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About the project

The Tyrian 2000 remake: OpenTyrian2000 Enhanced Edition

OpenTyrian2000 Enhanced Edition is a free, open-source remake of Tyrian 2000 for Windows, Mac, Linux and Steam Deck. It plays the original Tyrian 2000 data on a new engine written in Rust and Godot 4.

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Key facts

NameOpenTyrian2000 Enhanced Edition (short: OpenTyrian2000 Enhanced)
What it isA free, open-source remake of Tyrian 2000, the final version of the vertical shoot‑'em‑up Tyrian, playing the original Tyrian 2000 data
Made byAn independent community project
Current versionv1.0-rc1, the first release (a release candidate)
EngineRust for the game logic, Godot 4 for display, sound and input
SystemsWindows 64-bit, Linux x86_64, Steam Deck (with the Linux package), macOS (experimental, Intel and Apple Silicon)
PriceFree; no account needed
Code licenceGPL-2.0-or-later
Game dataThe Tyrian 2000 data, freeware, included in the download and not covered by the GPL
HD artOptional; enlarged by an AI upscaler from the original sprites, not repainted by an artist, so not an official remaster
DevelopmentWritten with AI assistance (Claude)
LanguagesEnglish, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese
Official sitetyrian-enhanced.com
Source code and releasesGitHub · Releases

What it is

OpenTyrian2000 Enhanced Edition is a free, open-source remake of Tyrian 2000 for Windows, Mac, Linux and Steam Deck. Tyrian is a vertical shoot‑'em‑up developed by Eclipse Software and published by Epic MegaGames for MS-DOS in 1995; Tyrian 2000, its final version, followed in 1999 with a fifth episode (Wikipedia). The Enhanced Edition plays the Tyrian 2000 data.

You are Trent Hawkins, a fighter pilot up against the MicroSol corporation. Between levels you rebuild your ship in a shop with the credits you earn. The campaign has five episodes, branching routes, secret levels and two bonus games.

It descends from OpenTyrian, the open-source C rewrite of Tyrian, and from OpenTyrian2000, a fork of OpenTyrian for Tyrian 2000, and runs on a new engine written in Rust and Godot 4. How the versions compare.

It is not the iOS app named OpenTyrian 2000, and it is not affiliated with any other Tyrian remake, port or fan project.

The Savara boss of Tyrian in HD (AI) art, real capture
Savara boss · HD (AI) art · real capture

What is different from the original Tyrian

  • Runs natively on 64-bit Windows and Linux, including the Steam Deck, and on Macs. No DOS emulator is needed. Tyrian on Windows 10 and 11.
  • Same campaign. The original episodes, shops and routes are read from the Tyrian 2000 data, and the simulation was checked tick by tick against recorded games of the C code it descends from.
  • New modes: Endless Arcade (Endless Mode in the menu) with a top-10 leaderboard, couch co-op for two players, mutators and bullet time. All of them are optional.
  • New looks: the original pixels, sharp pixel art (xBRZ edge smoothing), HD (AI) art and five CRT filters. Tyrian in HD.
  • Three music engines: two emulations of the original AdLib soundtrack, and the Enhanced MIDI engine with General MIDI arrangements and an included SoundFont.
  • Modding: weapons, ships, sidekicks, shields, specials, enemies and level encounters from JSON and PNG files, plus a level editor. Modding.
  • Gamepad everywhere, with a controller profile for the Steam Deck. Steam Deck.
  • Six languages for the menus and texts.

The original secrets are all there: codes, secret levels and hidden difficulties.

Release status

v1.0-rc1 is a release candidate: the whole game can be played from start to finish, and player feedback decides what is fixed before 1.0. Network play is not available yet. The known issues are listed on the download page, and what v1.0-rc1 brings is described in What's new.

Frequently asked questions

Is OpenTyrian2000 Enhanced Edition free?

Yes. The game costs nothing and needs no account. The code is open source under the GPL-2.0-or-later licence, and the Tyrian 2000 data it plays has been freeware since 2004.

Do I need a copy of the original Tyrian or Tyrian 2000?

No. The freeware Tyrian 2000 data and the MIDI soundtrack with its SoundFont are included in every download, and the HD (AI) art in the full one.

Is it the same game as Tyrian 2000?

The campaign is: the same five episodes, shops, weapons, routes and secret levels, read from the original data. The new modes, effects and display options are optional and can be switched off.

Is the HD art an official remaster?

No. The HD (AI) art is made by an AI upscaler from the original sprites, not repainted by an artist, and it is optional: the original pixels and sharp pixel art are one key away.

Which systems does it run on?

Windows (64-bit), Linux (x86_64) and macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon, experimental). The Steam Deck uses the Linux package.

Do I need DOSBox?

No. The game is a native program for Windows, macOS and Linux. DOSBox is only needed to run the original DOS release.

Is it finished?

Almost. v1.0-rc1 is the first release, a release candidate: the whole game is playable from start to finish, and 1.0 follows once player feedback is in. Network play is still missing.

Can two people play together?

Yes, on one computer: two-player campaign and two-player Endless Arcade, with two gamepads or a shared keyboard. Online play is not available.

Can I play with a gamepad?

Yes. Every menu works with a gamepad (and with the mouse), and every button can be changed in Setup. On the Steam Deck, a controller profile is applied on the first launch from Steam (not yet tested on a real Steam Deck).

Can I make my own mods?

Yes. A mod is a folder with a mod.json file and optional PNG sprites. It can add weapons, ships, sidekicks, shields, specials and enemies, and change level encounters. Mods install from a .zip in Setup.

Which languages are available?

English, French, Spanish, German, Italian and Portuguese.

Who makes it?

An independent community project, written with AI assistance (Claude). It builds on the work of OpenTyrian and OpenTyrian2000. It is not an official release by the makers of the original Tyrian.

Where do I download it?

On the download page of this site, which links to the official release files on GitHub.

Questions, bugs, ideas?

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