Okay, so let’s dive into this. There’s something about those classic games from ‘94 and ‘95 – Heretic and Hexen – that just… I don’t know, they stick with you. Maybe it’s that nostalgic vibe they’ve got. Anyway, now they’re back, and it’s kinda like when you find an old favorite sweater you forgot you had. This re-release by id Software and Nightdive Studios is like that. Dusty treasure reimagined for today’s crowd.
There’s this video—I saw it somewhere, and I swear, the way they brought everything back to life made me all sorts of fuzzy inside. Nostalgia overload. Who even needs a new storyline when you’ve got Raven Software’s classic magic at play?
Ah, where was I? Right, the dude behind it all, Brian Raffel, was saying it’s weird seeing his old creations alive again – as if they never really left. The games were built on this old Doom engine, but he and his team tinkered with it, like, adding new stuff that sounded a bit like gibberish back then. Imagine fiddling with a beat-up car until it’s… I dunno, a spaceship?
The camaraderie with id Software folks, especially legends like Romero and Carmack, helped them shape worlds that somehow still matter. The adventure’s steeped in the kind of 80s and 90s fantasy vibes—maces, wands, weirdly designed monsters. Mike Rubits from id Software mentioned how that fantasy angle was barely touched in shooters back then. Sounds hardcore, right?
But wait, this next bit’s cool. Romero actually tossed in the whole character class idea in Hexen. Wild thing for its time—RPG meets FPS. Who does that? Each class having its own quirks, turning the universe into something with texture, not just mindless shooting. That tweak made Hexen stand out, gave it a soul, I reckon.
Now, there are neat features in the re-release like split-screen multiplayer – a dream for anyone who loves old-school couch gaming. Oh, and they added this shiny “Tome of Power” soundtrack. Yeah, Andrew Hulshult jazzed it up or something. Plus, there’s a Raven Vault with all the behind-the-scenes stuff. Who doesn’t love peeking behind the curtains?
Speaking of new stuff, Heretic + Hexen didn’t just stop at bringing back the old. They’ve chucked in brand-spanking-new episodes too. Xaser Acheron from Nightdive said they were super human about it. Cranked out episodes like nobody’s business.
Samuel Villarreal even started crafting maps just because, you know, why not? He basically rolled into work with near-finished work. Kudos to the guy. Complete go-getter vibes. And Not Jabba—well, the name alone—chucked in these huge maps. Powerhouses, these folks.
So whether you’re reliving the shadowy realms or facing them for the first time, you’ve got Raven, id, and Nightdive to thank. It’s gaming history being brought back with flair. Raffel couldn’t stop gushing about the fans who’ve kept these virtual realms alive all these years. It’s their passion that stoked these flames.
What’s more? It’s out now on PS5 and PS4. So, you gonna dive back in or what?
