Players explore the underground from a top-down perspective, moving through towns, dungeons, and scripted events to advance the story. Battles use a turn-based command system where you can attack, act, use items, or choose mercy; during enemy turns, a heart-shaped soul must dodge bullet-hell style attacks. Many encounters can be resolved peacefully through dialogue or specific actions, and routes and endings shift according to the player's choices.

Learn enemy attack patterns before committing to offense or mercy choices. Many common encounters can be cleared without fighting by using dialogue, compliments, waiting, or meeting specific conditions, and avoiding unnecessary battles has a major effect on the route and ending. During combat, pay close attention to attack cues and keep movement controlled, especially against multi-phase patterns. Save often so you can revisit areas and experiment with different choices.