The game was released in 1985 as a side-scrollingaction game with a mixture of beat 'em up and platform gameplay. Flashgal has a horizontal orientation with a standard resolution. It also is a color game. It allows a multiplayer of two players to play at once. It includes an 8 way joystick. The sound is amplified mono with one channel. It stands upright and vertical for the cabinet style. Flashgal is controlled by the player who controls when she kicks, punches, and jumps to move through the various levels.[5][2]
According to Retro Gamer, the game is a superhero beat 'em up that "takes a lot of its inspiration from" Kung-Fu Master (1984).[3] It is a single-plane brawler that distinguishes its gameplay with the use of auto-scrolling. It also has a female protagonist, who bears a resemblance to superheroines such as Wonder Woman and Elektra.[3][2] She also resembles Blaze Fielding from Sega's Streets of Rage series. Coincidentally, this game also features a crime boss with firearms, jetpackers, ninjas, and a motorcycle level that was cut from the third game due to time constraints.