Temple of Yog starts with a tutorial level, playing as 'Ao the Original', that explains the basic movement, defense and shooting controls of the game and earns the Compass item. Players can use shadow power to teleport between the game's light and shadow realms, which are displayed on the television and the display on the Wii U GamePad, respectively. Players use this dual-screen technique to navigate through a labyrinth. Whichever realm the player character is not currently occupying is displayed on the GamePad, which allows for strategy in navigating the maze and engaging enemies. Many elements of the game are procedurally generated based on player data, such as the layout of the game's levels and item system.
