“Hellboy is back in a whole new way”.

LifeIsXbox’s Hellboy: Web of Wryd Review | “Oh, well. Let me go in and say hi” is literally the perfect quote to sum up what this game is truly about, and a line taken from the Hellboy movies played by the talented Ron Perlman who starred as the Devil with the one-liners and a fist not to mess with could not have put it better. Welcome to Hellboy: Web of Wyrd, a new third-person action game where you must fight hordes, unlock doors and kick the hell out of bosses. The story will take you to places only your nightmares would go. Are you ready to take on the mantle of the comic book legend? Or will you let those that stand in your way send you back to Hell? Are you up for the challenge?

The developers at Upstream Arcade and publishers, Good Shepherd Entertainment, have proven that Mike Mignola’s Hellboy can still take names and kick butt, or as I said before walk in and shoot and smash up the place. Being a fan of the comics and movies, this game really went above and beyond to give those who grew up watching the movies or reading the comics the love and dedication they deserved, making sure the fans got the nostalgia and respect they deserved and also bringing a legend back. The developers have created a brand-new story unlike any other from the world of Hellboy and have shown that this old hero is ready to save the day once again.

Hellboy: Web of Wyrd was a huge surprise to fans of the series. With a brand-new roguelike action brawler being revealed at the 2022 Game Awards, Hellboy: Web of Wyrd did not show mercy. Although it was difficult in some parts, despite it being a roguelike, I wasn’t surprised at all but the style and art really stood out to me. For those achievement hunters, this one is perfect for you to rake in another 1000g with 31 achievements to unlock to boost your Gamerscore.

What I Liked!

• Cinematic Story | When you are looking at a game’s story, you always wonder what you are going to see or feel and if you will connect and feel part of the world or be disappointed – I must say I was not disappointed! Ghostrunner 2 had one of the most captivating stories of any game I have ever played, with so many moments that took me off guard and in disbelief. Now it is hard for me to really connect with a story like that, so during my playthrough feeling like I really connected and felt part of the story believing I was the protagonist just made playing through so much more enjoyable. Jack is the ultimate cyber ninja and taking on that role just made me feel almost indestructible and deadly. Although I died many times, I picked up my sword and returned to slicing the enemies and getting my revenge. The story surrounds what happens after the prequel and how things have changed after defeating Mara the Keymaster, what kind of effects will it have on Dharma Tower and its residents, or will it be the dawn of something far worse? No spoilers you will just have to find out.

• Gameplay Mechanics | The Hellboy: Web of Wyrd combat system is well done with different ways to fight your enemies, but the best part about the combat is the final execution which made it much more SMASHING! Enjoyably you can climb up and punch the enemies down into the ground. Some moves I have also seen in the movies gave me a huge, nostalgic smile. You can use the environment to help in combat using ways to stun your enemies, be sure to dodge as the enemies are brutal and won’t go down without a fight, or as quickly as possible block them and brace which is the same as parrying which gives you a quick moment to get a few hits in before they are conscious. You can build up a powerful attack called Payback, which is a potent attack that cannot be blocked by the enemy, and can be used to deplete the health of any enemy or boss. Boss battles can be difficult if you do not block, brace or dodge and they have 2 sets of lives, so remember to attack and dodge their attacks otherwise you will need to restart the world again. Use your weapons or charms to also gain an advantage, and make sure to attack the smaller enemies that can be taken down quickly, just by hitting them, to gain more “toughness”, and help you stay in the fight a bit longer. There is an option for accessibility if you do struggle with the difficulty, including Player Health Boost, Longer Enemy Cooldowns and Pre-Warning Attacks giving that option to make the game easier. Remember as well that the Wyrd will try to stop you from completing your mission so watch out for traps laid out across the Wryd.

• Art Style and Character/Enemy Models | When playing a game based on a comic book character there is only one true way to give the game the love and respect it deserves, and that is by giving it the perfect art style, and Upstream Arcade did just that. Hellboy: Web of Wyrd is finished in a stylish, cartoon, comic book style, which really stands out showing the world the way it would look in the comics. From the old ruins in a deserted town, falling apart and debris everywhere, to buildings crumbling and damaged from the past, they put every single detail to give it that feel you were actually in a comic book and it looks amazing. The character models for all the characters including Lucky, Martinez, and many other characters from the B.P.R.D are all in the style of their comic book parts, including the enemies and how they look, it’s just visually impressive. The enemies have their very own unique styles, from the Mooks to the big beasts you will face, not one enemy is the same and I must admit, some of them really do give you chills down your spine especially when you have three or four spawn in front of you. Every world in the Wyrd has its very own boss battles, with all unique bosses, each with their own fighting styles. That is one thing I like about Hellboy: Web of Wyrd, every character and enemy is different; even the Norms and Scheherazade – the storyteller. Different worlds are used in each part of the Wyrd from the ruins to an underground tunnel system, no world is the same. The game uses different colours from dark to light to change the atmosphere for each location.

• Customisation and Upgrading | Hellboy: Web of Wyrd has many ways to defeat enemies using several different weapons from Hellboy’s signature revolver, his trusty shotgun and even a grenade launcher! You can also use charms that can give a slight advantage in combat such as a knife, or the shield which helps push back enemies called the repel charm. Those weapons also have a choice to upgrade, make more powerful,  or give faster reload, but you must use the Shakti Shards you will collect through the world of the Wyrd. Although the price can be extremely high, meaning you will need to collect a lot of shards on your playthroughs, it is highly recommended as they can seriously aid you in defeating tougher enemies and making your battles that much easier. Also, remember you must grind to get to that stage so get collecting. Another cool feature about Hellboy is the upgrading of everything including health, “toughness” and even having an extra life if you were to be killed in battle. The only negative factor is the price, so again grind and grind and collect those shards to make your gameplay more enjoyable and less stressful. To upgrade/gain blessings you must find the shrines through different parts of the Wyrd which can be found behind doors and gates with different insignias controlled by the Norms, there is the Blessing of Urgu that will give you upgrades to either your health or “toughness”. Scheherazade will give you the “Blessing of Deneveux” which will give you three choices of charms including your fist, weapon and more. Skuld will grant you the Blessing of Skuld which grants rather fortune or health. Urdr will give you the Blessing of Urdr which grants you toughness or health. Lastly, Verdandi gives the Blessing of Verdandi that grants less reload time. Completing missions and earning more Shakti Shards plus defeating enemies will synchronise with your Tether which will help you unlock better weapons and upgrades. You will find a section where Lucky is found, and he oversees the B.P.R.D Armoury and brings back Shakti Shard to Martinez to help unlock more. Collecting Architects from completing worlds will help unlock more abilities and Tether upgrades.

• Music and Audio | Hellboy: Web of Wyrd has a wide selection of tracks, giving it that creepy, eerie style when exploring the Wyrd. Most of the music in Hellboy is along the horror, eerie feel which made it more like you didn’t know what to expect. One thing this game did, was keep you ready, not knowing that any door you were going through could cause you to meet your end. The sounds used in Hellboy were well done, using different sounds for each enemy, so all enemies had their very own personalities in their sounds. The combat and how Hellboy sounds when he is fighting with his fist and the noises from the weapons, plus the destructible environment when you hit an enemy into a wall or other weaker enemies.

Mixed Feelings!

• Voice Acting and Cutscenes | In Hellboy: Web of Wyrd, one thing I had mixed feelings about were the cutscenes, I understand it’s a comic book-style action brawler, but I just couldn’t get into the scenes as much due to the whole no-animation during cut scenes, making it something I was less bothered about watching and more interested in skipping, which also caused me to miss important information regarding the story. I did not hate it, but I would have preferred a more animated-style cut scene or even something like they do with Max Payne. The voice acting was good but again didn’t give it much notice due to the stop-motion style when interacting with the characters.

What I Disliked!

• Controls and Collectibles | Hellboy: Web of Wyrd had one of the most frustrating sets of controls, so the controls are not terrible, but I felt they were incredibly slow and the focus felt very forced, when dodging, the timing is very delayed; at one point, I hit the dodge button and a few seconds later it reacted, this caused issues as the enemy had already attacked which caused health loss. One thing you can do, if you aren’t a fan of the control layout, is to go to the options, where you can remap all the buttons. I did this, but my problem was the dodging and blocking mechanic, more than the control layout. Collectibles in Hellboy: Web of Wyrd is a part I cannot understand in this game, as when you unlock them and then return to the library, they are more trophies than anything, they show a little bit of hidden lore but honestly, just did not see the point of this, plus they were very easy to find in the Wyrd so not overly challenging at all, so I just didn’t care for them as I do in a lot of games.

How long did I play the game before publishing? 10 hours
How long to beat the story? 10 hours
How many Achievements did I earn before publishing? 310/1000GS
How long to achieve 1000G | Over 20 hours
You’ll love this game if you like these | Marvel Avengers