A Tiny Hero’s Grand Quest: ‘Hela’ Confirms 2026 Release

• The Pedigree: Developed by Windup Games, founded by the creative leads behind the Unravel series.
• The Accolades: Winner of “Most Entertaining” and “Most Wholesome” at Gamescom 2025.
• The Hook: A combat-free, cozy open-world adventure where you play as mice trying to save a sick witch.
• Platforms: Coming to PC (Steam/Epic), PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2.

When the village’s beloved witch falls ill, her loyal house mice don’t just stay in their holes—they set out on a legendary journey across the Scandinavian wilderness to find a cure. Windup Games and publisher Knights Peak have confirmed that this heartwarming tale will arrive later this year, and the hype is already reaching a fever pitch.

Scandivian Magic & Mouse-Sized Wonder

Hela is a 3D third-person adventure set in a lush world inspired by Nordic folklore.

• Pacifist Progression: There is no combat here. Instead, the game focuses on exploration, environmental puzzles, and gathering ingredients to brew life-saving potions.
• Impactful Kindness: Your actions as a mouse aren’t just for show—as you help the forest and heal the witch, the world around you physically transforms, blooming with life and magic.

The Tools of the Trade: Froggy Backpacks & Shades

The gameplay revolves around two incredibly creative systems that set Hela apart from typical platformers:

1. The Froggy Backpack: This modular tool is a mouse’s best friend. Using a frog’s tongue, you can grapple, zip-line, glide, and pull objects. It turns traversal into a physics-based playground.
2. The Shade System: Worried about playing solo in a co-op game? Hela solves this by allowing solo players to summon up to three “Shades” (echoes of themselves) to repeat actions, making multi-person puzzles a breeze for a lone mouse.

Quick Specification: Hela

The “Coldwood” Legacy Continues

Founded in 2022 by Martin Sahlin and Jakob Marklund (the duo that put Swedish indie dev on the map with Unravel), Windup Games is using Unreal Engine 5 to bring a stunning level of detail to Hela. Every blade of grass and drop of dew feels tactile, capturing that “small character in a big world” magic that Sahlin is famous for.

With the game already claiming titles for being the “Most Wholesome” experience of the year, it’s clear that Hela is positioning itself as the perfect digital escape for 2026.

Steam Store Page: Hela on Steam