Glory of Heracles incorporates a turn-based battle system. During battle, the player's party and the opponents are positioned on a five column, two row grid. The front row allows characters to perform powerful melee attacks, while the back row is for ranged attacks, which can be either bows or magic spells. The order of attack is generally determined by the Agility of each character, but the order can be changed with certain spells or effects. The main feature of the battle system is the ability to power up offensive spells and skills by completing a small puzzle by inputting commands on the touch screen. The player can learn new skills and magic by visiting temples or Prometheus statues, respectively. Equipment will also provide the player's party with more abilities.
Ether is the source of magic in the game. Every spell adds or subtracts a set amount of Ether. There are five different elements of Ether in the game, known as Fire, Wind, Earth, Ice, and Dark. Any spell using Dark Ether will restore elemental ether, and vice versa. Ether restores after every turn of combat, and at the end of battles. If there is insufficient Ether for the spell, the difference is subtracted from the character's HP - this is referred to as Ether Reflux.