It debuted as an arcade game[4] with trackball controls, and was ported to home systems.

[6][7] The player controls and defends a territory consisting of a wall surrounding a set of castles and cannons.

In the building phase, the player attempts to repair the damage from combat and expand their territory.

Combat ends when the user sinks a certain number of ships, or in two-player, after a set time.

When the tile placement phase time ends, any castle or cannon that is completely enclosed by a continual wall is added to the player's territory.

Cannons can be destroyed, bonus squares give extra points when captured, and when there are no grunts or craters.

The Japanese Famicom version, which was released by Konami, includes 7 training levels, 3 difficulty settings, and an extensive two-player mode.

[12] In Japan, Game Machine listed Rampart in the June 1, 1991, issue as the seventh most-successful table arcade unit of the month.

Gameplay similarities include defending a territory by erecting defensive structures, and making repairs between multiple rounds of attacks.