- 3RD-STRIKE.COM - A La Une - 27/Aug 00:01

Heretic + Hexen – Review

When having active memories of games that came out in 1994, 1995, and 1996, one can’t help but start to feel old. Yours truly is such an example, having played Heretic and Hexen somewhere around the original release date on PC and the ported Nintendo 64 version (1997). We assumed the series was not returning anytime soon, as it had run its course and mainly paved the way for many popular (boomer) shooters that came after these fantasy-inspired FPS titles. We were, however, pleasantly surprised after the sudden release of Heretic + Hexen, a remastered, updated version of these classic titles. Not only does this bundle include remastered versions, but there’s also new content to explore and (online) multiplayer modes to delve into. With the development being handled by both id Software and Nightdive Studios, it could be nothing less than a recipe for success. Heretic, Hexen, and all of the additional chapters in this bundle mainly follow the same format, where you run around, gun down monsters, and collect the odd item or two to progress. While the puzzle components vary per release, the offset remains somewhat the same. You pick a class, and you’re thrown into the game, fending for your life. Hexen does have a bit more in terms of story presentation than Heretic, but for the most part, it’s pretty similar to other boomer shooters of the ’90s. It’s all about the action here, and that’s perfectly fine. Compared to the original releases, this revamped bundle of games made everything a lot smoother and accessible for modern-day consoles. The proper twin-stick support is already a plus, but it took us some time to get used to the extremely fast movement speed of these types of games again. Even so, we were blasting scary creatures into smithereens in no time. In terms of visuals, everything looks a lot crisper than the originals, and even the cinematics of Hexen were cleaned up for the occasion. The bright graphics look great, and while it’s clearly still a bundle of old games, we found everything to look rather appealing, even after nearly three decades. The soundscape has also undergone a decent overhaul, featuring newly recorded audio. While Heretic and Hexen might have had a slightly less memorable soundtrack than many other similar titles from the ’90s, such as DOOM, Wolfenstein, and Duke Nukem, we still quite enjoyed what was on offer here. Those looking for an authentic ’90s experience can choose to listen to the old-school soundtrack instead. The same goes for the menu visuals, which you can swap to the old pixelated font if you wish to do so. Outside of some general polish and some QoL improvements, all titles and chapters in this bundle have multiplayer features ranging from cooperative play to duking it out in a deathmatch format. You can access the multiplayer features both locally and online, and additional local players can also play online. While the deathmatch mode for us felt like a fun gimmick, it was nice to blow off some steam. Although there aren’t many players online, we didn’t encounter any issues finding matches at the time of writing this review. While we truly applaud and enjoy revamped rereleases such as these, the biggest issues remain that these are still very much products of their time and that they only attract a niche audience. We don’t really expect many younger gamers with no active memories of this series to pick up this bundle that quickly. That, of course, doesn’t mean that they won’t have a blast with it, but we think it’s hard to compete with more modern, recent releases. Even so, the €14.99 asking price feels very fair for the amount of content you’re getting and the overall polished experience. Conclusion If you were a fan of the recently released DOOM + DOOM II rerelease, then you’ll probably love what Heretic + Hexen has to offer too. Even though both Heretic and Hexen might not have the same appeal as the DOOM series, these are still great classic titles that finally received a second lease on life with updated visuals, a lot of accessibility options, and even multiplayer gameplay. If you’re a fan of old-school boomer shooters, then we suggest checking this bundle out.