[3] It runs on Namco System 86 hardware and is the sequel to The Tower of Druaga, which was released two years earlier.

It is the second game in the company's Babylonian Castle Saga series, and was later ported to the MSX, NEC PC-8801, FM-7, and Sharp X68000 platforms.

As an easter egg, the game's designer, Masanobu Endō, appears unconscious at his desk in the "Dead End" room.

Ki can use the Blue Crystal Rod spell on him to wake him up; he will then proceed to warp her and Gilgamesh to the "Calvary Prison" room.

[5] Reviewing Namco Museum Volume 4, Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot described The Return of Ishtar as weird and boring.