The game put emphasis on both exploration and combat as the player character, an android gardener named Vesper, traverses an alien planet from a first-person perspective.

[1] Vesper is equipped with various gadgets that aid exploration and climbing, such as the Slipstream Thruster, which is a jetpack that allows players to rocket through the game's environments.

[7] According to Chad Dezern, Insomniac's Chief Creative Officer, the game "[stays] in first-person from start to finish" to avoid taking agency away from players, while Mike Daly, the game's lead designer, stated that the Cycling World mode was designed to "[sustain] a player’s interest perpetually".

[17] Meanwhile, Samuel Horti from PC Gamer praised the game's combat system, though he disliked the quest structure for being too repetitive.

Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Stormland for "Immersive Reality Technical Achievement".