The Old Imperial City is a map in the style of a traditional Chinese village. It is a static, two-dimensional (2D) world that can be explored by the player.

In the Old Imperial City, time stands still, and the players' actions have no effect on the world. There is no combat, and the only way to progress is to find the secret entrances to the different buildings.

A player can interact with the environment in the game. He can pick up items from the ground, interact with the different buildings and objects, and use them to get to the next location.