Skull Fang is a vertical shoot'em up and the third entry in the Kuuga series. It takes place 40 years after the events of the previous installment, Wolf Fang. Players control one of four different fighter jets in a mission to destroy the Ragnarok terrorist organization, which plots to take over the world using its army of mechs. Power-ups can be collected by destroying certain enemy types, including laser cannons, homing missiles, machine guns, and spread shots. Players can also pick up a weapon attachment known as an S-Unit, which can be fired towards enemies as a homing attack and can be detonated to help clear out enemy formations. Stages conclude in a boss that must be defeated; in these fights, bosses will often leave the screen and players can use a mechanic named Skyeyes to see how far the boss is from them.