The object of the game is for Popeye the Sailor to collect a certain number of items dropped by Olive Oyl, depending on the level—24 hearts, 16 musical notes, or 24 letters in the word "HELP"—while avoiding the Sea Hag, Brutus, and other dangers.

He loses a life when hit by Brutus or any flying object, or if he fails to collect a dropped item within a certain time after it reaches the bottom of the screen.

On the first screen of each cycle, Popeye can hit a punching bag to knock a bucket off a hook; if it falls on Brutus's head, he becomes stunned for several seconds and the player earns a score bonus.

[10] Nintendo managed to acquire the license to the Popeye characters after the success of Donkey Kong, allowing them to develop a game based on them.

"[14] Michael Pugliese writing for The Coin Slot described Popeye as "a visually stimulating and exciting game that will go well in any location [...] it contains all the challenges and character appeal to make it a solid earner for a long time.

[16] Antic wrote that the Atari 8-bit version "is a thoroughly entertaining challenge for gamers of all ages" and that its mechanics unique among climbing games gave it above-average replay value.

The gameplay is largely the same, plus an enhanced mode with a bonus stage and an extra level that pays homage to the short A Dream Walking where Popeye must save Olive from sleepwalking.

Ben Falls earned the world record score of 3,023,060 on December 20, 2011, according to the Twin Galaxies International Scoreboard.