A new trailer for Hellboy Web of Wyrd was unveiled today during IGN x [email protected] Digital Showcase, giving us a brand new look at the upcoming action title.
The trailer showed off new locations, a look at some of Hellboy’s combat moves, and some of the characters he’s likely to throw his very large fists at. All of this took place in a traditional comics style, heavily inspired by Hellboy comics creator Mike Mignola.
We had the chance to talk to two Upstream Arcade developers, Adam Langridge and Patrick Martin, about the art direction of Hellboy Web of Wyrdhow Mignola’s presence is felt throughout the game and the work that went into creating a new story while staying true to the Hellboy series.
Q: What was the motivation behind this animated art style?
A: We’re huge fans of Mike Mignola and felt that a Hellboy game that honored his creative style was crying out for 3D. His artwork stands out on comic book shelves and we felt that the aesthetic would make for a unique and authentic Hellboy gaming experience – a real comic book comes to life moment.
Q: How did Web of Wyrd authentically adapt Mike Mignola’s comics?
A: Dark Horse and Hellboy Universe editor Katie O’Brien was instrumental in creating Web of Wyrd, and you’ll see that influence in the characters and denizens you encounter or fight, as well as the rooms, that you explore. Mike was also very enthusiastic about everything he saw.
The Hellboy universe is such a wide, deep, and varied world, and Web of Wyrd is a natural extension of it.
It was really important to us that “Web of Wyrd” was a fitting introduction that captured the atmosphere of the earlier Hellboy comics…
Q: How does this game fit into the original stories/comics?
A: We worked with Dark Horse to find the perfect jumping off point for fans in Hellboy’s expansive timeline and landed in 1982. Why 1982? Well, we wanted to put players in an unfolding situation right in the middle of Hellboy’s adventures with the BPRD (Bureau of Paranormal, Research and Defense) without interfering with the established comic stories. We’ve worked closely with Dark Horse to ensure Web of Wyrd feels like an authentic Hellboy story, and we hope it can also serve as a stepping stone for players unfamiliar with the comics to ” Seeds of Destruction and continue their journey with no money spoiled!
Q: Do Hellboy’s move sets/fighting abilities come from any specific references, be it comics or other media?
A: Hellboy’s fighting style is modeled after the comics. We watched all the cool action sequences in the comics to get a clear sense of how he deals with all sorts of weird and powerful beings. We often refer to it as a “monstrous head-to-toe fight” where Hellboy is a big guy but often fights something much bigger than him, so we built the gameplay around those feelings.
Q: What can you tell us about the plot of this game?
A: It was really important to us that “Web of Wyrd” was a fitting introduction that captured the atmosphere of the earlier Hellboy comics and had a lot of classic elements. Hellboy as an active BPRD agent, folklore from around the world and lots of monsters. We don’t want to give too much away though, so you’ll just have to wait and see what other surprises we have in store for you!
Hellboy Web Of Wyrd Coming soon to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. Keep an eye out for further updates.