Based on the acclaimed comic book series from Dark Horse Comics, the game lets players unleash Hellboy's supernatural strength as they smash, crush and demolish their way through over six unique locations that boast fully destructible environments as they attempt to thwart an evil supernatural plot.

Drawing players into the vibrant and detailed world created by comic book legend Mike Mignola, Hellboy lets players step into the muscle bound frame of Hellboy, a hulking crimson-skinned warrior of supernatural creation. On the trail of a crazed witch, Hellboy uncovers a fiendish plot for world domination and must rush to defeat the crazed Hermann von Klempt before he can exert his evil will on a hapless world.

Hellboy offers players a visceral tactical brawling experience, letting them unleash the hero's Right Hand of Doom on wave after wave of enemies. Using a detailed context-sensitive fighting system, players can choose to charge up Hellboy's strikes for added power or use his speed and agility to unleash a rapid fire combination of blows on opponents. They can also grapple with enemies, attacking them from close or even using them as weapons to keep other attackers at bay.

Boasting detailed and expansive environments with advanced lighting and texturing techniques, the levels in Hellboy are also highly destructible, adding another level of strategy to the game's bare knuckled action while bringing the character's untamed power to life. When confronted with a large group of enemies, players can choose to smash a wall to create smaller, more manageable groups and even pick up the rubble to use as a weapon. Hellboy also lets players experience the game co-operatively with two players taking on the roles of characters from the Hellboy universe such as Abe Sapien and Liz Sherman.