Episode 88: Tyrian 2000

Tyrian 2000 is, to this day, regarded as one of the greatest shmups ever made.  It boasts a continuous campaign that goes for 5 episodes and 50 levels, a ludicrous array of guns to dock your ship out with, and a varied and creative enemy roster.  The game is stuffed to the cracks with bonus content - secret levels, unlocks, minigames - even fighting game special moves tied to each ship!

It's not hard to see why it has garnered so much praise.  And compared to its bullet hell brethren, it's a far more forgiving game, with no limited lives system and a hull capable of withstanding more than a few shots.  But is variety and spicy secrets really the key to a great video game?  Does what dazzled back in 1999 still add up to an enjoyable and deep experience today?

On this episode, we discuss:

• How does the economy of Tyrian 2000 work?  Does tying credits to score achieved make Tyrian more about power gaming than your intrinsic skill at piloting your ship?
• Tyrian 2000 allows you to freely swap out pieces of kit with no penalty to your credits.  Is this an instance where free re-specs should be celebrated, or is there a cost to allowing such freedom?
• What is the focus of the moment to moment gameplay of Tyrian 2000?  Is this a game about avoiding damage, or maximising your damage output?

We answer these questions and many more on the 88th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!

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Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K

Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another

Tyrian 2000 OST: Alexander Bradon

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Do the hidden difficulties prevent the game from being so much of a power snowball, or do they make it even more important?  Is Pat a heretic that should be burned at the stake for using mouse controls?  What shmup should we play next?  Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!