Armada is a 1999 main game blending top-down, free-moving shooter action with RPG elements on the Dreamcast. You pilot a starship, engaging in tactical assaults against an alien threat while also managing trade missions between planets. The core loop involves intense combat that funds necessary ship upgrades, allowing for persistent progression as you defend the galaxy.
The gameplay loop centers on piloting a starfighter in top-down, free-moving combat scenarios. Players engage waves of hostile alien forces in tactical assaults across diverse environments. Success in these missions is crucial, as it directly feeds into the ship customization and progression systems inherent to its role-playing elements.
A significant component of the experience involves managing and upgrading your spacecraft. Players can enhance their ship's capabilities, tailoring its performance to better handle increasingly difficult encounters. This RPG element ensures that time spent in combat yields tangible, lasting benefits for future missions.
The setting involves a galaxy under siege, requiring the player to actively participate in the defense effort against an ever-growing alien threat. Beyond direct military engagements, the game incorporates non-combat objectives, such as undertaking trade missions between different planets. These missions provide alternative avenues for earning resources necessary for ship maintenance and upgrades, adding a layer of economic management to the overall strategy.
Missions are varied, ranging from intense, tactical assaults against enemy strongholds to more routine, yet vital, trade runs. This variety ensures that the moment-to-moment gameplay remains dynamic, requiring players to switch between aggressive combat maneuvers and careful navigation of interstellar routes while managing their upgraded vessel.
As a main release title, this game does not feature any downloadable content (DLCs) or official expansions released post-launch. The experience is contained entirely within the original 1999 release for the Dreamcast platform.