Unlike other soccer simulators, Tecmo Cup Football Game plays more like a role-playing game. The player runs around the field normally, but when he comes into contact with an opposing team member, a turn-based 'battle' is initiated.
The battle system follows the traditional RPG battle system where the party trades blows with opponents in simple turn-based fashion, the player selecting all commands for the following round of combat and then watching the results, such as in the ..
It features all 28 MLB teams that existed at the time. However, the only license the game has is the MLBPA license. This means that while the game does feature actual players, there are no team names or logos.
It is an American football video game which was one of the first sports video games that used the names and attributes of real National Football League teams and players.