Combat takes place inside a series of asteroid belts strewn across a glossy universe.
Adjacent to the asteroids, which are riddled with energy-replenishing Sinisite crystals, floats an ominous hyperspace jumpgate. The visit is inevitable, so the trick is to take enough gas out of the drones and throw as much heat at the jumpgate as possible to slow down the Sinistar's progression through painful hyperspace. Once the big baddie has crashed the party, the only way to get rid of it is to bombard the enormous critter with powerful Sinibombs. The default viewpoint on the action is directly behind the fighter ship, although a toggle permits you to choose a cockpit perspective. The levels of the game grow increasingly difficult through the addition of faster, more powerful enemies and the steady elimination of vital asteroids.