The Right Hand of Doom couldn’t be a more fitting moniker for the destructive grip that Red showcases in Hellboy Web of Wyrd, a roguelike action brawler. This clenched fist is going to be one of the protagonists of the game, if not the main highlight, pulling no punches in this investigation down into dangerous realms. A brutal animated comic right in front of your eyes, the clashes can be very addictive, but the intrinsic sameness of the genre somewhat undermines this effort.

Heavy Hitter

Developer Upstream Arcade absolutely nailed the look and feel of Hellboy as if he jumped out of a comic book. He is appropriately massive, occupying a large chunk of the screen in all his third-person glory, wandering around with all the finesse of a tank. Getting used to this camera view is one of your initial challenges, with the stylish comic book aesthetic often concealed by the sheer proportions of the titular character. There’s no option to adjust camera distance, some blind sprinting meaning that Hellboy won’t be one to shy away from stepping on an inconspicuous trap or two, and running during combat also forces you into this perspective that is fine for immersion but far less for awareness, therefore affecting gameplay to a palpable degree. Luckily, it puts some distance when you tag an enemy, making it a lot more bearable and fun to use as you get a better sense of your surroundings.

This roguelike does not go for a fast and furious approach, instead opting for a weighty and telegraphed combat system that gives you time to interpret the enemy’s movements and react accordingly. Comparisons to a boxing game wouldn’t be out of place here, given the rhythm and the tactical constraints in each battle, made the more challenging because you are constantly outnumbered.

Animations are smooth and painstaking, glorified alerts giving you enough time to parry or side-step, with Hellboy’s superbly crunchy punches nearly shaking the foundations of the very room where the battle is taking place. Time your heavy punches right, and you can send your foe flying backward, possibly against the wall or a pillar for a suitable stun, putting it at your mercy for another session of hits and maybe a shotgun blast or two just to keep on the safe side.

With perfect timing comes flawless execution, the examples above serving as a rulebook to Hellboy’s combat. Wall slams make it easy to stun regular enemies, especially bosses, and successively shave a good part of their health points. When you unlock the repel charm, combining these two makes for some easy back-against-the-wall tactics that are very hard for any enemy to break free from.

For all the amazing bone-breaking sound effects and glorious visuals, fighting has some nuances that don’t quite fit with the mastery that it demands. Combat doesn’t always feel responsive, as the animation cycle plods to its end and fails to chain the next movement in a fluid way, often resulting in a mistimed block or a late pistol shot when we were already lining up for a punch. It’s not about the proper way animations work, more that the game should register our most recent input instead of the one done previously, as it’s already out of sync with the enemy action and our desired outcome.

House of the Repeated Run

As it happens with most action roguelikes, stages are procedurally generated, providing some variety to the layout, enemy, and the placement of blessings and other items for every new run. The recurrent problem with this design is that the areas end up being labyrinthic and alike, a string of empty rooms connected by even emptier corridors. The style is exceptionally faithful to Mike Mignola’s work, but the diversity doesn’t jump at you, and it grows tiresome after a few runs, the color reskins in some floors not doing much to change this circumstance.

Failing a run is not the end; you are booted back to your headquarters, The Butterfly House, where other agents await your return to stock up on lore and permanent upgrades. These include charms and new weaponry that you can acquire with the currency you earn during your trips into the Wyrm, giving you additional options to take on mobs.

Hellboy comes with the gruff attitude he is known for, with a performance equally rich in sarcasm and humor delivered by the late Lance Reddick. The other characters aren’t as witty or interesting though, but some of the brief exchanges with the end-of-level bosses are outrageously funny. All the punching and smashing comes with a no-holds-barred soundtrack that starts blasting as soon as you step into the combat areas. It’s a great match for the brutality of the gameplay, for the crunching noises coming courtesy of the Right Hand of Doom.

A Punching Good Time

The narrative isn’t what gripped me in this game, as it follows the traditional twists and turns that Hellboy fans are expecting. The gameplay also falls on the repetitive side, with the dives eventually blending into one another after a few hours, environment layouts failing to bring something new to the table, and enemies lacking in scope.

But Hellboy Web of Wyrd is a blunt and relentless action game featuring a delightful combination of visuals and sounds, giving each blow a palpable feeling of strength. The intense combat is a literal blast, distinctly the one factor that the game should be praised for, even if some actions appear to register late. Purely as a tactical brawler drenched in roguelike mechanics and featuring a mammoth of a main character, this is one that not only hits the mark but occasionally shatters it to pieces.

Score: 8/10

Pros:

• Each crunching blow comes with an incredible sense of satisfaction
• Combat can be as tactical as a boxing game
• Graphics are faithful to the comics

Cons:

• Some actions during combat register too late
• Map layouts are too similar
• Overall gameplay ends up on the repetitive side of roguelikes

Hellboy Web of Wyrd review code was provided by the publisher. You can read MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.