While previous games in the Silpheed series utilized a top-down view of the action, Project Sylpheed features a fully 3-D view from either just behind your ship, or a first-person view from within it. During the game you'll need to complete a series of missions; these are varied and include having to destroy all opponents in an area or defend an allied ship from attack. Initially there are fewer enemies and you don't have powerful weaponry, but as the game progresses the enemy increases in count and abilities and you can upgrade your ship with more powerful weapons. During a mission several sub-objectives may also become available which can be completed.