This is a first-person shooter in which players assume the role of Jackie Estacado, a mafia boss possessed by a supernatural force called the Darkness. Players use pistols, assault rifles, shotguns, swords, and axes to kill human enemies and demonic creatures; the frenetic battles are highlighted by realistic gunfire, explosions, screams of pain, and large splashes of blood that stain the surrounding environment. Players can also use snake-like Demon Arms (attached to Jackie's body) to impale enemies, collect human hearts, and perform “execution” moves. These executions depict several “over-the-top” instances of violence: tearing enemies' limbs/heads from bodies; slicing characters in half; removing characters' spines. In some sequences, players have the ability to attack and kill bystanders or unarmed adversaries. During the course of the game, players can enter a brothel and walk through its halls. A few instances of sexual activity can be observed in the brothel: a woman performing fellatio on a man (e.g., camera depicts the woman's head moving up and down); a man pushing up against a woman's posterior as she is bent over—sexual moaning and slapping sounds can be heard, though nudity and close-up depictions of these sex acts are never shown. The dialogue occasionally references drugs (e.g., “[H]e was too busy snortin' coke off a hooker's a*s.”) and includes the words “f**k,”“sh*t,”“c*nt,” and “a*shole.”