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What's the legacy of Hexen: Beyond Heretic?

Deleted member 3534

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Oct 25, 2017
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Am I alone in thinking Hexen: Beyond Heretic still has some of the best atmosphere ever?

It's been ages since I last played this game and the first day of October seemed like a perfect time to fire it up and give it a go, being cold and dreary outside. I wasn't disappointed. There's something about this games atmosphere. Nothing since then has scratched quite the same itch and it seems utterly unique even to this day. The closest I can think of is some areas from the first Dark Souls. I first played the game on the Nintendo 64 of all places and I guess that version of the game isn't remembered fondly. I never got all that far into the game because of its hard as balls difficulty and esoteric design but it left a lasting impression. Being a kid at the time and not following games media or the trends of the day, how was this series viewed at the time and what was its lasting legacy? Did it even have one?

It's one of the most memorable Doom clones to me but I never see it mentioned by anyone ever anywhere.
 
Pasokon Deacon

Pasokon Deacon

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Oct 25, 2017
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Devil Halton's Trap
It's inspired a decent amount of amateur Doom-engine maps and mods, but Hexen's seen as a dead end in FPS design from that era too. I like it for what it is, though I find Heretic more palatable and immediate. The hub system's found use in games like Strife.
 
dyslex666

dyslex666

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Nov 1, 2017
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It's great and the franchise needs a reboot. I just recently replayed it with gzdoom and it's awesome.
Some people would frown at my mouselook but it's a better game for it.
 
sredgrin

sredgrin

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Oct 27, 2017
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Should probably check out Amid Evil if you haven't yet.
 

Deleted member 419

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Oct 25, 2017
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As far as influencing later games goes, there was a fantastic Hexen/Heretic spiritual successor that released earlier this year:

 
ColdSun

ColdSun

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Oct 25, 2017
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Heretic, Hexen, and Heretic II were all incredible in their own ways. Definitely some of my fondest memories of that period of gaming (Blood is another)
 
Noogy

Noogy

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This thread warms my heart as Hexen is one of my favorite FPS. The atmosphere (and music) in the swampy areas are still fantastic to this day. I still try to do a full playthrough once every year or so.

I loved Heretic, and the Hexen sequels were alright. But the original Hexen was something else. I was actually offered a position at Raven way back, and gushed about how much I loved the series during the interview.
 
Jimnymebob

Jimnymebob

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Oct 26, 2017
19,599
I remember loving Hexen, and it was one of the first PC games I completed. I don't remember the game at all now, and have no idea how well it'd hold up.
 

mclem

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Oct 25, 2017
13,449
I'm very fond of Hexen, I have to say. The things it did with the bog-standard Doom engine were incredible, and I loved the less-linear hub-world design, along with the increased focus on puzzles.

At some point I need to get around to playing Deathkings of the Dark Citadel, I've got it knocking around here somewhere...

It's been a very, very long time since I looked at the addon levels / total conversion scene, were there any notable WAD packs for Hexen released?
 
lazygecko

lazygecko

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Oct 25, 2017
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I think Hexen became sort of emblematic of all the bad parts about cryptic, maze-like level design of mid 90s Doom clones. Most people probably never got past the first hub area. I think Hexen 2 was more memorable and atmospheric even if it largely suffers from the same kinds of problems. It really does feel more like an action RPG running in the Quake engine than Hexen did (and ironically is probably closer to the original design vision of Quake).

Now, Take No Prisoners, that's a cool Quake engine Raven game from the same period no one ever talks about.
 
WellbornWarrior

WellbornWarrior

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Oct 27, 2017
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Surprised to hear that Heretic 2 is not remembered fond of.

That siad, I only played through it with cheats at a very young age, so my memory of it is a bit hazy. But I remember liking the story and killing stuff with the extendable spear.
 

Apo

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Oct 28, 2017
401
Who owns the Heretic / Hexen franchise?

I would really like to see a modern sequel.
 
Jazzkokehead

Jazzkokehead

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lazygecko said:
I think Hexen became sort of emblematic of all the bad parts about cryptic, maze-like level design of mid 90s Doom clones. Most people probably never got past the first hub area. I think Hexen 2 was more memorable and atmospheric even if it largely suffers from the same kinds of problems. It really does feel more like an action RPG running in the Quake engine than Hexen did (and ironically is probably closer to the original design vision of Quake).
Click to expand...
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Nah. As incredibly obtuse as Hexen can be at times, the levels in Hexen 2 are far, far worse. Hexen is still fun to play these days, even if I'd recommend any newcomers to keep a walkthrough handy; I would tell anyone thinking of playing Hexen 2 for the first time to stay away.
 
Ifrit

Ifrit

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Oct 27, 2017
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One of my favorite games of the era, I think it has aged well, maybe except for some pretty hidden switches in those levels and maybe the limited weapons. Hexen 2 was good too and expanded pretty well the concept with leveling up and puzzles not designed around switches, unfortunately still being obscure as fuck so you get lost pretty easily.

lazygecko said:
Now, Take No Prisoners, that's a cool Quake engine Raven game from the same period no one ever talks about.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Wow, how come I've never heard of this one?
 
gagewood

gagewood

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Oct 25, 2017
1,206
Hexen was awesome! I loved that and Heretic dearly.

The hub level design and backtracking can get a little tedious but Hexen is still a blast to play. Raven did a great job expanding on linear FPS gameplay. The environments are dark and brooding, which is something people disliked compared to Heretic having a "cleaner" aesthetic.

Overall Hexen probably doesn't get the love it's strongest fans would insist it deserves, but it and Heretic played significant roles in the mid-90s FPS boom.
 
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