The game uses a side-scrolling perspective across a sequence of urban, industrial, natural, and surreal stages. Joe must reach the end of each stage, defeat its boss, and rescue the kidnapped woman while managing health, ammunition, and ninjutsu.

Players can walk, crouch, jump, attack at close range, throw shuriken, and activate one of several ninja arts. Later stages introduce denser enemy placement, hazards, moving platforms, and bosses that require pattern recognition. The campaign is single-player and offers multiple difficulty levels.

Use shuriken to remove dangerous enemies before they enter melee range, but conserve ammunition for crowded sections and bosses. Crouching attacks are useful against low targets, while jumping attacks can safely approach many taller enemies.

Learn enemy spawn points and boss patterns instead of rushing. Save ninjutsu for situations where it prevents damage or clears a difficult group, and adjust the difficulty if you need more forgiving damage and enemy behavior.