You play Miette, a character from the movie. The graphics are the style of 3D characters over rendered backgrounds. You travel through the streets at the whim of Pieuvre, the siamese twins who are your schoolmistresses. You do small robberies for them, but soon a larger plot emerges. Mysterious men called Cyclopses are kidnapping children to steal their dreams. You must determine what is truly happening in this adventure game.
The City of Lost Children provides examples of the following tropes:
- A Day in the Limelight: Miette was a supporting character in the film but was made playable for the game adaptation.
- Informing the Fourth Wall: Miette says, "I can't do that!" if you keep clicking in the wrong places in the video game adaptation. And it could happen a lot too.
- Not Even Bothering with the Accent: Miette speaks with a British Accent in the videogame adaptation, despite the fact that her character is French in the original film.
- Notice This: When Miette walks by something she can take, a window pops up in the corner of the screen showing it rotating.
- Sprite/Polygon Mix: The characters were all polygonal creations acting on a bitmap background, similar to Resident Evil.
- Tank Controls: As a consequence of the above, coupled with the game predating the Dual Shock controller with its analog sticks.
- Would Hurt a Child: Miette's youth never stops anyone she meets from trying to hurt her.
