Project X is a horizontally-scrolling shooting game with five levels, inspired by R-Type style action games. The attack waves vary in style, sometimes attacking from difficult angles, releasing blue power-up tokens that can be used to choose from various weapons.
The game offers four front-firing options: guns, plasma, magma, and laser-beams, as well as speed-up, side-shot, up to three homing missiles, build (a quick super-destructive blast that only functions when not using auto-fire), and stealth (a period of invulnerability). Each level has a distinct setting and an end-of-level boss to defeat. The game also allows resuming from the last died level up to level 3.
One unique feature of Project X is its option to emulate an auto-fire function using software, making it possible to progress as far on an emulator with keyboard input as on a joystick on the real Amiga console.