The game features six different weapons to combat the BioMetals, an extraterrestrial race determined to destroy the human race. The gameplay is very similar to that of the R-Type series, with the final boss even greatly resembling and behaving similarly to that series' iconic boss enemy Dobkeratops. BioMetal is unique in that its soundtrack for the European and North American versions was entirely created by techno group, 2 Unlimited (the selections used for BioMetal were remixes of songs from their 1991 album, "Get Ready!"). The Japanese version of the game featured an entirely different soundtrack.