In game's opening custcene, Piggy is kidnapped by the evil Glorp, setting Lucky out on a quest to save his friend.

Lucky's Tale focuses on 3D platforming, with the player completing linear levels set in themed worlds.

Each stage has three separate objectives: to reach the end of the level, to complete a time trial, and to find all the hidden coins scattered throughout.

[7] IGN disliked how the game forced players to replay levels in order to progress, calling it, "blatantly repetitive padding".

[6] GameSpot wrote that the game felt formulaic and struggled to hold the player's interest over its five-hour runtime, "Coupled with its benign art style, the simple design of Lucky's Tale makes it feel like a safe, calculated effort, rather than a creative achievement".