In the lead-up to this year’s Game Awards, Geoff Keighley remarked that the show would be much shorter, and smaller than in previous years. Geoff Keighley may have been lying. The Game Awards 2022 ceremony lasted for well over 3 hours, with a vast number of new game announcements coming between each round of awards. While heavy hitters likeHades 2andDeath Stranding 2stole the show, there were plenty of smaller announcements that slipped under the radar, withHellboy: Web of Wyrdbeing one of them.
Announced duringthe Game Awards' preshow,Hellboy: Web of Wyrdstood out from the moment its trailer started. Featuring a striking cel-shaded art style, and having a focus on brutal hand-to-hand combat,Hellboy: Web of Wyrdhas already managed to gain the attention of comic book fans, and it’s already managed to stand out in the overwhelming sea of superhero video games.
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How Hellboy: Web of Wyrd Stands Out From the Crowd
One thing that immediately setsHellboy: Web of Wyrdapart from the rest of the superhero video games currently on the market is its willingness to work directly with the source material’s original creator. With Mike Mignola’s name plastered on the game’s front cover, fans would expect thatHellboy’s original creatorwould have a pretty big role in this game. Thankfully, that’s absolutely true, withHellboy: Web of Wyrd’s original story being written by Mignola himself, adding an immediate layer of authenticity to the project.
Another element that already singlesHellboy: Web of Wyrdout is its striking art style. By usingcel-shading,Hellboy: Web of Wyrdmanages to capture the essence of its source material instantly. Hellboy’s character model looks as though it’s been ripped straight from the page, with lighting being used masterfully to give him that comic book look. With games likeMarvel’s AvengersandSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leagueare trying to achieve life-like visuals,Hellboy’s authentic art style sets it apart in a clear and memorable way.
Hellboy: Web of Wyrd’s actual gameplay also looks as though it’ll separate the game from its other superhero competition when it eventually releases. ThoughHellboyis a third-person action game, its approach to combat seems a lot different from other games in the genre.Hellboyseems as though it’ll put a focus on hand-to-hand combat, with slow, methodical attacks being the primary form of gameplay. In this,Hellboy’s fighting mechanics seem almostSouls-like, with players seemingly needing to wait for an opportunity to attack, and use parries to deflect oncoming hits.
In generalHellboy: Web of Wyrd’s gameplay seems very different from its competition.Marvel’s Spider-Man, for instance, focuses much more on fast-paced combat, with hard-hitting combos, gadgets, and air-juggling being key to success.Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxywas a third-person shooter that allowed players to command their squad to use abilities. And whileMarvel’s Wolverinehasn’t shown any of its gameplay yet, fans are assuming that it’ll be a more grounded version ofSpider-Man, which would also be sufficiently different fromHellboy. On top of its more methodical combat,Hellboyis also set to feature roguelite gameplay, with players entering different procedurally generated dungeons in the form of different dimensions connected to the titular Web of Wyrd. On the whole,Hellboy: Web of Wyrdhas already managed to stand out in an oversaturated market, which is particularly impressive considering the game has only received one brief trailer.
Hellboy: Web of Wyrdis currently in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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