The land is under the cruel control of three evil demonic dragons, who descended on a kingdom to bring darkness and destruction.

From the ruins emerged a barbarian hero, who seeks to slay the dragons and restore the kingdom to its former glory.

Though the wise man rewards often consist of self-evident "advice", most come in the form of "Zenny coins", currency that allows the player to buy various items, such as an upgrade to their weapons and armour, keys for treasure chests, and anti-poisoning potions.

The player's vitality bar will also increase up to four times as a reward for reaching score benchmarks.

The Japanese version has a few changes that makes it more challenging than its American counterpart: Black Tiger was planned for released around October 1986, but programming placement difficulties delayed it.