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Hexen

Hexen: Beyond Heretic is a fantasy first-person shooter video game developed by Raven Software and published by id Software for MS-DOS in 1995.^[1] Built on a modified version of the Doom engine, it introduced innovative features such as class-based character selection, inventory management, vertical aiming, and a hub-based level structure with interconnected worlds accessed via portals.^[1] The game follows one of three heroes—a Fighter, Cleric, or Mage—seeking to defeat the Serpent Rider Korax, who has unleashed chaos across the realm of Cronos after the events of its predecessor, Heretic.^[2] In Hexen, players navigate non-linear, puzzle-filled levels set in diverse environments like elemental dungeons, decaying wilderness, and ancient ruins, battling undead monsters and demonic foes with class-specific weapons and spells.^[2] The Fighter excels in melee combat with powerful weapons like the Quietus, the Cleric uses holy magic such as the Firestorm mace, and the Mage relies on arcane projectiles from the Meteor Staff, each class offering unique playstyles and abilities.^[1]^[3] Supporting up to four players in deathmatch and cooperative modes, the game emphasized exploration, scripting via the ACS system for dynamic events, and atmospheric elements like weather effects and flying mechanics.^[1] Originally released for platforms including Macintosh, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and Nintendo 64, Hexen received expansions like Shadows of the Serpent Riders in 1996 and influenced the dark fantasy shooter genre with its blend of action and adventure.^[1] In August 2025, Nightdive Studios re-released Hexen alongside Heretic for modern platforms including PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox, featuring enhancements such as 4K resolution, 120 FPS support, cross-platform multiplayer for up to 16 players, mod compatibility, and improved controls.^[2] This remastered collection preserves the original's 117 campaign maps and 120 deathmatch arenas while making it accessible to new generations.^[2]

Game Overview

Plot

Hexen: Beyond Heretic is set in the realm of Cronos, a world of medieval fantasy where magic and undeath intertwine, following the events of Heretic in which the Sidhe elf Corvus defeated the Serpent Rider D'Sparil. While Corvus battled D'Sparil, the remaining two Serpent Riders—Korax and his elder brother Eidolon—invaded Cronos, slaughtering its inhabitants and corrupting the land with dark magic. Korax, the second and more powerful of the Riders, seized control by harnessing the Chaos Sphere, an artifact of immense destructive power, to corrupt the seven ancient Serpent Artifacts that once protected the realm's elemental forces. These artifacts now serve as conduits for Korax's influence, twisting guardians, landscapes, and societies into nightmarish parodies of their former selves.^[4] In response to this catastrophe, the Chronicler, a enigmatic sage and guardian of ancient lore, summons three surviving heroes from Cronos's fractured societies to challenge Korax and restore balance: Baratus, a mighty Fighter from the warrior Legion; Parias, a devout Cleric from the religious Church; and Daedolon, a scholarly Mage from the arcane Arcanum. The player embodies one of these heroes, each representing a unique perspective on the world's betrayal. However, the quest is complicated by the treachery of Cronos's own leaders—Zedek of the Legion, Menelkir of the Arcanum, and Traductus of the Church—who pledged allegiance to Korax in exchange for the "gift of Unlife," transforming them into powerful undead lords that command his legions. The heroes must reclaim fragments of power, including elements tied to the Chaos Sphere, a mystical tool once used by the Chronicler, while navigating Korax's manipulations.^[4]^[1] The narrative unfolds across a series of interconnected hubs that form the corrupted geography of Cronos, emphasizing exploration of a decaying world rather than linear progression. The journey begins in the Seven Portals, a fortified gateway structure housing elemental dungeons where the heroes confront corrupted guardians of ice, fire, steel, and other forces to unlock paths forward. From there, they venture into the Darkmere, a vast wilderness hub of swamps and ruins overrun by undead hordes, where a pivotal flooding event—triggered by Korax's dark rituals—submerges pathways and forces adaptive navigation amid rising waters and monstrous ambushes. Progressing to Winreborne, the seminary stronghold of the Heresiarch—a dark bishop loyal to Korax—the heroes unravel conspiracies in its cloistered halls and chapels, battling spectral forces and piecing together the betrayal's scope. The path culminates in the Castle of the Chronicler, a sanctum of fading wisdom. From there, the heroes access portals to the three Guardian levels—domains of steel, ice, and fire—where they confront and defeat the undead lords Zedek, Menelkir, and Traductus, dismantling the corrupted hierarchy through intense battles with their legions, paving the way for the final assault on Korax himself in his infernal lair, where the Serpent Rider's full wrath and the corrupted Serpent Artifacts converge in a cataclysmic showdown to shatter his reign.^[4]^[1]

Gameplay

Hexen employs a class-based gameplay system, offering players three playable characters—the Fighter, Cleric, and Mage—each with distinct stats, weapons, and abilities that encourage varied playstyles in its dark fantasy first-person shooter framework. The Fighter is a melee-oriented tank with high starting health (100 points) and armor capacity (up to 16 points), excelling in close-quarters combat through powerful physical attacks but lacking innate ranged options beyond thrown weapons. The Cleric provides a balanced approach with moderate health (100 points) and armor (up to 15 points), blending melee strikes with divine-themed ranged spells for versatile crowd control. The Mage, conversely, is a fragile glass cannon with low health (100 points) but superior speed and armor efficiency (up to 14 points), relying on potent magic for ranged dominance at the cost of durability.^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8] Each class starts with a basic melee weapon and unlocks three additional weapons through exploration, powered by two mana types—blue and green—collected as pickups scattered throughout levels; weapons consume specific mana (e.g., 1-5 units per shot for mid-tier arms, up to 18 for ultimate ones), with ammunition scarcity promoting strategic use. The Fighter's arsenal includes the Spiked Gauntlets (no mana, 40-55 damage melee punches with knockback on powered strikes), Timon's Axe (2 blue mana, 80-122 damage spinning melee), Hammer of Retribution (3 green mana, 10-80 fire damage thrown hammer with explosion), and Quietus (14 combined mana, five explosive bolts dealing 8-64 physical damage each). The Cleric wields the Mace of Contrition (no mana, 25-40 physical melee), Serpent Staff (1 blue mana, 5-40 poison damage dual sparks that drain health point-blank), Firestorm (4 green mana, 8-64 fire bolt with homing sparkles), and Wraithverge (18 combined mana, ghostly bolt spawning four guided spirits for 4-32 physical damage). The Mage's tools comprise the Sapphire Wand (no mana, 2-16 piercing physical shots), Frost Shards (3 blue mana, 1-8 ice shards that freeze and shatter foes, or 90-115 melee), Arc of Death (5 green mana, 8-64 electricity in a chaotic lightning arc lasting three seconds), and Bloodscourge (15 combined mana, three homing fireballs exploding for 4-32 direct and 80 area damage). Weapon upgrades require solving class-specific puzzles to assemble pieces, such as aligning runes or defeating guardians, tailoring progression to each character's strengths.^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9] The game's levels follow a hub-based structure across four episodes, comprising 27 single-player maps that emphasize non-linear exploration, backtracking, and key collection to unlock portals between interconnected areas like the Seven Portals hub. Unlike linear shooters, players must navigate mazelike environments, activating distant switches that alter previously visited maps, while engine features such as jumping for platforming, vertical aiming (looking up/down), and slope traversal add depth to movement. An inventory system allows management of artifacts and consumables, including the Boots of Speed (doubles movement for 30 seconds, leaving afterimages), Disc of Repulsion (repels nearby enemies and projectiles in a radius, useful for escaping crowds), Wings of Wrath (short flight bursts), and health/mana restoratives like Quartz Flasks (25 health) or Mystic Urns (full mana). Environmental navigation involves avoiding hazards like lava pits that drain health over time and crushing traps triggered by pressure plates.^[10]^[11]^[12] Multiplayer supports up to four players in deathmatch (free-for-all combat) or cooperative modes via LAN, where classes retain their unique loadouts for team-based progression through hubs. Puzzles form a core mechanic, often requiring sequential switch activations, riddle-solving via environmental clues (e.g., aligning statues to reveal paths), or timed sequences amid combat, integrating seamlessly with combat to demand both reflexes and problem-solving.^[10]^[13]

Development

Engine and Technical Features

Hexen was developed using a heavily modified version of the Doom I engine, which Raven Software licensed from id Software to build upon the foundation established in Heretic. The modifications were implemented using NeXTSTEP development tools on hardware such as 486 processors, enabling advanced sector-based scripting and other enhancements that expanded the engine's capabilities for more intricate level designs.^[14] The engine introduced several new mechanics absent from the original Doom, including player jumping, bridge-building interactions, the ability to look up and down, and dynamic lighting effects like pulsating lights to create atmospheric variations.^[15] These features were achieved through engine-level changes that increased the maximum number of visible planes to approximately four times the original limit, allowing for more complex geometry and environmental interactions without performance degradation on period hardware.^[14] Central to these advancements was the Action Code Script (ACS) system, a scripting language created specifically for Hexen that permitted level designers to implement sophisticated behaviors via compiled scripts stored in each map's BEHAVIOR lump.^[16] ACS supported sector-based operations, such as raising or lowering floors for moving platforms using functions like Floor_RaiseByValue, teleportation via Thing IDs with the Teleport special, activation/deactivation of enemies for custom behaviors, and synchronized events through tag-based triggers, far surpassing Doom's basic linedef specials.^[16] This system used integer variables scoped to world, map, or script levels and required inclusion of standard libraries like common.acs for predefined functions, providing flexibility for puzzles, traps, and ambient sound scripting.^[16] The Hexen source code was first released on January 11, 1999, under a restrictive end-user license agreement from Activision that limited non-commercial use.^[17] Raven Software officially re-released it on September 4, 2008, under the GNU General Public License version 2 or later, in collaboration with Activision, to encourage community development and learning.^[18]^[19] This open-source availability enabled ports like ZDoom, which further extended the engine for modern systems while preserving core technical features.^[18] In terms of audio and visual technology, the engine utilized patterned textures for floors and ceilings, building on Doom's flat system to enhance environmental detail, and employed MIDI-based music playback for dynamic soundtrack rendering compatible with General MIDI synthesizers or CD audio tracks recorded with Roland Sound Canvas hardware.^[16]

Design and Content Creation

Hexen was developed by Raven Software, a studio founded in 1990 by brothers Brian and Steve Raffel, with Brian Raffel serving as the project's director. Development began in late 1994, following the release of Heretic, and took approximately 10 months.^[15]^[20] The core team included level designers Michael Raymond-Judy and Eric C. Biessman, who crafted the game's interconnected world, alongside artists such as Shane Gurno and Brian Pelletier responsible for visual assets.^[20] Kevin Schilder handled both sound design and music composition, contributing to the game's immersive audio landscape.^[21] This collaborative effort built on Raven's prior experience with Heretic, shifting toward a more narrative-driven dark fantasy aesthetic inspired by medieval architecture and gothic horror elements to create foreboding environments filled with twisted castles, serpentine corridors, and eldritch ruins.^[22] The content creation process centered on constructing 27 levels distributed across three interconnected hubs—Seven Portals, Shadow Wood, and Ice and Fire—each functioning as a central node linking sub-levels through portals.^[12] Designers emphasized puzzle-adventure mechanics over straightforward combat, incorporating environmental challenges like pressure-plate puzzles, key hunts, and teleporter networks that required backtracking and strategic exploration. This hub structure was intentionally designed to promote replayability, as players often needed to revisit areas with new abilities or items unlocked from other branches, fostering a sense of progression tied to the game's lore of a fractured realm under siege by the Serpent Riders.^[12] Character and enemy designs were deeply integrated with the dark fantasy narrative, featuring three playable classes—the melee-focused Fighter, the magical Cleric, and the arcane Mage—each with unique weapon sets and abilities that reflected their mythological roles in the story's universe of ancient orders battling cosmic threats. Over 20 enemy types populated the world, drawing from mythological and monstrous archetypes; examples include the brutish ettins that charge with clubs in close-quarters assaults, agile centaurs that fire arrows from afar, and aerial reavers that unleash energy blasts while patrolling skies, all programmed with distinct AI behaviors to create dynamic encounters blending ranged evasion, ambushes, and horde tactics. Schilder's music composition utilized AdLib for FM synthesis on older hardware and General MIDI for broader compatibility, producing orchestral-style tracks that evoked atmospheric tension through brooding strings, haunting choirs, and percussive rhythms suited to the gothic settings. Representative pieces like the ominous "Winnowing Hall" theme in the Seven Portals hub layered slow-building melodies to heighten dread during exploration, while boss encounters featured more intense, swelling motifs to underscore climactic battles.^[21]

Release History

Initial Release and Platforms

Hexen: Beyond Heretic was released on October 30, 1995, for the MS-DOS platform, developed by Raven Software and published by id Software.^[23]^[24]^[25] The game was distributed through retail channels by GT Interactive Software, marking a shift from the shareware model used for earlier id Software titles like Doom to a full commercial release.^[23]^[26] The primary platform was the PC running MS-DOS, with a Macintosh port following on June 27, 1996.^[27] Recommended system requirements included an Intel 486 processor, 8 MB of RAM, VGA graphics, and support for sound cards such as the Sound Blaster for enhanced audio.^[28]^[24]^[29] These specifications ensured compatibility with mid-1990s consumer hardware, allowing the game to leverage the Doom engine's capabilities for its dark fantasy environments and gameplay mechanics. Marketed as the direct sequel to 1994's Heretic, Hexen positioned itself within the emerging dark fantasy first-person shooter genre, drawing comparisons to id Software's Doom while emphasizing medieval horror elements like spell-casting and hub-based level progression.^[15]^[30] The game's box art, illustrated by fantasy artist Gerald Brom, prominently featured the three playable heroes—the Fighter, Cleric, and Mage—standing against a foreboding gothic backdrop to evoke the game's thematic tone.^[31] Initial distribution focused on CD-ROM retail packages through GT Interactive's network, contributing to strong early sales; combined with Heretic, the titles shipped approximately one million units to retailers by August 1997, with Hexen accounting for over 250,000 copies individually.^[32] Post-launch support included the version 1.1 patch, released shortly after launch, which addressed key bugs related to hub world navigation, multiplayer connectivity, and overall stability, enabling up to eight players in network sessions.^[12]^[24]

Expansions and Ports

The sole official expansion for Hexen: Beyond Heretic is Deathkings of the Dark Citadel, released on March 22, 1996, as a paid add-on developed by Raven Software and published by id Software.^[33] It introduces 20 new single-player levels and 6 deathmatch arenas organized across three hubs—The Blight, The Constable's Gate, and The Nave—continuing the story after the defeat of the antagonist Korax with increased enemy density and puzzle complexity.^[33]^[34] Console adaptations of Hexen appeared in 1997, adapting the PC original's hub-based gameplay to controller inputs while compromising on visual fidelity due to hardware limits. The Sega Saturn and PlayStation versions, developed by Atod with assistance from Probe Entertainment and by Probe Entertainment, respectively, and published by GT Interactive, launched in April and June 1997 in North America, with simplified controls, reduced texture resolution, and omitted full-motion video sequences to fit cartridge and disc constraints.^[10]^[35]^[36]^[37] The Nintendo 64 port, handled by Software Creations and released on May 31, 1997, preserved more of the original's graphical detail and architecture but featured adjusted lighting and added support for four-player split-screen multiplayer.^[38]^[35] Subsequent official re-releases bundled Hexen in compilations for broader accessibility, though no native mobile versions were produced. It appeared in digital collections like the 2019 Steam Heretic + Hexen bundle, which integrated the base game and Deathkings expansion for modern PCs. In 2025, Bethesda Softworks and Nightdive Studios issued an enhanced edition as part of Heretic + Hexen, released on August 7 for PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and other platforms, featuring upscaled 4K visuals, 120 FPS support, improved controller integration, local and online multiplayer with cross-play, and two new collaborative episodes.^[39]^[40] Community-driven source ports have extended Hexen's lifespan on contemporary systems, emphasizing compatibility and enhancements without altering core mechanics. Ports derived from the ZDoom family, such as GZDoom, enable execution on Windows, macOS, and Linux with features like widescreen resolutions, OpenGL rendering for dynamic lighting, mouse-look controls, and extensive modding support via scripting for custom levels and assets.^[41]^[42] These efforts, maintained by open-source developers since the 2000s, allow seamless integration of the original IWAD files and expansion content for high-fidelity play on modern hardware.^[43]

Reception and Legacy

Critical Reception

Upon its release in October 1995, Hexen: Beyond Heretic received highly positive reviews from critics, who praised its innovative hub-based level structure, class system allowing for different playstyles, and atmospheric sound design that enhanced the fantasy FPS genre.^[10] The game was seen as a significant evolution from Doom and Heretic, with reviewers appreciating the emphasis on exploration, puzzles, and inventory management over linear shooting galleries.^[1] Aggregate scores reflected this acclaim, averaging around 73% across contemporary publications.^[1] Criticisms focused on the game's steep difficulty, complex puzzle-solving that could frustrate players, lack of an autosave feature, and technical bugs such as occasional crashes or performance issues on period hardware.^[10] For instance, while Computer and Video Games awarded it 93%, highlighting its replayability, PC Gamer gave it 85%, noting the challenge as both a strength and a barrier for casual players.^[1] GameSpot was more tempered at 65%, citing repetitive combat in later levels.^[1] The 1996 expansion, Deathkings of the Dark Citadel, garnered more mixed reception, averaging 62% across available reviews due to repetitive level designs and increased difficulty without substantial new mechanics, though it was appreciated for extending the campaign with 20 additional single-player maps and six deathmatch arenas.^[44] Critics noted it as solid additional content for dedicated fans but lacking the fresh innovation of the base game.^[44] Console ports in 1997 fared worse overall, with mixed to negative feedback stemming from control scheme adaptations and performance problems. The Nintendo 64 version, for example, scored 3.7 out of 10 from IGN, which described it as "ugly, slow and old," hampered by frame rate drops and outdated graphics despite some anti-aliasing improvements.^[45] PlayStation and Sega Saturn ports similarly suffered from slowdown and imprecise controls, leading Electronic Gaming Monthly to label Hexen a "Game that Should’ve Stayed on the PC."^[10] By 1997, Hexen: Beyond Heretic had sold over 250,000 copies, contributing to combined shipments of approximately 1 million units for Heretic and Hexen in North America, which bolstered Raven Software's reputation and paved the way for projects like Heretic II. As of November 2025, the 2025 re-release has received positive critical reception, with a Metacritic aggregate of 86/100 based on nine reviews praising the enhancements, new content, and preserved nostalgia, though some noted the original gameplay may feel dated for newcomers.^[46]

Modern Re-releases and Impact

In 2025, Nightdive Studios, in collaboration with id Software, released an enhanced edition of Heretic + Hexen as a definitive re-release, making the games available on modern platforms including Steam, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.^[39] This version supports 4K resolution, widescreen displays, cross-platform online co-op and deathmatch multiplayer, and quality-of-life improvements such as quicksave functionality, mid-game character switching, and customizable controls.^[47] A key addition is the new official expansion Hexen: Vestiges of Grandeur, featuring 9 levels set in a post-Korax storyline where the remnants of the Serpent Riders' influence persist, complete with new items, secrets, and a hidden bonus level.^[48] The game's community legacy remains vibrant, particularly through an extensive modding scene powered by source ports like ZDoom and its successor GZDoom, which stem from id Software's open-sourcing of the Hexen engine source code on January 11, 1999.^[49] These tools have enabled fans to create total conversions, such as Hexen: Legacy of the Serpent Riders, a prequel mod expanding the lore with new worlds invaded by the Serpent Riders before the events of Heretic and Hexen.^[50] The modding ecosystem has also fostered accessibility enhancements for modern players, including community projects like the Toby Doom Accessibility Mod, which adds options for high-contrast visuals, simplified controls, and audio cues compatible with Hexen, alongside built-in features in the 2025 re-release such as adjustable text backgrounds and chat assistance.^[51]^[52] This open-source ethos, inherited from id Software's tradition with titles like Doom, has sustained player engagement and compatibility on contemporary hardware. Culturally, Hexen forms a cornerstone of the "Serpent Riders Trilogy" alongside Heretic (1994) and Hexen II (1997), establishing a shared narrative of demonic siblings—D'Sparil, Korax, and Eidolon—threatening interdimensional realms through dark fantasy themes of corruption and hub-world exploration.^[53] Its influence extends to later games blending FPS mechanics with RPG elements, such as Dark Messiah of Might and Magic (2006), which echoes Hexen's melee combat, class choices, and atmospheric medieval horror.^[54] Preservation efforts keep the game alive in speedrunning communities, where Doomworld hosts records and demos, including optimized Cleric class runs under 40 minutes on skill 3.^[55] Retro gaming enthusiasts further celebrate it at events and showcases, reflecting its role in evolving the genre toward immersive, puzzle-driven shooters. As of November 2025, the re-release aligns with Bethesda's broader initiative to revive classic FPS titles from the id Software catalog, introducing Heretic + Hexen to new audiences via Xbox Game Pass and enhancing its ongoing relevance through updated multiplayer and modding support.^[40] This effort has reignited interest in the series, building on its foundational critical praise for innovative gameplay while ensuring accessibility for diverse players.

References

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###Weapons for Fighter Class (Hexen)
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### Weapons, Ammo, and Abilities for Cleric Class in Hexen
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### Weapons, Ammo, and Abilities for Mage Class in Hexen
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The Good These levels are more challenging than the original game, which is to be expected in an add-on pack. · The Bad This add-on pack doesn't bring any new ...
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[44]
Heretic II - Wikipedia
Heretic II is a 1998 action-adventure game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision for Microsoft Windows.
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After all these years, Heretic plays better than it ever has—and ...
Aug 11, 2025 · Though I never loved either of these games in the '90s, I reckon Heretic + Hexen is a brilliant package. Heretic benefits greatly from a ...Missing: reception | Show results with:reception
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Heretic + Hexen Release Notes - Slayers Club
Aug 7, 2025 · Originally developed by Raven Software and produced by id Software in 1994, Heretic and its 1995 sequel, Hexen, broke new ground blending ...🤼‍♂️online, Local... · ❔faqs · 🖥pc Specs
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Hexen: Vestiges of Grandeur - The Doom Wiki at DoomWiki.org
Aug 7, 2025 · "Korax lingers between life and death, his shredded corpse left behind with no semblance of life while he clings to a fresh, if fragile, ...Story · Content · New items · EssentialsMissing: expansion | Show results with:expansion
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Timeline of source port releases - The Doom Wiki at DoomWiki.org
January 3 - MBF 2.03 is released. January 11 - Raven Software releases the source code for Heretic and Hexen. January 15 - Initial release of WinHeretic.
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Hexen - Legacy Of The Serpent Riders - Welcome to the ZDoom ...
Oct 23, 2009 · It is set before the events of Heretic and Hexen. On another world the serpent riders have invaded. They have not yet reached there full power ...
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Toby Doom Accessibility Mod v8.0 (with Hexen) - YouTube
Dec 27, 2024 · PC Accessible Game Spotlight - Toby Doom Accessibility Mod v8.0 (with Hexen) · Comments.Missing: modern players
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Heretic + Hexen Accessibility Guide - Slayers Club
Aug 7, 2025 · Heretic + Hexen has several accessibility settings to increase readability of menus, assist with voice or text chat in multiplayer and to enable ...
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Serpent Riders Trilogy | Heretic Wiki - Fandom
The Serpent Riders Trilogy contains Heretic, Hexen: Beyond Heretic, and Hexen II. It was originally supposed to end with Hecatomb.
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Other games in the style of Heretic and Hexen? - Doomworld
Aug 28, 2014 · It takes place in medieval Norway and has some notable Heretic/Hexen influences. You have a set of medieval style magical weapons and gloomy ...
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Hexen Skill 3 speedrun with Cleric (and newer Void Speedrun)
Nov 24, 2005 · The hexen speedrun goes out of sync when I try to watch it. I'm using zdoom 2.0.98 as required. The cleric gets stuck on the first door and ...Heretic/Hexen: Demo ports repository - DoomworldMisc heretic & hexen demos - Page 6 - DoomworldMore results from www.doomworld.com