In Crazy Climber the player assumes the role of a stunt performer who is attempting to climb to the top of four skyscrapers. There are a number of obstacles and dangers to avoid. The control system is an odd one for this game. Most video games require the use of only one controller to play. Crazy Climber is a bit different. You could imagine the system like that presented in The Adventures of Cookie and Cream for the PlayStation 2.

In Crazy Climber, you need to use two NES controllers at once, even in one-player mode. It is preferred to have them connected with the special bridging attachment that is supposed to be included with the game, though it doesn't seem to be a requirement. You will then proceed to rotate the controllers ninety degrees clockwise so that the D-Pad is at the top. From there, you have the general idea of the control system in this game, which was obviously a blatant attempt to emulate the system in the arcade game. You use alternating combinations of Down and Up on the D-Pads of both controllers to go up, and, since each controller only controls one arm, you can set up a rhythm to go faster.

You also need to use the D-Pad to go left and right along the building. However, you need to mash them simultaneously and hold them to move properly. It often doesn't work as desired, but that can usually be ignored due to the relative lack of necessary in dangerous situations.