The single-player, side-scrolling action game takes the player through various levels, each with a circus theme, fighting various enemies and bosses until he finally defeats the ringmaster and save his sister. The player start out in the game with little life and few weapons, but he can collect various icons to increase how many direct hits that he can withstand, keys to open doors, along with various circus items to shoot as projectiles.
Many of the levels can be avoided altogether by just walking backwards and back through the curtain from where the player begins. This will take him right to that level's boss battle.
Bonus levels include such fun things as guiding a bear to jump over flames, avoiding boulders in a car, using Rodan as target practice and meeting Godzilla at the circus grounds.