This is a side-scrolling action-adventure game in which players assume the role of a man (Shank) on a quest for revenge against an evil villain. Players use hand guns, shotguns, grenades, and a variety of melee-style weapons (knives, chainsaws, machete, etc.) to kill thugs and bosses. Stabbing, slashing, and shooting enemies results in large sprays of red blood; blood often stains the walls and it pools on the ground. Despite the "cartoony" and cell-shaded graphics, the game includes depictions of over-the-top violence: a boss character is decapitated and its head remains on screen for a few seconds; players can lunge at enemies in slow motion and propel them into the air with a chainsaw; players can shove a grenade in a character's mouth before blowing them away with a gunshot. During the course of the game, some cutscenes depict female strippers with bouncing breasts and exposed buttocks. In one scene, a screaming female stripper is forcibly held down and overpowered by a man (e.g., "Denny likes it when you fight back, b*tch . . . Denny knows you want it. No one can help you."). Dialogue also contains phrases such as "Remember, no glove, no love" and the words "f**k," "sh*t," and "a*shole."
