Heretic + Hexen Fast spells, dark corridors, 16-player co-op

In 1994 and 1995, Raven Software took a modified DOOM engine and did something bolder than another corridor shoot-out. Heretic swapped shotguns for staffs and gave you an inventory of magic items. Hexen went further: character classes, connected hub worlds, puzzles that span whole maps. Vertical aiming, usable items, distinct playstyles, ideas first-person shooters still lean on. This re-release gathers both games with their expansions, adds two all-new episodes made with people from id Software and Nightdive Studios, and polishes the whole thing until it runs clean on modern screens. You drop an egg, a charging enemy turns into a chicken, and you finish it off with your staff. That is Heretic.

The inventory is what sets these apart from their gun-toting cousin. You pick up artifacts and decide when to use them: a ring of invulnerability saved for the ambush you can hear coming, flight to reach a ledge the level dangles in front of you, that egg for the moment a horde stops being funny. The Tome of Power supercharges your current weapon while it lasts, and it changes how each one behaves against different enemies. Heretic's weapons stay punchy and varied, from an elven wand to a fire mace. Hexen gives each class its own four, from the fighter's hammer to the mage's frost shards. Some of Heretic's weapons feel similar to each other, but the item game keeps fights interesting.

Hexen is not a shooter you can play on autopilot. You pick a Warrior, Mage or Cleric, each with different stats and weapons, and explore interconnected hub levels where pulling a switch here opens a door two maps away. It is cryptic by design, and in 1995 that meant wandering with no hints at all. This version softens the blow without flattening the game: objective markers on the automap highlight the next portal, switch or key, and you can swap your class at a hub if your first pick is not working out. The Cleric even gained a shield that can parry and deflect projectiles. The puzzles can still exhaust you, and some progress hides behind secrets, but figuring Hexen out feels earned.

Both games were built for multiplayer in the 90s, and this re-release makes that easy again. Online co-op and deathmatch support up to 16 players across platforms, and local split-screen handles up to 8 on one screen. There are 120 deathmatch maps alongside the 117 campaign maps, so there is plenty to fight over. Co-op suits these games well: Hexen's puzzles become something to argue through together, and Heretic's ambushes are funnier when someone else walks into them first. Joining a lobby and jumping into a round takes minutes, and the enhanced soundtrack by Andrew Hulshult is toggleable if you would rather have the original score behind your fireballs.