In The Life of Franklin Fungi, a player assumes the role of Franklin, a fatherly mushroom, who has had his children abducted by dastardly creatures. While traversing the world, Franklin progresses through the game in a side-scrolling autorunner fashion.Upon encountering an enemy, the mode of gameplay switches to interactive pseudo-turn-based combat. Everything from platforming to combat depends upon the player's ability to time jumps and attacks precisely, with penalties for failing to do so.