Dagger's Rage is a sci-fi action adventure that tries to capitalize on the market made popular by games like Elite and Privateer. You are a mercenary with your own starfighter, and it's up to you to stop a new pirate menace that has been ravaging the shipping lanes and innocent people of the United Planets.

You choose your own missions and contracts, and uncover the plot as you progress. As you win more contracts, you gain more funds to purchase new ships and weapons.

The main difference between Dagger's Rage and another game that might be compared to it -- i.e. Privateer -- is that this is less a space sim and actually is quite arcade-ish. You control your ship through a top-down view, and combat plays like a toned-down shooter such as Tyrian. Battles take place on various planets and in space. The terrain, however, is 3D.