In Starcom the player has to defend the galaxy from an encroaching alien threat in a game of space combat and exploration. Inspired by classics such as Starflight and Star Control 2, the game focuses on tactical ship combat. Initially, the player’s ship is under-powered, barely a match for small fighter drones, but through rewards from killing enemies and completing missions the player can upgrade the ship with a variety of new technologies. These include improvements to the ship’s existing weapons and functions as well as opening up new features such as missiles, shields, and a jump drive that lets the player teleport across short distances to surprise the enemy. Missions range from simple training missions to hit and run attacks in suicidal sectors to the inevitable final alien base confrontation.
The gameplay is a top-down shooter, using the keyboard for steering and special functions and the mouse for aiming and firing the primary weapon.