Xena: Warrior Princess is played from a third-person perspective and consists of linear hack and slash and action gameplay, with some platform-jumping and puzzle-solving sections. The game's story involves the evil sorceress Kalabrax, who escapes after centuries of imprisonment and plots revenge against the world, and against the gods who imprisoned her. She must sacrifice a queen for her spell to gain maximum power. With help from her allies, Kalabrax captures Gabrielle, the Queen of the Amazons. Xena, the warrior princess, embarks on a journey to rescue Gabrielle, while facing various villains along the way. The player controls Xena, who must defeat all enemies and complete tasks to proceed through each level of the game. Xena can carry out numerous attacks through a combination of button commands performed by the player. If the attack is executed successfully, Xena lets out her signature warrior scream. Xena can run, jump, kick, slash, and block enemy attacks, as well as perform groin kicks and cartwheels. The player can also use power-ups found throughout the game. Power-ups can replenish the player's health, as well as provide armor upgrades or additional attack abilities. The player can also use Xena's chakram, a weapon featured on the television series. The chakram can be used against enemies, as well as cutting chains and flipping switches. Optionally, the player can also steer the chakram while it is in mid-air, for a better chance of hitting a target. Xena can also use a sword. Both weapons can be upgraded by collecting power-ups. The player can only attack one enemy at a time, and is defenseless against nearby enemies while the chakram is in use. The game features 21 levels. Early levels, and some of the later levels, include tasks in which Xena must rescue hostages by using a long-distance attack against the enemies. If the player merely beats up an enemy rather than kill it, karma is added to Xena's karma meter. When the karma meter becomes full, the player receives temporary invincibility. Defeating boss enemies typically requires the player to perform certain actions, as Xena's weapons do not have any effect on some of them. Scrolls found on various levels provide the player with hints, such as information on how to defeat boss enemies.