Zone of the Enders is a hack and slash and third-person shooter game in which the player takes follows Leo Steanbuck, a child who becomes the pilot of the advanced mecha, or Frame, known as Jehuty. Jehuty is capable of three-dimensional movement, flying, and hovering. Leo uses Jehuty to traverse across different areas of a space colony orbiting Jupiter while attacking rogue Orbital Frames using its advanced weaponry. In some stages of the story, there is also the objective of minimizing damage to nearby buildings and civilians, encouraging more strategic combat. Players are given ranked depending on how many buildings and civilians were destroyed or spared. This grading affects the ending sequence outcome. Additionally, the player is given options to first take different areas where to fight in order to avoid linearity.