Top Gun is a first-person shoot 'em up combat flight simulation game[8][4][9] played from the perspective of an F-14 fighter pilot.

[1] The game is based on the 1986 hit film Top Gun, and features four levels, with each requiring the player to fight off enemy MiGs.

For the final two levels respectively, the player's target is an enemy fortress and a space shuttle on a launch pad (the last mission occurs at night).

[13] Eugene Lacey of Computer and Video Games praised the graphics and sound, and was surprised by "the level of sophistication that the designers have achieved" with the gameplay considering the limited number of buttons on the NES controller.

"[9] In a later review for the website AllGame, Christopher Michael Baker praised the graphics and realistic sound effects, and stated that it was arguably the best air warfare game ever released for the NES.

Baker cited three primary reasons for the difficulty, including the split-second decisions required in determining whether to avoid or destroy missiles, and the lack of continues.

Baker also cited the landing and refueling segments, writing that they require "a soft touch and total concentration", and that they are "difficult, if not impossible, to master".