Q&A with the Hellboy helldevs

At least when you beat up Nazis in this game, they’re not just ordinary, run-of-the-cannon fodder Wehrmacht, and the guy you play has horns. IGN talks to Krome Studios producer John Whiston and lead designer Chris Palu about their work in getting Hellboy from comic and celluloid to video game.

They tried making the game more than the usual beat ’em-up by introducing stuff like “tactical choice” and environmental interaction. Enemies don’t just simply spawn; they stream from rooftops, through the trees, out from holes in the ground. And, being the red-skinned do-gooder you spawned out to be, you can go postal on the bad guys with anything at hand. Here’s Chris’ example:

You might come into a space and see that up on the rooftops ahead of you there are enemy characters. They might have a particular behaviour which you recognise is going to be some kind of projectile attack. You can pick up something lying around nearby and take out the guy who is about to throw his head at you, and then go in and engage the closer range guys. It’s really just trying to give the player a few more choices in a space, and to allow them to express themselves more.

It’s kind of hard to think of co-op with a guy like Hellboy, says John. “He’s a fairly singular character who doesn’t need a lot of backup.” Co-op really has player two playing support for Hellboy, taking the role from “the other guys” in the comic and movie universe (Abe or Liz, etc.). But it will be useful, sometimes even necessary: “We’re playing up certain instances where only one player can access it, as well as others where the differing character abilities will be needed.”

Speaking of the movie, when asked if the game will tie into the upcoming movie sequel, John says that it obviously references the film, but it’s definitely a standalone plotline. And Krome is responsible for that storyline, though they did so under the oversight and approval of Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and movie director Guillermo del Toro.

At least when you beat up Nazis in this game, they’re not just ordinary, run-of-the-cannon fodder Wehrmacht, and the guy you play has horns. IGN talks to Krome Studios producer John Whiston and lead designer Chris Palu about their work in getting Hellboy from comic and celluloid to video game.

They tried making the game more than the usual beat ’em-up by introducing stuff like “tactical choice” and environmental interaction. Enemies don’t just simply spawn; they stream from rooftops, through the trees, out from holes in the ground. And, being the red-skinned do-gooder you spawned out to be, you can go postal on the bad guys with anything at hand. Here’s Chris’ example:

You might come into a space and see that up on the rooftops ahead of you there are enemy characters. They might have a particular behaviour which you recognise is going to be some kind of projectile attack. You can pick up something lying around nearby and take out the guy who is about to throw his head at you, and then go in and engage the closer range guys. It’s really just trying to give the player a few more choices in a space, and to allow them to express themselves more.

It’s kind of hard to think of co-op with a guy like Hellboy, says John. “He’s a fairly singular character who doesn’t need a lot of backup.” Co-op really has player two playing support for Hellboy, taking the role from “the other guys” in the comic and movie universe (Abe or Liz, etc.). But it will be useful, sometimes even necessary: “We’re playing up certain instances where only one player can access it, as well as others where the differing character abilities will be needed.”

Speaking of the movie, when asked if the game will tie into the upcoming movie sequel, John says that it obviously references the film, but it’s definitely a standalone plotline. And Krome is responsible for that storyline, though they did so under the oversight and approval of Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and movie director Guillermo del Toro.