Players control the Crude Busters by jumping, dodging and attacking their way through legions of enemies. Because the main characters are muscle-bound brawlers, they have the ability to pick up objects well beyond their own weight (e.g. cars and traffic lights) to use as weapons. They can do the same to most enemies as well. While playing co-op, it is also possible for one player to pick up the other to use as a projectile.

Each player has a life bar, which decreases each time they're hit. Some enemies can grab onto the players and drain their life. A player loses a life when his life bar reaches zero. If the hit that finishes a player is an explosion or flame, he slumps to the ground burnt. The life bar can be fully refilled between stages, with a cut scene showing the player(s) punching a "Power Cola" vending machine causing sodas to fall out which they drink, those vending machines also featured in most stages as replenishment points.