[5] Each of the medallions represented powers of an ancestor whom Neutopia's nemesis, the evil demon Dirth, turned to stone but whose spirit remains.

[2][13] Neutopia is an action adventure game which features a top-down perspective and labyrinthine exploration similar to that of The Legend of Zelda.

[16] Jazeta's life meter, the weapons he is currently holding, and the amount of gold and bombs remaining are displayed during gameplay on the top of the screen.

[17] Throughout the game, players can collect information from other non-player characters, many of whom are located in caves throughout the overworld, in which some can be uncovered only by burning objects with fire, blowing up walls with bombs, or by pushing certain rocks.

The "fire rod" unleashes fireballs whose strength and range depend on Jazeta's health level;[14] Other items include the "moonbeam moss" which can illuminate dark rooms; the "rainbow drop" which allows Jazeta to cross small gaps;[19] "falcon shoes" which give him extra speed; medicine which refills his life meter; magic rings which can transform tough enemies into weaker ones; hourglasses which temporarily stop enemies; and wings which can warp him back to the place where he last received a password.

[21] Jazeta has a life meter, which increases by one unit every time the player collects a medallion or finds a monk throughout the spheres;[22] it decreases whenever he gets hit, and the game ends when it runs out.

[23] Neutopia was developed by Hudson Soft and was released on November 17, 1989 in Japan for the PC Engine[24] and in 1990 in North America for NEC's TurboGrafx-16 console.

They said that the graphics, music, and gameplay were good, and that the only thing that kept Neutopia from being superior to Zelda was the 24-character password system and that the text was in Japanese.

He said that gameplay and backgrounds remain varied and that "the fire rod weapon is especially fun to wield", but noted that the things that keep the game from being better than Zelda were repetitive and frustrating dungeon exploring, boring boss battles, long passwords (for those who do not own a TurboGrafx-CD), and several "head-scratching moments" which include references to Judaism and Islam as well as quotes from Star Wars.

[37] Marcel van Duyn from Nintendo Life noted many similarities to Zelda, including the existence of 8 dungeons and medallions, the need to blow up walls or burn bushes to uncover secrets, the dungeon designs, and the need to push blocks to uncover staircases, but also said that what sets it apart from Zelda are the fire rod, the ability to warp with wings, and a lower difficulty level.

[38] GameSpot's Austin Shau reviewed Neutopia in November 2007 and said progression through the game was "quick and direct" but was also more linear, unlike with Zelda.

He praised one of the differences in the presence of the fire rod, which he said "is unlike any weapon the 8-bit Link ever wielded"; he also noted the clean, crisp graphics and a good quality soundtrack.