Hopeless is a side view scrolling game with platform elements where the screen moves when you move your hero, Al 'Dutch Meat' Bluntz, as you try to rescue your girl, Jane from the clutches of the most wanted person in the Galaxy, the Manic Munk. The Munk has taken her to his lair in the heart of the Solar System, Milton Keynes, and after 'borrowing' the latest Space Shuttle, you have arrived at the lair ready to attempt your rescue. The only way to get Jane is to destroy the Munk but he is protected by fourteen gates that protect the nerve centre of the lair which are controlled by hearts. To deactivate the gates, the hearts have to be turned off by various terminals scattered around the vast lair one by one. Once the nerve centre is open to enter, you can face the Manic Munk, get Jane and live happily ever after. As you walk along platforms and use ladders to explore the lair, you also have a Jet-Pack which allows you to fly around the lair and open space but there are also gates blocking routes and so terminals have to be found also to turn these on and off. Using the Jet-Pack uses up fuel which is shown by a meter which decreases when it is in use. Many creatures move around the lair and these have to be avoided or destroyed because if you touch one then you lose part of your strength and energy meters and if these reach zero then it is game over. You are armed with a defence shield or a laser but these use up either energy or fuel, but you can also use a karate chop which doesn't decrease anything. Icons show which weapon you are using and there are also icons showing the status of the game. Below the playing area with your icons and meters, you also have a compass which shows the direction the joystick is being used and four dots with one turning blue showing you the direction of the nearest heart terminal. Other terminals can be found and these can increase your energy, strength and fuel meters as well as show a map showing a small part of the lair which can be scrolled to look around. You can also transport to other parts of the lair as well.