Voodoo Nightmare is an isometric action game with puzzle elements. The game world consists of a jungle and five temples which have to be cleared. To do so, Boots need to travel inside the temples, collect all diamonds and offer them to the temple god. In return he receives a magic ability for this voodoo doll which allows him to proceed somewhere else in the jungle. Some of those diamonds are hidden and need to be found by killing the correct enemy or by performing actions, e.g. jumping puzzles or sliding blocks correctly. Fruit and additional jewels act as currency and can be reinvested inside the jungle shops which have useful items in stock, e.g. weapons, dynamite or maps. If Boots feels lucky, he can also visit casinos.

Boots Barker does not have a good day. His wife and his best friend cheated on him and during a balloon trip over Africa, they leave him there to die. And he probably will because a medicine man forced him to wear a voodoo mask which prevents him permanently to leave the jungle. To get rid of the thing, he needs to find this medicine man.