History VideoGame / Tyrian

** Once fully upgraded, the Guided Micro Bombs spam the screen with a lot of miniature homing bombs that, via DeathOfAThousandCuts, do high saturation damage, making them a fantastic auxiliary weapon against single targets. The issue with them is that they are rarely found in the shop, you have no control over them if you're trying to focus fire on one target, and the high amount of micro bombs can increase the likelihood of duds. The more commonly available Heavy Guided Bombs can do what they can, but with much higher single-hit damage at a reduced number of bombs per shot.

** Once fully upgraded, the Guided Micro Bombs spam the screen with a lot of miniature homing bombs that, via DeathOfAThousandCuts, do high saturation damage, making them a fantastic auxiliary weapon against single targets. The issue with them is that they are rarely found in the shop, you have no control over them if you're trying to focus fire on one target, and the high amount of micro bombs can increase the likelihood of duds. The more commonly available Heavy Guided Bombs can do what they can, but with quality over quantity, and each bomb that hits hits, hits the target hard.

** Once fully upgraded, the Guided Micro Bombs spam the screen with a lot of miniature homing bombs that, via DeathOfAThousandCuts, do high saturation damage, making them a fantastic auxiliary weapon against single targets. The issue with them is that they are rarely found in the shop, you have no control over them if you're trying to focus fire on one target, and the more commonly available Heavy Guided Bombs can do what they can, but with quality over quantity.

* [[AmericanKirbyIsHardcore Australian Phoenix is Hardcore]]: Compared to the American box art at the top of this article, the Australian box art, viewable [[http://members.iinet.net.au/~vannevar/tyrian/boxfront.jpg here]], has a darker palette, and shows a ship in the shape of a Gencore Phoenix/Maelstrom with more realistic proportions from a low angle, giving the viewer a full view of the ordnance it's carrying, while it has just launched a missile and its guns are blazing, complete with smoke and muzzle flash effects.

Three iterations of the game were released. Version 1.x contained three episodes (with the first being released for free, as was common among shareware publishers in the 90's) and chronicled Trent's escape from Tyrian and his hunt for the Microsol invasion fleet. Version 2.x added a few extra levels to Episode 1 as well as a new fourth episode featuring a raid on the research planet Ixmucane. A later re-release, ''Tyrian 2000'' (Version 3.0), added a short fifth episode. Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance ports were started but never released. ROM images of these uncompleted games are available from the author's website. An iPhone- and iPod touch-compatible applet based on Version 2.1 is also available.

It is freeware since 2004. The official page of author Jason Emery no longer exists (and was quite sparse), so it's better to refer to [[http://members.iinet.net.au/~vannevar/tyrian/ this excellent fansite]] or [[http://tyrian.wikia.com this excellent wiki]]. Since 2010, it is also available on [[http://www.gog.com/game/tyrian_2000 GOG.com]], with the game's music encoded into a collection of [=MP3=] files (about 12 times as large, disk-space-wise, as the game itself) as a bonus download. [[http://lostgarden.com/2007/04/free-game-graphics-tyrian-ships-and.html Even the graphics were released with an open license]]. A source port of the game that ports the game from Turbo Pascal to C, called ''[[https://github.com/opentyrian/opentyrian OpenTyrian]]'', is available for many platforms and consoles; ''[[https://github.com/KScl/opentyrian2000 OpenTyrian2000]]'', a fork of ''[=OpenTyrian=]'' that supports ''Tyrian 2000'', is also available.

Back around 2005, a small group of fans got the OK from Jason Emery to make a freeware sequel, which would have featured a retired, alcoholic Trent Hawkins fighting against the Zica, who had returned to conquer the sector. Unfortunately, the project never seems to have left the planning stage (scroll down to the January 27, 2005 entry on [[http://members.iinet.net.au/~vannevar/tyrian/ this page]] to see details).

** On newer computers running the game via UsefulNotes/DOSBox, attempting to view a datacube, sent by Reid after IXMUCANE in Episode 3, will cause the game to crash.

** The game often crashes [=DOSBox=] upon quitting. Frontends, such as the GOG.com version, or third-party forks like SVN-daum, would close [=DOSBox=] without incident, whereas a factory [=DOSBox=] installation would sometimes hang and lag the entire system it is running on until it is killed using a process manager.

* DegradedBoss: The boss of Deliani in Episode 1 returns as a GiantMook in Harvest, Episode 4.

* BlessedWithSuck: Your Story Mode game turns into [[spoiler:a Super Tyrian run]] if you are flying The Stalker 21.126 at the end of Episode 4 [[spoiler:and complete Zinglon's Revenge. All your weapons and sidekicks will be replaced by whatever you managed to generate while playing the minigame and your shield gets dropped to a basic level.]] The ease with which a player can accidentally ButtonMash some of the [[SomeDexterityRequired secret twiddles]] for the hidden special weapons or functions, combined with the fact that all of them drain some of your shields or your armor, means that you will inevitably trigger one at a bad moment. Using a mouse to play, however, makes it a lot harder to execute them, although this may not be a good idea in some cases. If you choose to [[HeroicWillpower just finish the last episode]] and adapt to the quirks of The Stalker 21.126, however, this trope is subverted as instead of reloading your game in Story Mode and skipping Zinglon's Revenge, your game is ''permanently'' converted into [[spoiler:a Super Tyrian run]] and loops back to Episode 1 on the next higher difficulty, but you will be rewarded with [[spoiler:the secret code to use the [[PurposelyOverpowered Nort Ship Z]] in Super Arcade Mode]].

** The Mega Pulse is easy to find, available as early as the second level via an easy-to-find SecretLevel powerup, and is surprisingly powerful at full power. It is available long before the [[EnergyWeapon Zica Laser]], [[WaveMotionGun standard Laser]], and SDF Main Gun yet can feasibly be used for the entire game. It pairs well with the equally accessible rear Sonic Wave, which can be directed to fire four powerful waves forward with the SecondaryFire toggle (once fully upgraded).

** Each and every ship in the game, even ones that look the same, have secret moves that can only be performed if you did the right button combination, which you wouldn't know unless you've either looked up a guide or discover them by accident. One mode in the game, [[spoiler: particularly the hidden "Super Tyrian" mode]], even forces you to learn these moves in order to even change the weapon you're currently using.

*** SOH JIN: ''Do not'' destroy [[spoiler:any of the U-ships at the start of the level[[note]]although the very first U-ship can still be destroyed, when it moves back up the screen, to drop a powerup[[/note]].]] This will spawn [[spoiler:an additional interceptor]] near the end of the level that drops the secret level orb when destroyed.

* BrokeTheRatingScale: The front and rear guns all have ''eleven'' power levels. This trope is also the basis of a joke in one of the datacubes that manages to poke fun at ''{{Film/The Ten Commandments|1956}}'' and ''Film/ThisIsSpinalTap'' simultaneously.

* InfinityMinusOneSword: The Mega Pulse is easy to find, available as early as the second level via an easy-to-find SecretLevel powerup, and is surprisingly powerful at full power. It is available long before the [[EnergyWeapon Zica Laser]], [[WaveMotionGun standard Laser]], and SDF Main Gun yet can feasibly be used for the entire game. It pairs well with the equally accessible rear Sonic Wave, which can be directed to fire four powerful waves forward with the SecondaryFire toggle (once fully upgraded).

*** SOH JIN: ''Do not'' destroy [[spoiler:any of the U-ships at the start of the level[[note]]although the very first U-ship can still be destroyed, when it moves back up the screen, to drop a powerup[[/note]].]] This will spawn [[spoiler:an additional intereptor]] near the end of the level that drops the secret level orb when destroyed.

* NominalHero: Trent, of the "leave me alone", "annoyance/revenge", and "force" types.

* AwesomeMcCoolname: Quite a bit of everything in the game has some sort of fancy name to it. The Gencore Phoenix and Maelstrom's not-so-signature [[HealingFactor armor recovery]] twiddle command, for example, is called "particle redefinition technology".

** Getting to Holes, one of three secret levels in ''Tyrian'', Episode 1, requires the player to [[spoiler:destroy all U-ships at the start of the preceding level very quickly and a spinning enemy in the first wave of ships after the "Approaching enemy platforms..." message]]. This is why some people still have not found the exact way to get to it.
** Arguably even harder to do is getting to one of the other secret levels, Soh Jin, which [[spoiler:requires the player to ''not'' shoot all of the U-ships in the first wave [[note]]The first U-ship STILL can be destroyed when it moves back up the screen to obtain a power-up.[[/note]] and obtain the level orb from destroying an additional interceptor near the end of the level.]]

** The UpToEleven Lightning Cannon emits a dazzling stream of opaque lightning and is relatively powerful, but the power it drains is colossal (even the most powerful generator in the game, the Gravitron Pulse-Wave, cannot recharge fast enough if it is used alongside other energy-draining weapons such as the Zica Flamethrower), higher than the Level 2 or 5 Mega Pulse, and it is often less effective than the Level 11 Mega Pulse due to its lack of spread. This is not helped by the fact that the Mega Pulse is cheaper and usually available for purchase ''before'' the Lightning Cannon. Leaving the Lightning Cannon at Level 9 mitigates its lack of spread but nerfs its damage.

** Taken UpToEleven with the Hot Dog Front and Rear guns. Yes, they fire hot dogs. Bun, mustard, and all.

* UpToEleven: The front and rear guns all have eleven power levels. This trope is also the basis of a joke in one of the datacubes that manages to poke fun at ''{{Film/The Ten Commandments|1956}}'' and ''Film/ThisIsSpinalTap'' simultaneously.

* UpToEleven: The front and rear guns all have eleven power levels. This trope is also the basis of a joke in one of the datacubes that manages to poke fun at ''Film/TheTenCommandments'' and ''Film/ThisIsSpinalTap'' simultaneously.