Developed to be released at the system's launch, Iridion 3-D is meant to demonstrate the technological superiority of the Game Boy Advance over earlier handheld systems. Players steer a heavily armed spacecraft, up, down, left, and right, as it zooms forward through a variety of 3-D environments. Obstacles and enemies approach head-on as the ship blasts ahead into tunnels, over open seas, above the clouds, and through outer space.
The player takes on the role of an interstellar miner who returns home to Earth to find that the planet has been invaded by the evil Iridion Empire. The player must defend our homeworld and drive the foul invaders back to the Iridion system, encountering resistance from enemy fleets, dangerous robots, and large powerful bosses along the way.