[2] A corrupt business magnate called Mister Greede has been withholding food and other necessities from the people of Segaville.

[5][6] As bread, meat, medical supplies, Game Gears, and other objects travel on conveyor belts, a queue of people in need wait outside a fence at the bottom of the screen.

In some levels, Gorby (in the original Japanese) or the unnamed blond-haired boy (in all other versions) steps on a switch to rotate a conveyor belt junction; in other levels, Gorby or the boy rearranges conduits to make or break links between conveyor belts.

To give each person what they are waiting for, Gorby or the boy must step on switches or place conduits quickly enough to route the goods on the network of conveyor belts—while also fending off the factory's security guards.

Once Gorby or the boy has delivered the required item to each person in the queue, he advances to a more challenging game level.