Gyruss

Gyruss is an arcade shoot 'em up video game developed by Konami and released in 1983. It was licensed for distribution in the United States by Centuri.

The gameplay in Gyruss differs from traditional fixed-shooter space games. Instead of directly controlling a spaceship that moves on a horizontal or vertical axis, the player controls a ship that orbits the screen's center point. The player can rotate the ship clockwise or counter-clockwise around this point.

The primary objective of Gyruss is to defend Earth from an alien invasion originating from deep space. The player must destroy waves of enemy ships that fly in from various directions. As the player progresses, they travel through different sections of space, signified by named locations like Neptune, Uranus, and Saturn, eventually reaching Earth. Each level ends with a challenging boss encounter.

Gyruss is notable for its use of synthesized speech and for its upbeat, synthesized rendition of Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor. The game's unique gameplay mechanics and memorable soundtrack contributed to its popularity in the arcades and its subsequent ports to home consoles and computers.