Mother RPG features many traditional RPG elements; the player controls a party of characters who travel through the game's two-dimensional world that is composed of villages, cities, and dungeons.

Along the way, battles are fought against enemies, after which, the party receives experience points for victories. If enough experience points are acquired, a character's level will increase. This increases the character's attributes, like strength, defense, and health.

Instead, the world is entirely seamless, with no differentiation between towns and the outside world. Another non-traditional element is the perspective used for the world. The game uses oblique top down projection, just like a retro RPG.