Dark-fantasy Hellguard hits Android open beta in select regions with co-op raids

Players in the UK, Belgium and Ukraine can download Hellguard’s Android open beta on Google Play now, giving immediate access to Black Anvil Studio’s dark-fantasy action MMORPG and its promised co-op raids. The open beta is live in those select regions, and users outside those areas are able to pre-register for future access.

“Black Anvil Studio — an indie team positioning its work in the dark‑fantasy, soulslike/action RPG space — has launched an open beta for its mobile action MMORPG Hellguard on Android in select regions,” reads the studio’s announcement in the available materials, positioning the team and the build in clear soulslike and action-RPG territory. The developer name and genre framing are explicit in the launch copy supplied with the beta notice.

Gameplay blurbs in the available copy keep the focus on loot and shared content. The build is described in source material as “a loot‑heavy, cooperative dungeon crawler with procedur” — the fragment preserved exactly in the briefing — and promotional text invites players to “Become a Wanderer and dive into PvE and PvP battles [...]”. The story title provided to reporters also highlights co-op raids, though no technical details about raid size, mechanics or matchmaking were included in the launch excerpts.

Availability details are straightforward for now: Hellguard’s Android open beta is available via the Google Play Store for residents of the cited regions, and interested players outside those regions can pre-register. The public materials also reference cover art captions as “Hellguard Android open beta-test Cover” and repeat that label, suggesting assets exist though Play Store links and full regional rollout lists were not included in the briefing. The release notes explicitly state there is “no information available yet regarding iOS test or global launch.”

Key questions remain open and will determine whether Hellguard can compete in the crowded soulslike-mobile space. The briefing does not provide a full country list beyond the UK, Belgium and Ukraine, offers no launch or end dates for the beta, omits device requirements and server details, and does not confirm whether the truncated “procedur” term refers to procedural dungeons, loot generation, or another system. Monetization, raid scale and PvP formats were also not specified.

I will pursue confirmations with Black Anvil Studio and check the Google Play listings and press assets to verify device specs, the complete region roll-out, and whether co-op raids are active in this open beta build. For now, Android players in the named regions can download and begin testing Hellguard’s loot-driven dungeons and PvE/PvP hooks while the developer clarifies the build’s missing technical and design details.