Players must keep the ship moving at all costs, as stopping would end humanity, and construct interconnected modules to produce resources, repair damage, and reinforce defences. The game features a 'Despot AI' commanding the ship as it races toward an alien homeworld, with aliens breaching the hull and players needing to funnel them into kill zones using turrets and barricades.

Routes determine what players encounter, and each encounter recalculates resources and momentum, with some paths safer than others. The game offers three ships, six modes, and four modifiers for endless replayability, and different ship models influence how situations unfold due to varying layouts and loss thresholds.