Heretic + Hexen, a classic ’90s dark fantasy shooter, remastered and revitalized.
Some of the best dark fantasy shooters ever made were made by Raven Software in the mid-1990s. Heretic (1994) and its spiritual sequel, Hexen (1995), are two examples. The basic idea of Doom was used in these games, but they added a magical medieval twist to it by adding witches, monsters, and magic weapons.
Over the years, both games became rare classics, admired for their unique settings and new ways of playing. Nightdive Studios has released official remasters of Heretic + Hexen, bringing these old games into the current era with better graphics, mechanics, and new content, all just in time for QuakeCon 2025.
Heretic places you in a dark fantasy world plagued by the evil god D’Sparil. Your job is to defeat hordes of monsters and finally destroy this evil force. The story is simple but effective, and the main focus is on moving forward through scary, dungeon-like settings. Faith Renewed, the new part, adds nine new levels that feel like they belong in the 1990s and bring the story even closer together with new enemies and a new weapon.
Hexen goes one step further than Heretic by adding three new playable characters: a fighter, a cleric, and a mage. Each of these characters has their own story arcs that are connected to the evil serpent riders. In this update, there are multiple hub worlds that are linked by levels.
You can go back and forth between these levels to activate switches that let you enter new areas. As the story goes on, it gets darker and more complicated, and the fight against the evil snake lords Korax and D’Sparil goes on.
Heretic + Hexen stay true to their FPS roots, but they add new levels of complexity that make the game feel different. You use magical weapons and things like Tomes of Power and healing flasks to run, jump, and shoot your way through levels full of different enemies in Heretic.
The improved version adds “enhanced levels,” which change the map layouts to make the game run better and add visual flair, such as bigger lava effects and richer textures, that make the experience feel new without taking away from the original’s charm. You can turn these improvements on and off, so you can keep the old-school feel if you’d rather.
Hexen has more parts. It gets rid of Heretic’s linear level development and replaces it with hubs that are linked to each other. You go from one level to another several times, solving problems and pressing switches to move forward. The fighter uses brute force weapons, the cleric uses supportive magic, and the mage focuses on powerful spells. Each character’s weapons and mana type affect how they fight. The inventory system lets you keep track of your weapons and things.
Being able to aim up and down and jump adds a vertical element that the previous game lacked. One of the best new features in Heretic + Hexen is the ability to set hotkeys for quick item use. This has been a long-requested feature that makes Heretic + Hexen much smoother than cycling through items by hand. Just this change in quality of life makes playing these old games feel a lot better.
In Heretic, most of the fighting is done by circle-strafing and shooting groups of enemies. In the first game, enemies were “spongy,” which meant they felt like they had more life than they did. This made fights long and boring. The “enhanced weapons” choice is meant to fix this by giving your weapons “a bit more power. For instance, the Hellstaff bullets now hit their targets more reliably, which speeds up the battle and makes it less frustrating.
When you play additional episodes, the number of enemies can become too much to handle, like when you fight eight Maulotaur at once in the final boss fight on hard mode. The ghost versions of enemies are also harder because they can’t see everything and can’t be hurt by all strikes.
The fighting in Hexen is more complex and planned. As a mix of first-person shooter and puzzle games, it makes you think about what guns and magic to use, when to block attacks, and how to get around in very complicated levels. Centaurs that stop attacks with shields and stalkers that wait for you in the water are notorious for being very frustrating. This is better because the enhanced mode makes these areas less painful by increasing weapon damage and adding defense boosts, such as the cleric’s starting shield.
The final weapons for each class feel strong and satisfying. The cleric’s Wraithverge, for example, fires homing ghost swarms that destroy enemies, even centaurs that are shielded. Hexen was called “the thinking man’s FPS” because it had both puzzles and deep fighting. The changes made in the remaster make the gameplay better and more fun.
Many of the original problems have been fixed, and the difficulty has not been lowered. In Heretic, the stronger weapons make the game go faster and less boring by making enemies less spongy. Adding hotkeys for things seems like a modern must-have that has been waiting a long time. It makes fighting and managing resources easier to understand.
The changes have a bigger effect on Hexen. Frost Shards freeze enemies, and weapons like the Arc of Death do more damage, which makes battles faster and more exciting. The cleric’s shield and final weapon make it more fun to play strategically instead of just running and shooting. Centaurs and stalkers are still a problem, but they aren’t as bad as they used to be.
The new material added to the Heretic’s Faith Renewed episode stays true to the original’s design philosophy without making things too hard to understand. This keeps the episode from falling into the overdesign trap that some other re-releases from the 1990s do. This makes the new material feel real and fun, even for people who have seen it before.
Traditional ways of earning XP are not used in either Heretic + Hexen. You can only move forward by finishing levels, getting items, and upgrading weapons on different maps. The speed and difficulty curve are affected by how well you handle your health, mana, and weapons, not by how many levels you get in your numbers. Heretic + Hexen don’t change this vital part, so you can still enjoy the standard old-school FPS experience.
Heretic + Hexen of Nightdive make the backgrounds and lighting better while keeping the games’ famous pixel-art look. The new maps have better flow and plans, and they have visual effects like lava animations and richer wall textures in Heretic that give old places a new look without making them feel like they were completely redone.
Hexen shines with improved FMVs from the PlayStation and Sega Saturn ports that were made in Nightdive’s unique style. Along with smoother changes and better lighting for the atmosphere, these cinematics bring the creepy world of Cronos to life while keeping its retro charm.
The updated soundtrack raises the mood with spooky, ambient tracks that go well with the tone of each location. The sound effects are apparent and bring back memories at the same time. Spells, weapon fire, and monster noises are powerful without being too much. The better sound in Heretic + Hexen helps players feel more like they are in the dark fantasy world and raises the excitement during battle and exploration.
The Heretic + Hexen do a good job of paying tribute to the originals while also making important changes to the quality of life and the gameplay. The new maps and guns make the game more exciting without taking away from the classic ’90s FPS feel. The new Faith Renewed episode for Heretic is a well-made add-on that works well with the main game.
Hexen is still the more rewarding and challenging game, and Heretic + Hexen changes to the gameplay and cinematics make it easier for both old and new players to get into. The ability to turn enhancements on or off is nice for purists and encourages new discovery.
Even though some enemies are still annoying, the better mix of weapons and control bindings has made Heretic + Hexen a lot less boring. For pros, Heretic + Hexen are a trip down memory lane, and for new players, they’re an exciting way to get into these hidden gems. Fans of both classic shooters and dark fantasy should get these remasters because they come with free new material and options that can be changed to fit your needs.
