"James Pond" is (obviously) a parody on the famous agent 007 stories. You control Pond, a fish-like creature, who has to complete several missions, while making his way through levels full of dangers and hostile creatures. It is not a typical "jump and run" game: instead of breezing through large levels, Pond has to complete unique missions for each game area: free hostages, detonate a structure, find keys, etc. It is possible to exit a level only after having completed the objective. Many missions are timed.