Heretic + Hexen Remastered Review - A double-barreled blast from the past

Well, I am stoked to report that id Software and Nightdive Studios have done it again - hot on the heels of last year’s excellent remasters of Doom + Doom II, at Quakecom this year we got a surprise announcement and shadow-drop of Heretic + Hexen, a full-on maximum effort remaster of the two titles originally made by Raven Software in 1994 and 1995, plus additional content created just for this release. This announcement blew me away, as I had once played Hexen but struggled with its performance issues, and heard a lot of great things about Heretic, but never took the plunge. When I got the opportunity to take the dive, I was more than eager.

So It’s Like Doom, But Absolutely Medieval

Both Heretic and Hexen were made on a modified Doom engine, so this was a logical next step for Nightdive Studios following Doom + Doom II, even if I was a little surprised that they would put so much effort into these cult classic titles considered by many to be niche or overlooked. I am grateful for their efforts simply from the perspective of video game preservation.

For the uninitiated, Heretic is basically Doom, but in a dark fantasy setting, and you use magic instead of guns to deal with the myriad demons. You have staves, orbs, a multi-hit ethereal crossbow that’s basically a Super Shotgun, a magical mace, dragon claw, and can even go ham with short-ranged Palpatine-esque Force lightning. The objectives are simple: find colored key cards, open the corresponding doors to progress the level via switches, and send foul demons back to the abyss if and when necessary. The game is fast-paced and can even be dizzying at higher difficulties, which is why as someone with motion sickness from FPS games, I tend to play on Medium/Easy. While Heretic originally released with just an 8-page manual, the expansion pack (included here) Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders originally came with a 22-page full color manual that provided the background for the game’s story. Alas, the manuals were not included in this release, which is a major oversight, as Heretic provides no context whatsoever as to what in the blazes is going on. Thankfully, they’re easily found online via the Internet Archive.

Hexen: Beyond Heretic is more of a unique beast, a sequel to Heretic that takes place in a different realm. It begins with an epic pre-rendered cut-scene that establishes the stakes of the frankly pretty cool story, which involves a cabal of powerful individuals who’ve made a deal with one of the two remaining Serpent RIders, ultimately allowing him and his demons access to the land of Cronos. Three heroes take on the task of stopping this ancient evil, and you get to pick between them and their unique loadouts.

I remember Hexen on the N64, where I first played it as a kid. Unfortunately, the console version suffered very poor performance. Back then, just being able to look up and down and jump were pretty cool features in an FPS. While Hexen has three classes (Fighter, Mage, Cleric), they have their own play-styles including different stats and boast only four weapons each. This made the gameplay feel stale after a while, but in their infinite wisdom, Nightdive has made it so that if you want to, you can swap classes at certain terminals in the hub areas. Also, you’ll be traveling to various themed hubs and exploring satellite levels from there, sometimes solving environmental puzzles to do so. The enemies are different from Heretic, and the environments are more detailed. This release also includes the DLC, Deathkings of the Dark Citadel, originally released in 1996.

Old-school or new - play them your way!

Game design has evolved a lot in the last 30 years, so it’s really cool that they’ve introduced many improvements and options for both of these titles, not least of which are online cross-play multiplayer for both Heretic and Hexen, with co-op and deathmatch modes for up to 16 players. I tried the deathmatch modes for a little bit, and got positively smoked, though it was a fun romp that reminded me of my Quake III days.

I appreciate that they allowed for players to opt for the original, unaltered versions of these games, both in terms of the gameplay and the soundtrack, though I don’t know why anyone who isn’t a purist would opt for the originals of either. The improvements and adjustments to the core gameplay of both titles are substantial. The ability to look around freely in Heretic drastically changes how I approached the game, and the fact that Hexen’s enemies are no longer bullet sponges is a massive change for the better. Score-wise, Andrew Hulshult returns from Doom + Doom II to offer remixed tracks, crafting fun soundscapes that amplify the games’ atmospheric environments and excellent and distinctive sound effects.

Incredible value for the price, plus community support

Many of the original games’ elements were often hard to see through the dark and often blurry graphics, so in addition to improved textures and support for up to 4K textures and 120fps, switches and other essential elements now stand out more. It’s a much-appreciated quality of life change - not enough to be distracting, but enough to save players from frustration. Also included are easy access to Cheats from the pause menu, plus many galleries with concept art for both games.

Two of the coolest new additions to this bundle are Heretic: Faith Renewed and Hexen: Vestiges of Grandeur, brand new content co-developed by id and Nightdive that feels more modern in terms of the level design. All together, there are over 117 single-player and 120 deathmatch maps included here for a robust package, and that’s not counting the support for community mods for both titles.

Ultimately, you’re going to know whether you’re in the target audience for Heretic + Hexen from watching just a few minutes of gameplay. This collection, very reasonably priced at $15 on Steam, is a love letter to the early days of FPS games, sanding off the rough edges to grant Heretic and Hexen that final layer of polish to make them certified classics. If you’ve enjoyed the Doom + Doom II remasters, or have an affinity for old-school FPS titles and a love for gory dark fantasy, there’s a ton of value in this package, which was clearly made with a lot of love and attention. 

Another welcome surprise is that for folks who already own Heretic and Hexen or their expansions on Steam, the new versions will automatically be downloaded, and you can choose whether to play the original or enhanced versions. Granting free updates to existing fans is just the most amazing thing and really goes a long way towards building good will. This type of game design just doesn’t appeal to everyone, so while I can’t give this collection a perfect score, it is a must-buy for fans of old-school shooters.

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Verdict: 4.5 / 5 (Fantastic)

PROS

• Excellent presentation at support for up to 4K and 120fps

• Fixes for major issues in both games, especially allowing you to switch classes in Hexen 

• Two brand new campaigns for both games

• Excellent value of over 117 single-player maps, 120 deathmatch maps, and mod support for just $15 MSRP

CONS

• The manuals for Heretic and Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders, which describe the game’s story and lore, are nowhere to be found

• This type of gameplay is niche and will not appeal to everyone

What I’ve Played 

Played for 12+ hours. Beat both Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders and Hexen: Beyond Heretic on Medium difficulty. Played most of Heretic: Faith Renewed and Hexen: Vestiges of Grandeur. Tried out the online deathmatch gameplay. Did not try out the co-op.

*A PC review code was provided by the publisher for the purposes of this review.

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