The Post-Terran Minerals Corporation (PTMC) digs up minerals on all nine planets of the solar system, employing humans and robots to do its job. Unfortunately, the mining robots are now being controlled by a hacker, and have taken the human workers hostage. The PTMC has tried to get the robots back under their control, but communication with the mining stations has been lost. In desperation, the PTMC modifies a Pyro-GX ship for combat and hires a mercenary, codenamed "Material Defender", to fly it. The mission is to destroy the infected mines and rescue human hostages, destroying any hostile robot that gets in the way.
Descent is a 3D first-person action game where you control the Pyro-GX spaceship. You can travel through various interior locations like mines but are limited to moving forward or backward depending on your ship's direction of movement. The ship picks up power-ups throughout each level, such as lasers, chainguns, and energy cannons, which can be used for combat. Be careful not to run out of energy, as this will leave you vulnerable to enemy attacks.
The goal of each level is to locate and destroy the mine's reactor before time runs out. As you progress through the game, the AI will adapt to your strategies and try to stop you from reaching your objectives.