In both versions of the game, the player controls a monkey named Spanky, who has to go through several towers which each contain several rooms serving as the game's levels. In the Game Boy version, the player has to defeat all of the enemies in a room to complete the level; in the SNES version, the player has to collect enough keys to open the exit door and beat the level, with defeating all of the enemies in the room being optional.
This game provides examples of:
- Anthropomorphic Food: Most of the enemies that Spanky has to contend with are anthropomorphic fruits.
- Boss Rush: The final areas of both versions have the player go through all of the previous bosses one by one before facing the final boss.
- Excuse Plot: The SNES version adds a plot where Spanky is captured by Morticia the witch and has to escape.
- Human Cannonball: In the SNES version, both player and enemy characters can shoot themselves out of cannons, but neither exactly qualifies as human.
- Improbable Weapon User: Spanky uses various sports balls as weapons. He can spawn bubbles that he can make bigger by hitting them with his head, and when these bubbles pop they release the sports balls which can then hit enemies.
- Reformulated Game: Of the "concurrently developed" type. The Game Boy and SNES versions were developed by two completely different teams, and have almost entirely different approaches to level design and bonus items. The SNES version requires the player to collect Interchangeable Antimatter Keys, whereas the Game Boy version has neither keys nor doors. It's little wonder that the two versions were released under different titles in Japan.
