Set in the future on an industrialized Earth, the player takes on the role of a resistance member piloting a robot to overthrow the military dictatorship of the Iron Fist Corporation.

Atari contacted Eclipse Software about making games for the Jaguar; lead designer Marc Rosocha asked for a suggestion and met with producer Sean Patten, who told him to make a mech game based on a script he wrote due to his fascination with mechs and Godzilla, serving as basis for Iron Soldier.

Iron Soldier received generally favorable reception from critics, with praise for the polygonal visuals, audio department, destructible environment, and gameplay, but most had mixed opinions regarding the controls.

[2][4][5] The player has to fulfill mission objectives ranging from destroying specific targets, engaging enemy Iron Soldiers, defending resistance bases, or escorting convoys.

[2][4][7] Initially, only the robot's fist manipulator and a semi-automatic assault rifle are available, but the player can expand the arsenal by successfully completing several missions.

These include hand grenades, a chainsaw, a gatling gun, a rocket launcher, a railgun, a defense shield, and cruise missiles.

[4][7][11] The cockpit of the IS displays several features such as a diagram of the robot indicating how much ammo is left in the currently selected weapon, a radar, and an energy bar.

[7][8] The player can also activate an advanced control method that decouples the robot's direction of movement from its head orientation and allows looking without changing course.

[3][20][21] The in-game soundtrack was scored by Joachim Gierveld and Mario Knezović, while the title music was composed by Nathan "Nate" Brenholdt of Atari.

[51] GameFan's Dave Halverson and Nicholas Dean Des Barres, while criticizing the lack of texture mapping, said the polygonal visuals had considerable impact.

[52] GamesMaster's Les Ellis lauded the game's detailed polygon graphics, soundscapes, near-perfect gameplay, and fully destructible environment.

[2] Game Zero Magazine's Bryan Carter labelled it the best mech simulator for a home console and praised its play controls, story, and smooth graphics, but noted the lack of texture mapping.

[53] Ultimate Future Games called Iron Soldier a minor masterpiece, citing its engaging gameplay and impressive graphics, but found it slow at times.

[40] Atari World's Iain Laskey praised the game's visuals for its sense of three-dimensionality, soundscapes, and fun gameplay, but criticized the lack of additional missions.

[39] Computer and Video Games' Gary Lord and Mark Patterson found it passable but unimpressive compared to Metal Head in terms of gameplay and visuals.

[44] Electronic Gaming Monthly's Mike Weigand said the controls were difficult to get used to, but praised the polygon visuals and the ability to choose which stage to play.

[54] VideoGames' Jim Loftus initially found the game irritating due to the controls, but noted that changing the settings made it enjoyable and commended its audiovisual presentation.

[56][57][58][59] The Atari Times' Gregory D. George praised the game's colorful graphics, smooth frame rate, soundscapes, and addictive gameplay.

[6][66][67][68] In 2009, former Eclipse staff member Daniel "Dan" Hericks showed off a puzzle game project based on the Iron Soldier series for Atari Lynx at E-JagFest, an event dedicated to the Jaguar scene.