Hela: Of Mice and Magic is an open-world adventure game developed by Windup Games and published by Knights Peak. Hela takes players on a heartwarming adventure as they play as a witch of the forest’s familiars. The familiars in this particular instance are a group of mice.
Unlike the stories we’ve seen time and time again where witches are painted as evil or the villain, in Hela, the witch is the keeper of the village. The witch watches over the village and the fauna of the woods, using her magic to aid anyone in need.
The witch has fallen ill and needs help, and this is where the players come in as they play as tiny mice to help cure the ailing witch and keep the “witch business” running until she is well again. Hela focuses on exploration, teamwork, gathering, and even witchcraft brewing.
Whether alone or with other players, Hela is a good time.
Hela: Of Mice and Magic can be played solo, but it really is designed to be explored with friends. There can be up to four players playing split-screen, online, or even a mix of both, and it allows for seamless drop-in and drop-out multiplayer.
During Summer Game Fest 2026, we got a chance to go hands-on with the upcoming cozy adventure game and see what it was like being a little mouse in a giant forest. The game is set in northern Scandinavian nature, and it really shows once you leave to set out on your journey with lush open landscapes. Honestly, it looks even better as well. You are a mouse, and everything is to scale, and this becomes really apparent once you try to enter any of the buildings or see any of the creatures.
Players start with just their magical frog of a backpack, which allows players to traverse the wilderness in many ways, such as gliding or swinging from branches. As players progress and complete quests, they will unlock other abilities that help them traverse in even more creative ways.
A cute backpack and a cuter appearance, the mice are the stars.
The one we really got to explore was the “Shade” ability, which allowed a player to make “shades” of themselves that would allow them to attach and swing from the shade, teleport to, or even use it to hold something in place. Players are allowed to have two shades at any given time.
This game may seem cozy and simple, but it does take a while to get used to the controls and fully master everything. Playing with friends allows players to use their fellow mice the same way they use shades, such as attaching to each other, allowing them to swing or reel them to their location.
Now, while my colleague and I were playing with could not master it, we were shown by the dev how advanced some of the traversal techniques can be. It included constantly attaching to each other to swing for momentum, and using the shades as a save point in case you fall while climbing.
Hela: Of Mice and Magic’s world is completely alive with wonder.
Hela: Of Mice and Magic is an open-world game in that players can just roam around, completing the main story and exploring the different areas, gathering items, and doing side quests. One set of side quests in the game involves befriending the area’s creatures, such as a bunny.
Once players fulfill these creature quests, they can then utilize these animals in different ways. The one we were able to complete was befriending a bunny, where we collected dandelions and gave them to the bunny to eat, as they were its favorite snack. Once the quest was completed, we were now able to ride the bunny through the wilderness, allowing for a much faster-paced travel experience to get somewhere.
This a story about witches and magic and that of course means brewing things in a giant caldron. Hela allows players to brew their own “potions” as a way to increase their abilities and magical perks. This was by far the most entertaining part of my play session. Players will need to collect specific items and then look in the recipe book for the correct recipe they are brewing.
Windup Games puts player agency first and captures the beauty in the small details.
The book will need to lay out specific instructions that need to be followed properly, or the brew will fail. Some of these instructions include adding items, blowing the bellows, or even stirring, which is a lot of fun. As I learned in my play session, if you or another decides to hop into the caldron, you do count as an ingredient and will ruin the brew, and you must start the entire thing over.
Hela: Of Mice and Magic allows players to complete quests in a variety of different ways, as a lot of time, there are multiple ways to do something, except for brewing, as that is something that must be followed according to the book or will fail.
Hela: Of Mice and Magic was one of my standouts at Summer Game Fest 2026, between traversing the landscapes and just running free as an adorable little mouse. Being able to play with friends and customize your mouse really adds to the game, and while we didn’t get to see much of the story, the parts we really seemed to hammer home that heartwarming healing experience that the team seems to be going for in this game.