Described by the developers as a modern version of Gauntlet, The Return of the King is a hack and slash action game. The game is very similar to its predecessor. Executive producer Neil Young described the levels as "both bigger and wider (at least two times the size of the largest Two Towers levels)... Two Towers had arenas and A-2-B levels. Return of the King has bigger versions of these, but the criteria to accomplish levels is often not simply just getting to the end or surviving long enough. They more often involve accomplishing objectives in an order of the player's choosing."