Shark Tale is inspired by the movie of the same name and follows the adventures of Oscar, a blue-streaked cleaner wrasse fish. Oscar seems to have got himself into a bit of trouble as he needs to earn money to pay off a loan shark.

The game consists of over 25 chapters with each chapter having three missions to perform. The three missions are broken into a regular one, a bonus one, and an elite one. Completing missions earn Oscar fame points which affect his fame rating. Also, depending on how well Oscar performs missions will determine how much money he earns to pay off his debt. Missions are varied including things like escaping a shark, erasing graffiti, and a dancing segment.