Oh man, where do I even begin? So, Heretic and Hexen. Ever heard of ’em? They’re these old-school games from way back, and now — surprise! — they’ve found their way onto consoles once again. We’re talking Switch here, thanks to Nightdive Studios. I swear they’re wizards when it comes to resurrecting these ancient titles. It’s kinda nuts really. They’re bundling together the classics and some fresh expansions. So much going on, it’s like a buffet of nostalgia and new content.
Heretic starts it all. Think Doom but swap out demons for magic and swords. Not saying it’s like, a rip-off or anything. But if Doom slapped on some medieval armor, you’d get the vibe. Weapons, enemies — it’s all pretty similar. But the level design? Dang, it pushes the engine, like, a lot. Seriously.
Now Hexen, oh boy, this is where it gets wild. You pick between three classes. THREE! Each with its own weapons and stuff. No clue why that still blows my mind. And the levels — non-linear and puzzle-filled. You end up feeling like, I dunno, you fell into a Zelda or Metroid game. It’s a trip for sure.
Okay, expansions. There’s a bunch, but some are brand spanking new. Heretic gets a new one called Faith Renewed — who names these things? It’s stellar though. And Hexen’s new ones? Vestiges and Grandeur. Better than the old Deathkings expansion if you ask me. But whatever, they’re all decent.
Now, lemme vent for a sec. You got these five different game saves clogging up one single quicksave slot. Seriously? I kept saving Hexen over Heretic — total facepalm situation. Sorting through save files got me feeling like I’m organizing kitchen drawers. Why’s it gotta be like this?
Visuals — they didn’t go crazy here. HD is the default, and since we’re on Switch, it’s capped at 1080p. No Switch 2 magic here, folks. You can tweak the aspect ratios and even pick soundtracks. Oh, fun fact: If you mess with the full screen HUD, skyboxes might get all weird, like rolling back on themselves. I swear, sometimes it’s like the game is keeping secrets.
Anyway, back on the Nintendo 64 versus everything else tangent. That version of Hexen is still awesome. It’s missing cutscenes but otherwise, it’s top-notch compared to the old Playstation and Saturn. Playing it now feels like time traveling. But yeah, those raw HD textures can be harsh — maybe throw a CRT filter over it?
So, bottom line? Heretic + Hexen: crazy good combo. One fantastic, one downright legendary. New and old stuff? Just adds to the vibe. But man, the save system is clunky, and graphics options are limited. Still miles better than dusting off an old console or suffering through some mediocre ports. Crossing my fingers we get more from this series soon.
