Hail to the Chimp is a political satire/party game where animals demand a new king after the King Lion disappears. The election becomes stuck, and the lowest form of animals, Clams, decide who will be the next president. Each candidate must compete in party boards like ships, volcanoes, and snowy tundras to get the Clam vote and score points.
The gameplay consists of competing on themed party boards, collecting clams to raise your vote count while avoiding obstacles and attacks from rival opponents. The results are shown in a news-themed stats screen with animal newscasters like Woodchuck Chumley presenting the stats. You can form alliances and recruit rivals to help you, but they might turn against you later.
There are ten animals to choose from in multiplayer mode, competing against three other players or four CPU opponents in single-player Campaign mode. In Campaign mode, you compete in ten stages, each themed around a different animal, completing events tailored to that character.