Players take on the role of Jenosa Arma, a bounty hunter dispatched to the Copperhead space station to stop a deadly parasitic organism called the Scurge. The assignment involves pushing through dangerous environments while keeping the growing infection under control.
The gameplay focuses on isometric combat, with an array of upgradable weapons used to defeat a wide range of alien mutations. Jenosa Arma must also monitor a persistent Scurge infection meter, making it necessary to find decontamination stations before her health starts to drain away.
The game includes 50 separate stages spread through multiple sections of the research facility. It combines top-down exploration and platforming with boss fights that demand careful tactical planning and the right approach to each encounter.
Scurge: Hive is also known for its demanding difficulty and for using the NDS hardware to present inventory and map information on the system’s dual screens.