The game consists of several ROUNDS, divided into STAGES. Rescue all the hostages and go through the EXIT to clear a STAGE. Rescuing certain hostages will give you POWER UP! to your attacks. You can ATTACK the enemies with an unlimited number of Shurikens (distant enemy; NORMAL Mode only. See P10 Options for details), or with a quick sword attack, when close to an opponent. NINJUTSU will destroy all the enemies on-screen and can damage the ROUND Bosses. However, it can only be used once per STAGE, and the type of NINJUTSU is predetermined.

You can send your dog after a nearby enemy to hold his movement and prevent him from attacking. However, if the enemy blocks your dog’s attack Yamato will be hurt. When hurt, he will turn into a puppy and cannot be used until he returns to his normal form, after a certain amount of time.

There are a number of Lives hidden throughout the STAGES that can be found by attacking the spot in which they are concealed. Hidden Lives can also be revealed by using NINJUTSU.