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Hexen: Beyond Heretic

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Hexen is the sequel to Heretic. While the Heretic was destroying D'Sparil, the other two Serpent Riders have come to your dimension and slaughtered everyone. Or so they thought. Three humans have managed to escape with their lives and now seek vengeance against the Serpent Rider Korax who remains...

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Developer
Probe Entertainment

Released on
1997

Size
1 Player

Version
PlayStation

Requirements
Sony Playstation

Downloads
Shooter

Publisher
GT Interactive Software

ESRB Rating
M - Mature

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Description

Hexen is the sequel to Heretic. While the Heretic was destroying D’Sparil, the other two Serpent Riders have come to your dimension and slaughtered everyone. Or so they thought. Three humans have managed to escape with their lives and now seek vengeance against the Serpent Rider Korax who remains in their world.

Like Heretic, Hexen is a fantasy game based on an enhanced DOOM engine. All of Heretic’s innovations like vertical looking, flying, and the inventory system have been carried over. The new major changes this time around are three characters for the player to choose from and the level hub system. The characters are the Fighter, the Cleric, and the Mage. Each one has four unique weapons and different levels of speed and armor.

The hub system steps away from the traditional “single levels stringed along into episodes” system which had been carried over into the FPS genre from sidescrollers and made popular by Wolfenstein 3D. In Hexen’s hub system each episode is still made up of interconnected levels, but most of the levels are connected to a single “hub” level through portals. There are also portals between some of the “spoke” levels. Many of the puzzles in Hexen require travel back and forth between different levels.

Other innovations in Hexen included weather effects, jumping, earth-quakes, and destructible objects such as trees and vases.

Hexen: Beyond Heretic

Overview & History: Released by Raven Software and published by id Software in 1995 as a dark fantasy sequel to Heretic, Hexen: Beyond Heretic pushed the boundaries of the modified Doom engine. While the game gained legendary status on home PCs, its console ports and subsequent emulation on modern arcade-style web platforms cemented its legacy as a masterpiece of gothic gaming. The narrative plunges players into the ruined realm of Cronos, currently enslaved by Korax, the second of the three tyrannical Serpent Riders. To save their world, players must select one of three legendary heroes to traverse highly interconnected, hub-based levels, solving complex environmental puzzles, surviving deadly traps, and slaying hordes of demonic entities.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Unlike its predecessor, Hexen revolutionizes the classic first-person shooter genre by introducing three distinct playable character classes: Baratus the Warrior, Parias the Cleric, and Daedolon the Mage. Each class features vastly different weapons, physical attributes, move speeds, and armor ratings. Baratus relies on brute force, utilizing close-range weapons like the Spike Gauntlets and the devastating Quietus sword. Parias balances physical combat and holy magic, wielding the Mace of Contrition and summoning spirits with the Wraithverge. Daedolon strikes from afar, using magical projectiles from the Sapphire Wand and the homing fireballs of the Bloodscourge. The gameplay heavily emphasizes a non-linear hub system where solving a puzzle or pulling a switch in one map alters the environment in another, blending intense gothic action with deep exploration, jumping mechanics, and resource management. Players also utilize unique inventory items like the Icon of the Defender or Mystic Urns to survive the brutal onslaught.