Gyruss

Gyruss is a 1983 space shooter from Konami, one of the most distinctive gems of the golden age of arcade halls. The player doesn't control a ship in a classic top-down or side view, but instead circles around the rim of a circular track while enemies attack toward the center of the screen. This unconventional movement creates an illusion of false three-dimensional depth and immediately sets the game apart from contemporaries like Galaga or Xevious.

Progress through the game is divided into several levels, between which the ship travels through a tunnel resembling flight through space before reaching the next planet. Each level features a wave of enemies with different movement patterns and typically ends with a boss. The player can collect power-ups that expand fire into double or triple shots, which becomes necessary to handle as the difficulty gradually rises and the screen quickly fills with enemy projectiles. An unmistakable part of the experience is the musical backdrop built on an electronically arranged rendition of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, which gives the game an almost dramatic, symphonic feel.

Gyruss quickly made its way to home platforms as well, including the Nintendo Entertainment System, ColecoVision, and Atari home computers, earning it fans beyond the arcades. Today it's remembered mainly as one of the most ambitious attempts at visual innovation in the shoot 'em up genre, at a time when the vast majority of games still ran on a flat two-dimensional screen.

Why play it: Gyruss offers original circular movement and unforgettable music, which make it stand out even among the classic space shooters of its era.