Joanna Dark is an agent for the Carrington Institute, a secret organization dedicated to protecting the world. Through their operatives and special devices, Carrington keeps an eye on terrorists, world powers, and strange happenings. The dataDyne corporation's rapid development of new technologies is starting to worry the institute. So when Carrington receives a message from Dr. Caroll, a scientist wishing to escape dataDyne, they send their best agent, Joanna, to infiltrate the company headquarters.
Perfect Dark is a 3D first-person shooter similar to Rare's earlier GoldenEye 007 , with an emphasis on stealth. Joanna can pick up and use various firearms, including shotguns, submachine guns, sniper rifles, explosives, and others. She carries spy gadgets such as IR scanners, night vision, probes, and a deadly laptop. Most weapons have secondary fire modes, and reloading them is displayed in an on-screen animation.
Shields are scattered through the stages and can be picked up for additional protection. There are no health-restoring items, and Joanna cannot jump. The game features three difficulty levels, with higher ones featuring more accurate enemies, less ammo, and more objectives to complete within each mission. Cutscenes with voice acting advance the story between missions.
The game also features a training mode set in the Carrington Institute, which unlocks classic weapons from GoldenEye 007 . The campaign can be played in co-operative mode for two human players or one human player and up to three computer-controlled teammates. There is also a "Counter Operative" mode, where one of the players takes control of an enemy trying to stop Joanna.
Multiplayer includes various modes, such as traditional deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and King of the Hill. Other scenarios include surviving with a briefcase, hacking computer systems, and hunting down a single player as a team. Stages, teams, and weapon placement can be customized by players.
The Xbox 360 port features redone graphics for 1080p full HD resolution at 60 frames per second, along with full multiplayer support over Xbox LIVE.