Gyruss review

As Gyruss is more than 20 years old now, chances are fair that many people reading this have never played it. And despite that, the only real way to describe the game is by calling it a cross between equally ancient arcade classics Galaxian and Tempest. Does that clear everything up, Junior?

Basically this old-school space shooter progresses like a zillion others from back in the day – each screen is its own level; enemy ships fly into play from off-screen in fancy configurations, then entering formation at the “top” of the field. Then, after they’ve all assembled, they commence attack runs. All the while, you're blasting away with your little spaceship, dodging not only kamikaze aliens, but also their fire and even the odd asteroid. It's a premise mined by dozens of old games; the difference is that in Gyruss, the alien armada sets up shop in the center of the screen, and your ship spins and swirls around the outside edge of the playfield as if on an invisible circular track, constantly pumping hot plasma into the circle's center.