Metal Dungeon is a role-playing game taking place in a future where technology and magic coexist. As leader of an elite squad of cybernetic soldiers, players must infiltrate a ten-level dungeon to eradicate a biomechanical group of hostile life forms threatening the planet's survival. A mix of real-time and turn-based combat has players selecting orders from a list of menus while the dynamic camera pans and zooms in on characters from a third-person perspective. Weapons used in combat include various types of guns, knuckles, swords, rods, and hammers. Items such as pendants can also be found and worn to ward off conditions such as paralysis, confusion, and poison. Between levels, players can visit military facilities to upgrade each character's mechanical parts, sell items for cash, go on hunting expeditions on behalf of laboratory scientists, and compete in mock battles to earn bonus items. Before going on the mission, players must first create their party of cyborgs from the base camp screen. After choosing a gender for each character, players can decide on five different occupations, 12 face types, and four outfit styles. Occupations influence the character's skills in certain abilities and the types of weapons he or she can use, with the available careers being Fencer, Striker, Broader, Caster, and Analyzer. Ability points in various areas can be earned after engaging in combat.