Flyer is designed to simulate traveling in the vacuum of space. This means that once you apply some thrust in one direction, you travel at constant speed in that direction until you apply more thrust. There are no brakes. To stop, apply the appropriate amount of thrust in the opposite direction you are traveling.

The controls for movement are therefore very simple. You may spin left (counter clockwise), spin right (clockwise), or apply thrust. These actions start when the assigned keyboard key is pressed down, and continue until the key is released. With practice, navigation will become natural.

To simulate the vastness of space, there are no walls or barriers in Flyer. Any object that moves off the screen will appear on the opposite side. This includes the player, the foes, and even missiles.

Although fast and nimble, your ship is very fragile. Contact with any objection will lead to immediate destruction. To avoid this, either maneuver around objects, or use your missiles to destroy objects before they hit you.

Your weapons are missiles that launch at constant (relative) velocity in the direction you are facing. They are quite powerful, and will destroy any object they encounter. They only last a fixed amount of time, however, so your range is limited. Only up to eight missiles may appear at the same time, so use them sparingly.