The player controls a yellow armadillo with a hat. Before each level, the player gets to move around on a board game-type screen. There are a lot of small squares, and the player can move on them one at a time. There are also some larger squares with pictures on them, and if the player is on them, he can choose to begin an action stage, which has to be cleared before the player can pass it. There is also another character moving around on the board, and if the player is on the same space as him, he can choose to be sent into a boss battle, which has to be cleared to move onto the next world.

The stages themselves play like a platformer. The player can walk around and jump, and he can also roll into a ball. The player is able to move around when in a ball as usual. While control in this form can be a little difficult, it is the only way to get rid of enemies, for the player will die when touching them in regular form. Also, the player has ony one jump height in standard form, but he can bounce higher in ball form by holding the jump button.

Armadillo was a rather unpopular game, and had no sequels or ports. It was also planned to be released in North America, but for some reason, this never happened, leaving the game restricted to Japan. However, the player's rolling attack is similar to that of Sonic the Hedgehog, while the two are otherwise completely different.