Mission Critical has much in common with its foremost predecessor, Death Gate, including high resolution graphics, extensive use of sound (in terms of music and voice), and a mostly-effective form of icon-driven gameplay. Mission Critical also uses full-motion video and an increased amount of animation to make the game seem more like a science-fiction movie than a computer game. This is supported by its intelligent integration of puzzles and effective and creative writing. The only time Mission Critical falters is near the end, when the game become excessively talky, requiring the player to sit through pages and pages of mostly boring conversations that, while they are important to the overall story, mostly just bring the game to a screeching halt. While not overly difficult or flashy, Mission Critical remains one of the best graphical science-fiction adventure games, and will be enjoyed by fans of either genre.

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