Dark Savior is a combination of three different gameplay genres: platform, puzzle-adventure, and fighting. Aside from one or two sections which blend platform and puzzle elements, these three gameplay types are kept distinct and separate.[5] The fighting sections actually run in an entirely different gameplay mode; unlike the rest of the game, which features full 3D movement, these sections use 3D graphics but are played entirely in two dimensions.
During some matches in the fighting mode, the player character can capture his opponent, allowing the player to control that opponent in future matches.[5] The player cannot capture an opponent when using a previously captured character.[6]
The platforming sections require the player to utilize the camera control in order to see around certain objects, and supports the Saturn analog gamepad. Though control is purely digital, the player can use the analog controller to simultaneously control their character (using the D-pad) and the camera (using the analog thumb pad).[5]
Instead of currency, the player can find items (cigarettes, alcohol, and magazines in the original Japanese release, replaced by chocolate bars, empty bottles, and magazines in all other regions[7]) which can be traded for information, items, or points. Points can in turn be used to revive the player character if he dies, increase the player character's hit points, or avoid fights.
