Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Games
  3. Hela: of Mice & Magic

Hela: of Mice & Magic

Hela: of Mice & Magic is a third-person open-world action-adventure game developed by Windup Games and published by Knights Peak. The game follows a brave mouse familiar using a froggy backpack to explore Scandinavian landscapes, gather healing ingredients for an ailing witch, and solve physics puzzles solo or with up to four players in co-op.

Developer:
Windup
Publisher:
Knights Peak
Release date:
Languages:
English
EVERYONEPEGI 3
Hela: of Mice & Magic

About the game

Overview and Introduction

Hela: of Mice & Magic (officially titled Hela) is a third-person open-world action-adventure game developed by independent Swedish studio Windup Games and published by Knights Peak (a publishing division of MY.GAMES). The game was officially announced in August 2024 with a scheduled global release on December 1, 2026.

Created by Martin Sahlin and core developers behind Unravel and Unravel Two, the title is set across wilderness environments inspired by northern Sweden. Players step into the paws of a small mouse serving as an animal familiar. When the woodland's guardian witch falls ill, the familiars take responsibility for her home and journey into the wild to gather natural resources for restorative remedies.

  • Core Pillars of Hela: of Mice & Magic:
    • Confirmed Global Release: Scheduled to launch on December 1, 2026.
    • Multi-Platform Support: Releasing on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2.
    • Micro-Scale World Exploration: Explores expansive Swedish forests, lakes, and mountains from the perspective of a small rodent.
    • The Froggy Backpack: Features a versatile backpack tool offering gliding traversal and a grapple tether for physics-based environmental manipulation.
    • Flexible Multiplayer Formats: Supports full single-player progression alongside 2-player local split-screen and up to 4-player online cooperative play.

Top 3 Reasons to Play Hela: of Mice & Magic

Hela: of Mice & Magic balances open-ended nature exploration with tactile, physics-based problem-solving.

  • Fluid Physics-Driven Traversal: Uses the multifunctional froggy backpack to glide across ravines, climb rocky inclines, and swing from tree branches using a deployable tether.
  • Warm, Folk-Inspired Narrative: Centers on caretaking, community assistance, and non-violent progression within a world steeped in Scandinavian folklore.
  • Adaptive Solo and Cooperative Architecture: Allows up to four players to share the adventure online, while solo players utilize magical shadows to solve cooperative puzzles seamlessly.

Story, Lore, and World

The setting of Hela: of Mice & Magic is drawn from the flora, fauna, and folklore of northern Sweden.

Narrative Premise

  • The Guardian Witch: An elderly, kind-hearted witch has spent her life maintaining the natural balance of the woodland and protecting its creatures. When she falls ill, the harmony of the land begins to unravel.
  • The Familiar's Duty: Unable to travel herself, the witch guides her smallest animal companions as they venture beyond the cottage to gather brewing ingredients and help local woodland inhabitants.
  • Environmental Storytelling: The narrative unfolds through world exploration, observing nature's details, and interacting with regional forest fauna.

Gameplay, Mechanics, and Co-op

The core gameplay loop integrates wide-area navigation, resource collection, and physical puzzle-solving.

Core Mechanics

  • The Froggy Backpack: Deploys as an impromptu glider to ride updrafts and safely descend from high branches, while its tether acts as a grappling line to latch onto hooks, swing across gaps, and pull objects.
  • Foraging and Brewing: Players search meadows, wetlands, and mountain trails for herbs, fungi, and natural essences, bringing them back to the cauldron to brew remedies and progress through the story.
  • The Shade System for Solo Play: When playing single-player, players can summon magical copies of themselves (Shades) to hold switches, pull tandem tethers, and solve complex multi-part puzzles without requiring a second human player.
  • Cooperative Features: Supports 2-player local split-screen and up to 4-player online co-op, allowing groups of mice to share resources and coordinate physical tasks.

Main Characters and Developers

The production represents the debut project from Windup Games, led by seasoned Swedish adventure developers.

Creative Team

  • Development Studio: Windup Games (Umeå, Sweden)
  • Publisher: Knights Peak (MY.GAMES)
  • Creative Director: Martin Sahlin

Characters

  • The Mouse Familiar: The playable protagonist; an agile animal guardian outfitted with magical exploration gear.
  • The Witch: The ailing forest protector whose care and restoration form the central objective of the journey.
  • Woodland Animals: Forest inhabitants that present side tasks, navigation assistance, and ambient interactions.

Platforms, Engine, and Release Status

The project is built for contemporary gaming hardware with confirmed digital distribution across consoles and PC.

Platform Availability and Technology

  • Release Date: December 1, 2026 (Simultaneous Global Launch)
  • Game Engine: Unreal Engine 5
  • Supported Platforms:
    • PC (Steam, Epic Games Store)
    • PlayStation 5 (PS5)
    • Xbox Series X|S
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • Xbox Game Pass: Confirmed for Day One availability (Xbox Series X|S and PC)