Gameplay involves getting Rover out repeatedly in a set of increasingly difficult levels, by moving objects around in a grid to open up a path to get to the dog and then bring it back out.

There are various items which Roger can push around in the world: crates (which float on water), mirror blocks (which reflect lasers at an angle), star pearls and anti-gravity carts.

Rescue Rover had its programming origins in an aborted Super Mario Bros. 3 port that id proposed to Nintendo six months earlier in 1990.

Though Nintendo declined, the advances that it made in that demo aided development of their later projects, including Commander Keen and Dangerous Dave in the Haunted Mansion.

[4] Travis Fahs of IGN wrote that despite the title was less impressive compared to other id's games, Rover had a cult following with the gamers, a factor which led to creation of a sequel.