Game: HeXen: Beyond Heretic
Year (s): 1995 (original), 1996 (expansion)
Company: dev. Raven Software
pub. id Software
Engine: id Tech 1 (modified)
Type: First-Person Shooter
Price (as of 10/27/11 )
Regular price on Steam: 4.99
Lowest Buy-It-Now on eBay (new, with shipping): 29.99
Game Time: 20-30 hours
Obligatory Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqqWP2uOK6E
Plot
Heretic established that three evil Serpent Riders conquered three worlds. In Hexen, three heroes (a warrior, a cleric, and a wizard) set off to destroy the second of the Serpent Riders to free their world.
Gameplay and Classes
Before the first level, the player chooses to be a Warrior, a Cleric, or a Wizard. Weapons are different for each, with the warrior favoring melee, the wizard sticking to long-range attacks, and the cleric in the middle. Athletic ability, i.e. jumping, varies between classes, and each use flechettes (grenades) differently. Exploring the different classes makes it more interesting to play the game more than once.
An inventory of magical item complement your weapons. Some of these return from Heretic, and others are new. Heal yourself! Turn you enemy into a pig! And so on. Unfortunately, this system is still clunky and not really useful on the fly. Realistically, you have to select the item you want to use before you get in a fight, because scrolling through inventory while attacking and dodging isn't feasible.
The Hub System
As a diversion from what was, and continues to be, a genre of linear games, Hexen introduced the hub system. Each level, of hub, is made up of a handful of distinct, interconnected locales. Switches in one area have effects in another, and you'll be moving back and forth between the areas.
The hub system is a cool idea, and it has been utilized in other games such as Quake 2. In Hexen, the hub concept isn't done so well. At times, it's a fun run-and-gun with refreshing changes of scenery. At other times, I wandered around a hub for an hour or more trying to find out what the hell that switch did. It did something, but that something could be anywhere in the hub. And it might be in a nook or some illogical corner.
Improvements to the Doom Engine
This was the first game I played where I could jump, and took damage from falling. While still using MIDI for game sound and music, Hexen was able to play audio CDs. Rotating objects, doors that swing open, and scripted events round out the technical advances.
Regardless, zDoom is compatible.
Expansions / DLC / Sequels
Deathknights of the Dark Citadel offered three new hubs to play through, but without new items, weapons, enemies, or gameplay elements. I have not played this, but if there's anything worth mentioning about it, I'll augment this entry after playing it.
Hexen 2 (1997) uses a modified id Tech 2 (Quake) engine. This game offered a few improvements over Hexen and involved fighting the third and last of the Serpent Riders. An expansion was also developed.
Heretic 2 (1998) uses a modified id Tech 2 (Quake) engine and follows the later adventures of the character from the original Heretic. Gameplay introduced third-person cutscenes, and plot has nothing much to do with the other games. This is the only game of the the Heretic/Hexen series that was not published by id.
Final Thoughts
I think the hub concept was, and still could be, a valid alternative to a genre that is still mostly linear. Sandbox games have changed things up, but the hub system seems to have been left behind. Hexen was, at times, a fun old-school shooter. Too often though, I didn't know where to go or what to do, and got frustrated. Unlike in other games, no-clipping through one obstacle or cheating to get one key may well allow you to bypass an entire level.
I picked this one up because it was cheap and I played it as a kid. If you don't mind cheating when things get stupid, you might have some fun with this, but it's not great. I offer it as a footnote in the genre, but I don't recommend it.
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