In Project Sylpheed, players take on the role of a rookie pilot and fly the Delta Saber starfighter in a campaign that comprises 16 missions.[4] Typical mission objectives are to destroy specific enemy targets and to protect allied ships. There are also optional secondary goals,[5] such as completing certain tasks within a time limit or without taking damage. Completing the primary objectives within a time limit successfully completes a mission; failure to do so ends the game.[6] If the player fails a mission several times in a row, the game offers an option to skip to the next stage.[5]