The gameplay in Ninja Gaiden III: Ancient Ship of Doom features fast-paced action and vertically-scrolling levels. You control Ryu Hayabusa as he navigates through a series of challenging levels, fighting enemies and collecting power-ups to extend his sword length and perform new attacks.
The US version of the game is reputed to be the hardest in the series, due to the extra damage incurred when hit, slightly shorter regular sword length, limited continues and more enemies. The Lynx port, being a relatively smaller screen console, has had its in-game picture compressed for better visibility on the Lynx.