new trailer Hellboy Web of Wild Announced at IGN x today [email protected] Digital showcases offer new glimpses of upcoming action titles.
The trailer showed a new location, some of Hellboy’s fighting moves, and possibly some of the characters that would make him throw a very big fist. All of this comes together in a traditional comic book-style setting, with heavy inspiration from Mike Mignola, the author of his Hellboy comics.
I had the chance to speak with two developers from Upstream Arcade, Adam Langridge and Patrick Martin, about what the art direction for the game looks like. Hellboy Web of Wildhow Mignola’s presence feels throughout the game, and the effort put into crafting a story that stays true to the Hellboy series but is fresh.
Q: What is the motivation behind this animated art style?
A: We are big fans of Mike Mignola and felt strongly that a Hellboy game that respected his creative style would be brought to life in 3D. His artwork stands out on the comic bookshelf, and we felt that the aesthetic would create a unique and authentic Hellboy his gaming experience—a true “comic book comes true” moment.
Q: How faithfully did Web of Wyrd adapt Mike Mignola’s comics?
A: Katie O’Brien, editor of the Dark Horse and Hellboy universes, has been very involved with Web of Wyrd, and you can see its impact through the characters and residents you meet and fight, and the spaces you explore. Mike is also very excited about everything he’s seen.
The Hellboy Universe is a very wide, deep and diverse world, and the Web of Wyrd is a natural extension within it.
It was very important to us that Web of Wyrd was a good introduction that captured the feel of the early Hellboy comics…
Q: What part of the original story/comic does this game fit into?
A: We worked with Dark Horse to find the perfect starting point for fans in the vast Hellboy timeline, ending in 1982. Why 1982? Well, we wanted to put players in the context that unfolds during Hellboy’s adventures with the BPRD (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense) without violating established comic storylines. It is. We worked closely with Dark Horse to make Web of Wyrd feel like an authentic Hellboy story. We also hope that it will serve as a starting point for players less familiar with the comics to pick up Seed of Disaster and continue their journey without doing anything. It is useless!
question: Are Hellboy’s movement sets and combat abilities drawn from specific references, such as comics or other media?
A: Hellboy’s fighting style is drawn from the comics. We lingered through all the cool action sequences in the comics and got a strong sense of how he stands up to all sorts of strange and powerful beings. We talk a lot about this being a “huge, toe-to-toe brawler,” and yes Hellboy is a big guy, but he’s often fighting something much bigger than himself, so it’s not a big deal. We built gameplay around those emotions.
Q: Please tell us about the plot of this game.
A: It was very important to us that Web of Wyrd was a good introduction to the atmosphere of the early Hellboy comics. It therefore features many classic elements. Hellboy as a BPRD agent, folklore from around the world, and tons of monsters. I don’t want to spoil too much, though, so wait and see what other surprises come out.
Hellboy Web of the Wild is coming soon to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. Stay tuned for future updates.
