Starcade is a 3d space shooter. You play as the pilot of the space fighter Starcade, working for a government that has just developed the next step in space warfare: colored zones which grant powerful atoms to any ship inside them. These can be projected across vast distances instantaneously, so they make an excellent way to deliver reinforcements to ships on the front line. It was believed that the zones would be powerful enough that a single ship could defeat the entire enemy fleet, and you were sent out to the front to test this. However, as you were en route, some of the zone technology was stolen, and the enemy is working to develop their own zones. It is now your mission to destroy as much of the enemy fleet as possible while trying to retrieve the zone technology. The government is also working on a "top secret" zone that should combine the powers of all the others. The ones that are currently developed are as follows:

Red-Attack
Blue-Defense
Yellow-Speed
White-Shields
Orange-Energy
Green-Ammo
Purple-Force

Your ship can have any three atoms orbiting it at any given time. Zones grant these atoms over time to its occupants. Also, certain sets of three atoms will grant the Starcade a skill it can use. For example, if you have 3 red atoms and use the skill, you can temporarily do 5 times as much damage. If the skill is used, the atoms will disappear. Skills may be used by pressing q. Other controls are as follows:

Mouse-Aim
Left button-Forward thrusters
Right button-Backward thrusters
Z-Brakes
S-Fire
1,2,3-Switch
W,A,D,X-2 dimensional strafing
C-Switch between 3rd and 1st person
P-Pause
Esc-Bail mission

Also, a destroyed enemy ship may leave behind a temporary powerup, a computer part, a weapon, a ship part, or nothing at all.
Weapons and ship parts may be swapped with parts on your ship to create a new ship. Each ship has a computer grid in which computer parts may be placed. These each confer a small benefit to the ship.
Starcade is 23 levels long. Fight enemy ships in a variety of situations, defeat the gigantic command cruiser Colossus, and discover the mystery of the top secret zone.

Disclaimer: Music found in this game was not my creation. It was chosen for artistic effect and not as a show of any musical talent of my own.