The player controls Kyle Reese in a first-person presentation while searching a simulated Los Angeles for Sarah Connor and useful equipment. Exploration, movement through buildings and streets, conversations, item collection, and combat all contribute to the main objective of protecting Sarah and surviving encounters with the Terminator.

The city supports a comparatively open route through the scenario rather than a simple series of fixed stages. Weapons, ammunition, money, and other resources affect progress, while the passage of time and the Terminator’s pursuit create pressure. Success depends on learning the environment, preparing for fights, and completing the rescue objective before the situation becomes unwinnable.

Explore carefully before committing to fights, and search buildings for weapons, ammunition, money, and other useful items. Avoid wasting ammunition on encounters that can be bypassed.

Keep the main objective in mind while learning the city layout. Prepare before confronting the Terminator, because limited resources and the game’s time pressure can make an improvised battle costly.