Shank is a side scrolling beat 'em up with a comic book art style. In the game the player controls Shank, an ex-mob hitman. The game features three main types of weaponry, knives, heavy melee weapons such as a chainsaw and a pair of pistols. Each weapon is assigned to a controller button, and the attacks can be combined to perform various combos. The player can collect temporary-use weaponry from fallen enemies, such as machine guns and rifles, as well as grenades.