The game takes place during the Battle of Thermopylae. The player controls Leonidas, king of Spartans, who runs through the passage, killing the Persians running his way with his spear and sword, while other Spartans can be seen fighting in the background. The player has a number of moves available: three types of melee attack, the ability to block, and to throw his spear or sword and change to the other weapon (this can be done once per minute.) It's also possible to fly into a berserk rage, which makes the game slow-motion and makes it easier to fight, but can only be done three times. Killing Persians gives the player score ("glory"), and bonus score can be gained by killing several Persians in a row, or achieving multiple kills without receiving damage. King Leonidas has a limited health bar, depleted by attacks from the Persians, and dies once the bar is empty. The objective is simply to achieve as much "glory" as possible.