Players control one of four playable characters and attempt to escape the monster-infested locale, defeating various forms of zombies and other monsters and boss creatures in order to progress through the game. There are five chapters in Monster Madness: Suburban Nightmare, Shopping Maul, High School Hell, Cemetery Scary, and Evil Castle. Each chapter contains 3 to 5 stages.
Each character is armed with unique weapons and special moves. Zack is the nerd character; his special weapons are ax-type weapons. Andy is a surfer who wields random objects such as toilet plungers; his special move allows him to spin on his weapon and kick enemies. Carrie is a goth girl who favors swords; her special move causes her to dash forward, repeatedly slashing with her weapon. Jennifer is a stuck-up cheerleader who wields dual batons; her special move involves her spinning around and creating a tornado.