In contrast to "Star Control II", hyperspace flight is replaced with fast travel, in the form of an instantaneous "warp bubble" device. The player's allies create this warp device in response to a hyperspace collapse, which becomes the subject of the player's investigation. They must follow the origins of this mysterious collapse to the galactic core, where they encounter new alien friends and foes. The player can warp between locations by clicking on a SVGA star map with a mouse, which is both faster and safer than the hyperspace flight of "Star Control II".