Hellboy Web of Wyrd could be the perfect comic book game if it wasn't such a chore to play

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SHOULD I PLAY HELLBOY WEB OF WYRD?

If you’re not a die-hard Hellboy fan, you should probably skip this one. Hellboy Web of Wyrd looks like a B.P.R.D. comic brought to life. It’s got spectacular visuals and excellent voice acting (including a lead performance from the late, great Lance Reddick), but it’s just not very fun to play. The sluggish combat and buggy gameplay sapped most of the fun out this game. Hellboy Web of Wyrd excels in so many areas, but it really falls short in the gameplay department, which is a huge shame. 

TIME PLAYED

I spent about six hours playing Hellboy Web of Wyrd, which gave me a solid taste of its story and gameplay loop. The narrative is compelling enough, but I found my mind drifting as I fought my way through repetitive levels. What’s worse is that the most interesting parts of the game have the least visual appeal. Battles look fluid and visually stunning, but story segments are told through static panels that are far less dynamic than your standard comic book. I fell in love with the Web of Wyrd’s trailers, and it kind of breaks my heart that it was such a dry, dull experience once the controller was in my hands.

WHAT’S AWESOME ABOUT HELLBOY WEB OF WYRD?

• Perfect visuals. Web of Wyrd has its flaws, but I can’t imagine a Hellboy game looking any better than this. The stylish, cel-shaded graphics perfectly capture the unique style of Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. It looks amazing in screenshots, but somehow it manages to look even better in motion. The bold lighting and rich shadows make the distinctive visuals pop, and the battle animations feel like comic book panels in motion.

• Terrific voice cast. Ron Perlman has received a lot of love for his Hellboy performance, and rightfully so, but Lance Reddick really gives him a run for his money. His gruff-yet-playful delivery really captures the character. The supporting cast, which includes Steve Blum and Cissy Jones, is also fantastic, and the lively voice-acting makes the game’s story much more compelling.

WHAT SUCKS ABOUT HELLBOY WEB OF WYRD?

• Slow, boring gameplay. Hellboy Web of Wyrd makes fights look dynamic, but tragically, they’re just not fun to play through. There was a noticeable pause between my inputs and Hellboy’s attacks, and the enemies I was fighting felt just as lethargic. Even Hellboy’s walking speed feels painfully slow. I could speed things up by pressing the dash button, but Hellboy automatically stopped dashing when I moved the camera, which made movement feel tedious.

Hellboy has a decent selection of attacks at his disposal, including powerful punches and ranged weapons, but it was more effective to just spam the same button over and over again. It took about fifteen minutes to get through a level in Web of Wyrd, but I got tired of playing long before finishing a run.

• It’s way too easy. I love the idea of Hellboy Web of Wyrd—a roguelite beat-em-up is right up my alley—but the game is way too simple for that concept to work. I don’t think roguelites need to be challenging, but Web of Wyrd doesn’t offer any sort of challenge at all. For the most part, enemies stood around waiting to be attacked. None of the monsters did much to defend themselves, and I could block or dodge special attacks with minimal effort. Powerful enemies took a little longer to kill, but they didn’t really feel any tougher than random grunts.

• Dull upgrade system. One of my favorite aspects of any roguelite is the sense of progression. I love when I can actually feel my character getting stronger, and it’s incredibly fun to stomp all over enemies I used to struggle with. That feeling is completely absent from Web of Wyrd. I could purchase permanent upgrades between levels, but because the game was so easy, it never really felt like they were impacting my gameplay. What’s the point of buying revives when your character isn’t dying in the first place?

💬 Will you take on paranormal enemies in Hellboy Web of Wyrd, or would you rather play a different comic book game? Share your thoughts in the comments!