The Legend of the Lost Temple is a platformer that takes place in the rain forest of Peru where an ancient tribe has lived in peace for thousands of year until a group of archaeologists stumbles upon it. The visitors carry a virus that the natives have no immunity to and soon everyone but the young and strong members of the community falls ill. The player takes control of one such young man, Kanu, who sets out to find a temple located deep within a mountain. It is believed that entombed in the temple is an elixir that can save the natives. It is the player's task to find this elixir. Like in other platformers the game involves moving left and right and jumping between platforms while combating a large amount of different creatures (bees, eagles, green men etc.) that stand in the player's way. To kill the enemies Kanu has an unlimited supply of axes (similar to Wonder Boy and Adventure Island) that can be thrown. Other weapons can be acquired by picking up green or blue shields. The green shield gives a mace while the blue shield gives a bolt of magic. Other collectibles include gems that give bonus points and various potions that give increased abilities such as higher jumps, temporary invulnerability, increases fire rate, freeze monsters and provide extra lives. When starting out Kanu has four lives and a limited amount of life blood. Life blood is drained when contact with enemies are made and when it is all gone a life is lost.