[2] The 1993 Sega CD version later used pre-rendered computer animation as a full motion video background, a technique previously used by the Namco System 21 arcade game Galaxian 3.

[3] The player assumes the role of a starship named the SA-08 Silpheed, deployed by the Yggdrassil supercomputer to destroy the Xacalite terrorist organization.

[3] By shooting down red-colored orbs found throughout levels, the player can acquire one of five different weapon types, each with their own unique behavior and strengths; these include homing missiles, an auto-aiming shot, and a "phalanx" spread-shot laser.

The Earth's only hope is a small fleet outside the computer's reach, provided with a squadron of SA-77 Silpheed dogfighters (referred to as "prototypes" in the manual for the PC version).

In the ending credits sequence of this version, there are cinematic animations of scenes depicting the fighters flying through stages in the game.

In 1989, Dragon gave the DOS version of the game 5 out of 5 stars, concluding that "Silpheed is highly addictive, extremely colorful, and requires hours of enjoyable practice to master".

called Silpheed "classic arcade fun with a little more depth than you'll find in many action-oriented games", but criticized the simple sound effects.

However, they criticized the unimpressive bosses, mediocre powerups and especially the lack of reciprocal interaction with the backgrounds as the game's biggest problems.

[16] A Sega CD prototype version of the game was showcased at the Winter CES in January 1993, with less enemies for gameplay demonstration.