Perfect Dark is a first-person shooter where players must complete levels to unlock content and progress through the game's storyline.[1] Players manoeuvre their character from a first-person perspective and have the ability to lean left or right, look up or down, crouch, crawl, and drop from most ledges.[2] However, there is no jump ability.[3] Interaction with the environment is via a single context-sensitive button, which can activate computers, operate lifts, and open doors.[2] Players can carry an unlimited number of weapons, ranging from handguns to assault rifles, rocket launchers, a shotgun, a sniper rifle, and combat knives.[4] Besides their primary mode of fire, weapons have a secondary function that enables an alternate fire mode or grants players special abilities.[3] For example, the secondary function of the K7 Avenger assault rifle detects threats like explosive devices.[4] Most weapons have a finite magazine and must be reloaded after a certain number of shots.[2] Some can also be used in duplicate, one in each hand.[4]
Players have a certain amount of health which decreases when attacked by opponents. Although the game does not feature health recovery items, players can pick up shields that protect them with a secondary health bar.[5] Players and opponents can disarm each other at close range, and players may use this feature to steal weapons or knock foes unconscious.[4] Damage taken during combat is location-based, with a shot to the torso causing more damage than a shot to a limb.[6] A number of tutorials and training activities can be taken in the game's home level.[3] The most notable of these is the shooting range, where players can test their proficiency with the game's weapons in individual challenges.[7] In addition to training activities, players can find information about the game's diverse locations and characters, which are gradually unlocked as they complete levels.