D→A:BLACK is a so-called "active novel" -- a visual novel-style adventure game with realtime battle sequences, divided into six chapters. The story unfolds from Touya's point of view, mainly through voiced dialogue sequences with still images. The player must occasionally make choices that will affect how the story plays out and which of the 11 endings are reached; some decisions are timed, and in many cases, not answering at all is also a valid option.