Hellboy: Web Of Wyrd - What We Know So Far

In 2021, major comics publisher Dark Horse Comics announced the creation of its gaming and digital division Dark Horse Games. No working titles accompanied the news, but thanks to a reveal at 2022's Game Awards, fans now know that the first game from Dark Horse Games will be "Hellboy: Web of Wyrd."

Dark Horse Games is only one piece of the puzzle leading to the release of "Web of Wyrd." As seen on the Steam page, Good Shepherd Entertainment will publish the title, while Upstream Arcade, creator of the twin-stick shooter starring Ron Perlman "West of Dead," is the developing studio. The collaborative efforts don't end there, as the Steam description also revealed that the unique narrative featured within the entry resulted from a collaboration with not only Dark Horse Comics but the original "Hellboy" creator himself: Mike Mignola. 

While details about "Hellboy: Web of Wyrd" remain sparse at the moment, the Game Awards premier gave the fandom plenty to get excited about.

Unfortunately, "Hellboy: Web of Wyrd" has yet to receive a fixed release date. In fact, the parties involved didn't even provide a release window. They did establish, however, that the title will come to nearly every modern platform: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam. Those seeking to play the title on PC can add it to their wishlists to receive updates.

There's no official word on how long "Web of Wyrd" has been in development, but the lack of a launch date, coupled with the brief footage shown in the world premiere segment suggests that there's still plenty of work to be done. With a gap of about three years between the release of Upstream Arcade's previous two games, 2017's "Deadbeat Heroes" and 2020's "West of Dead," eager fans can safely assume for now that "Hellboy: Web of Wyrd" will arrive sometime in 2023.

When the game does drop, players can expect to join titular hero Hellboy in what the Steam listing described as "A narrative true to the spirit of the comics, tying together several independent stories into one unified 'Hellboy' experience." 

At the moment, there is only one trailer for "Hellboy: Web of Wyrd," and it was revealed during the preshow for 2022's Game Awards. This world premiere trailer is brief, but it gives plenty of information.

After a large, lumbering werewolf of some kind punches Hellboy through a wall, it's revealed through a single line that Lance Riddick will assume the role of Hellboy. A brief moment of gameplay is then shown, but the title's distinctive art style is present throughout the entire runtime. As the Steam page described it, the "Web of Wyrd" features, "A graphical style that evokes the original art style of the comics and makes every moment of the game look – and feel – like it was ripped straight from the comic books." 

Fans of the original "Hellboy" comics may note just how similar the game's visuals look to Mike Mignola's distinctive, high-contrast, chiaroscuro drawings. In fact, fans such as Twitter user @PantsFinance have taken notice. In response to the game's announcement, Usk said, "I am 100% going to buy this because it looks exactly like @artofmmignola's style. They nailed the look."

Near the end of the world premiere trailer, fans get a small look at some of the gameplay within "Hellboy: Web of Wyrd." Similar to developer Upstream Arcade's "West of Dead," "Hellboy: Web of Wyrd" will be an action-focused roguelite. This time around, however, the camera won't look down on the action, and the mechanics aren't that of a twin-stick shooter. Instead, the camera is closer to Hellboy and looks over his shoulder for a third-person perspective. The primary form of combat will revolve around Hellboy's sweeping, pugilistic fighting style. 

The game's Steam page has a bit more info. on what players can expect. "An unique roguelite Action Adventure with heavy-weight combat. Chain together hard-hitting melee and ranged attacks to fight a diverse array of increasingly nightmarish enemies." The mention of "ranged attacks" is expanded upon within a brief GIF which shows Hellboy punching an adversary with a flashy melee combo before drawing a gun and firing away. Additionally, the screenshot pictured above depicts Hellboy using some form of large ground pound attack which makes it seem as if the title will feature abilities of some kind.