Sun Wukong must assist the Buddhist monk Xuanzang with his task of collecting some sūtras as they make the treacherous voyage from China to India. Other guardians can be asked to join the adventuring party after meeting up with them. Most of the storyline in this video game is based on the Chinese novel Journey to the West. Players can enter a code that allows them to return to any stage at any time.

A long time ago in China, a highly virtuous monk set out on a journey to Tenjiku to retrieve a sutra. Son Gokuu was told that he would be released from the stone prison if he accompanied the monk to Tenjiku. Son Gokuu was freed from his stone prison for the first time in 500 years and set out for Tenjiku with the monks.