Hero Boy is a 2D beat-em-up/horror game set inside the notebook of Max, an 8 year old boy chronicling a zombie outbreak. Max, a daydreamer who struggles with bullies in school and has difficulty making friends, is thrust into the middle of the outbreak. As Max witnesses the world crumbling around him, his usually fun doodles become more twisted. You must fight through hordes of enemies...imaginary and real...in order to survive.

Hero Boy is a beat-em-up in the vein of Golden Axe and Double Dragon. Using combos will let you do moves that deal more damage along with other effects like increased knockback and stuns. As you defeat more enemies, your charge meter will fill up. Once it's filled, you'll be able to use your special move. You unlock new special moves as the game progresses that grant different benefits. The game has a wide variety of enemies to fight who will make use of a combination of melee, ranged, or area of effect attacks. You'll be fighting these enemies in different combinations as you progress.