Tyrian 2000

I'm not a huge fan of shoot-em-ups, but I enjoyed Tyrian 2000. It helps that it's free, of course, but there's still a time investment and I enjoyed that. I think the big appeal is the huge selection of ship and weapon load-outs, offering plenty of different playstyles and options to explore. There are also plenty of hidden secrets to find (or look up online), as well as great art design, solid music and an okay story. There are things I could quibble over, such as the dodgy method of story telling or the tendency towards too much silliness, but in a free game these can be easily overlooked. Recommended.

I used to love this game and came back time and time again even though I'm not that great at shmups. Still think back fondly on this game and occasionally get the itch to play for a few minutes.

Game works great, love the customization options. Gameplay and difficulty is spot on.

IT'S FREE!

This game is already free and open source, as someone already mentioned in one if the review 14 years ago. Code can be found here: https://github.com/opentyrian/opentyrian You can also find binaries there and play updated version of the game. That being said, this game is super playable and fun. I already played long hours and I am progressing through campaign. Very nice game.