Barbie in The 12 Dancing Princesses

The gameplay involves 2D side-scrolling platforming, where Genevieve needs to jump and avoid enemies. Initially, the game is quite basic, but as she frees the princesses, six abilities are unlocked, such as a butterfly net, magic stilts, ribbons, a mallet, a book that serves as an extra platform, and increased running speed. The Game Boy Advance version stores these abilities in the lower screen, which can be activated by tapping them, changing Genevieve's dress colour.

The game introduces more challenging environment-based puzzles as Genevieve progresses, such as navigating through parallel planes. The player has three hearts representing health and must face boss fights. There are also several mini-games, including a platform challenge with Genevieve's cat Twyla, butterfly catching, ribbon racing, and a time trial run.

The game features two difficulty levels, with unlocked mini-games accessible from the main menu. The Game Boy Advance version also includes a password function to continue playing. In some cases, the player must blow into the microphone to extinguish fires.