Akanbe Dragon can be seen as a forerunner to the company's long-running Super Robot Taisen franchise. On a one-screen playfield, you have a group of dinosaurs opposing a computer-controlled group of beasts. As in chess, you move your creatures around the board, each creature having different movement patterns and range; some move only diagonally, others move only short distances in the cardinal directions.

When two creatures end up on the same square, a fight commences. Unlike the Super Robot games, these fights are totally interactive action sequences seen from a side view. You must move your dragon to evade enemy fire and try to shoot down the opposition. Each creature has different stats such as speed, jumping height, strength and shot. Depending on the square the fight takes place on, the milieu changes, which can be both a hindrance and a boon for different units.

Akanbe Dragon comes with a level editor for creating your own scenarios, and a continue option is also available if you lose the scenario.