The game is based on the anime series Saint Seiya and follows the adventures of its main hero who bears the same name, although he is also known as the Bronze Saint Pegasus. Set in a modern world, and nevertheless being based on Greek mythology with some other influences (such as Scandinavian mythology), the animé and the game tell about three rivaling group of warriors (Saints): Bronze Saints, Silver Saints, and Gold Saints. The Gold Saints are the most powerful ones, but the hero Seiya is a Bronze Saint, and fights together with his comrades to protect the goddess Athena. Your first quest as Seiya will be to obtain the magic Pegasus Cloth and to bring your friends to a tournament before your rivals steel the valuable Sagittarius Cloth.

The Knights of the Zodiac: The Legend of the Gold (Saint Seiya: Ougon Densetsu) is a mixture of side-scrolling action, fighting, and RPG. You travel through side-view levels, sometimes facing enemies and fighting them arcade style, jumping and punching. Boss battles are turn-based, but resemble fighting game battles: you have punching and kicking moves, and have to spend your special energy, called "cosmo", to perform them. When the enemy attack, you can choose between defending and avoiding the blows (which, naturally, doesn't always work).