill is still not enough, try your hand at bonus missions, which can be accessed by still finding a special prize. Missions like these will not only provide an excellent source of income, but will also add even more variety to Trent's already hectic life. For example, imagine a narrow tunnel, the saturation of which with treasures is commensurate only with the number of immortal opponents present there. Add here the speed worthy of the best pilot in the galaxy, add our fighter next to it - and here it is, an additional task that can both enrich us and give us rest from the endless space firing, replacing it with the need to carry out unprecedented maneuvers. Well, at the end of the game episodes, a special surprise awaits you - mini-games, exciting, complex and almost nothing repeating the process of the main tasks. A great way to relax before starting another series of suicidal flights...
The graphic performance of Tyrian also deserves high praise. It would seem that top-down is top-down, two dimensions, an unchanging view from above... But even here the game will find something to please you. Trent's fighter, deftly flying either under the space platforms or above them, piercing through the snow-white clouds, disappearing for a moment in the tunnels that occasionally come across, creates a special impression of three-dimensionality, makes it clear that we have something more than a simple arcade game. And thanks to the efforts of the composers, who endowed the game with dynamic musical tracks quite in line with the process, this feeling intensifies to unprecedented limits, instilling in the soul the desire to relive this adventure again and again.
Tyrian has all the qualities of an undisputed masterpiece - and attractive gameplay, and a good plot full of small details, and a dozen game modes available at different difficulty levels. Give this great arcade a chance to prove yourself, and, believe me, you will not return to real life soon!