[5][6] The core gameplay follows the classic Japanese role-playing game format (particularly Dragon Quest)[1] with turn-based battles, random encounters, and explorable towns and dungeons.

The focus of NEStalgia is a cooperative party system in which players join up to battle monsters and complete quests together.

[12][13] NEStalgia was in development for two years, which included an 11-month public beta period.

Notable changes include improved framerate, graphical and interface upgrades, and a "companion" system that allows solo players to recruit and fight alongside most monsters in the game.

[14][15] Although NEStalgia was developed and powered using BYOND, it became downloadable as a standalone game in June 2012.