Okay, so here’s the thing. I stumbled into this wild world of old-school games — and, I mean, ancient to the gaming crowd — we’re talking mid-90s. Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders from 1994 and Hexen: Beyond Heretic in 1995. Yeah, those ones. They were kind of like pioneers, I guess, opening up new realms for first-person shooters. Fast forward, and now they’re back in action. Raven Software’s old gems have been dusted off by Nightdive Studios and, well, here we go again.
When I say “dust off,” I mean it. Picture one of those old VHS tapes you found in your grandma’s attic. Yet here we are with Brian Raffel from Raven Software himself reminiscing like it’s a high school reunion. He talked about cooking up all sorts of tweaks on the Doom engine — vertically aiming, different character classes. It was all cutting-edge stuff back then. Oh, and they had help from John Carmack and John Romero. Talk about a dream team, right?
Going into those games felt like diving into some monster-filled, trap-laden universe. If you ever wanted to blend classic FPS action with fantasy tabletop RPG vibes, these were your playgrounds. I guess the fantasy shooter thing wasn’t a big gig back then — lots of space aliens and war themes but, y’know, not many maces and spell-casting.
Hexen threw in character classes, too; it was Romero’s brainchild. Suddenly, you had this spicy mix of RPG elements in an FPS. Like ordering a coffee, and surprise! Here’s a shot of espresso. Characters could be their own thing with weapons and stats — risky business, but it worked. Heck, it etched Hexen’s mark in gaming lore forever.
And surprise, surprise! Heretic + Hexen isn’t just a carbon copy of the originals. Nah, they threw in split-screen, cross-platform fun, even a remixed “Tome of Power” soundtrack from Andrew Hulshult. They tossed in some accessibility options too — because, you know, gaming for all. Extra goodies like maps, commentary, original and new content. Talk about a treasure chest.
There are two fresh episodes kicked into gear, too. It’s like… “Faith Renewed” for Heretic and “Vestiges of Grandeur” for Hexen. Samuel “Kaiser” Villarreal from Nightdive even designed maps as his side hustle — who does that for fun? Turns out these devs could whip up an entire episode faster than you can say “FPS.” Seriously, mapping powerhouses.
So, whatever brings you back — whether you’re a nostalgic traveler or a newbie venturing into Cronos’ cryptic halls — the collaborative genius of Raven, id, and Nightdive invites you in. Raffel gave a shoutout to all the fans, old and new. It’s like, thanks for hanging around. Who knew your enthusiasm would keep these digital worlds alive all these years later?
Oh, yeah. Heretic + Hexen? They’re out on PS5 and PS4. Dive back in — or in for the first time. ההבנה.
