The Desolate Hope mixes several gameplay styles:

* On the station, there are four simulations. When the player enters one, the game becomes a platformer in which he must shoot enemies, collects powerups and bits to upgrade himself and his virtual battlers.

* Inside of those simulations, there are sub-games which are 8-bit overhead dungeon crawler similar to the old arcade style screens. There, he can farm bits and gain more options to customize his battle experiences.

* When he encounter a virus boss in each simulation, the game shifts to a J-RPG style battle where he must use the mouse to select his various options to defeat the opponent.

* Almost everything outside of these battles is aimed at upgrading the player's abilities and increasing his stats for these fights which are the real challenge of the game.