TintoConCasera
I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
Some days ago I finally decided to give this game a real go. Having tried it a few times in the past but never managing to clear even the first hub, it was time to make amends and finally beat what, in my humble opinion, is a gem of a game.
Why play it now tho? Well after all, game seemed to be designed for me, being heavy on both combat and exploration and being quite an example of dark fantasy done right. Had the feel that underneath the initial frustration there might be a very good game, and I think I wasn't wrong.
That's some way of being welcome to the first hub, but hey, at least it's honest.
So yeah, decided to load up GZDOOM and started my journey as the Cleric, one of the three possible classes you can choose at the start of the game, the others being the Warrior and the Mage. Each one has a total of 4 different weapons which complement themselves quite well, adding a layer of replayability.
Also decided to enable dynamic lights in GZDOOM for this one. Not the most vanilla experience, but I liked the look of it and imo it adds to the atmosphere, with things like the Afrits (flying gargoyle covered in fire) having their light source. Screenshots in this thread aren't mine and tbh, game looks at least a bit better than most of what you'll see here when played with a modern sourceport.
Afrits, starting enemy which is able to wreck your shit thanks to it's ranged attacks. Also able to nimbly avoid your projectiles because fuck you.
After beating the game with the Cleric for the first time ever, I decided that it was time for a replay with the Warrior and on max difficulty, where enemies got a big boost on speed and are far more agressive, to the point where ranged enemies won't stop attacking you for as long as you are in their field of view.
That was a problem for sure, specially at the start of the game where the Warrior doesn't have any kind of ranged attacks except for some shitty grenades. Once things get rolling and you complete your arsenal, things will get easier for all classes, but the challenge still remains. Keep in mind that the game's not only about combat, as msot times your progress will be halted not because a difficult fight, but because you get lost or haven't figured out what to do next.
This warrior is a total chad btw, dude goes save the world and the only weapon he carries at the start are his own fists.
So yeah, I really liked this game! Far more than what I was expecting since I never was a fan of Heretic in the first place. But man, this one is really cool and for sure way different of what you would expect from a DOOM clone, which this game isn't at all.
It makes a great job at differentiating itself from it's predecessors, which results in a quite unique game. Which is quite sad actually, where are my Hexen clones, uh?
Anyway, since I'm not great at writing, here are some bullet points to help me talk about the game:
What I liked...
Hey Hexen, that's quite philosophical of you, but how about giving an actual tip for once?
I like this pic. Cool looking enemy plus some cool atmosphere thanks to the rotten trees and the foggy swamp.
Some places have cool looking effects like this, but there are many that also manage to resemble the actual place it's supposed to be, adding a lot to the immersion and atmosphere.
On the 2D side, the spritework is absolutely amazing. Enemies are very cool to look at and the weapon's design and animations are the stuff of legends. Specially fond of the Mage's Arc of Death and the Cleric's Serpent Staff.
(Sorry for the potato gif, haven't been able to find anything better)
What I didn't like...
Sometimes the game will make you face a bunch of those bastards at once. Good luck!
Thanks for reading my shit mate. Hopefully this thread will make someone else try the game and who knows! I'd recommend it for players who dislike being told what to do at any given moment, who enjoy exploring on their own and aren't afraid of being stuck for a few minutes.
Maybe you'll be as pleased as me with what you find in Hexen.
And if not, well, I did my best.
Why play it now tho? Well after all, game seemed to be designed for me, being heavy on both combat and exploration and being quite an example of dark fantasy done right. Had the feel that underneath the initial frustration there might be a very good game, and I think I wasn't wrong.
That's some way of being welcome to the first hub, but hey, at least it's honest.
So yeah, decided to load up GZDOOM and started my journey as the Cleric, one of the three possible classes you can choose at the start of the game, the others being the Warrior and the Mage. Each one has a total of 4 different weapons which complement themselves quite well, adding a layer of replayability.
Also decided to enable dynamic lights in GZDOOM for this one. Not the most vanilla experience, but I liked the look of it and imo it adds to the atmosphere, with things like the Afrits (flying gargoyle covered in fire) having their light source. Screenshots in this thread aren't mine and tbh, game looks at least a bit better than most of what you'll see here when played with a modern sourceport.
Afrits, starting enemy which is able to wreck your shit thanks to it's ranged attacks. Also able to nimbly avoid your projectiles because fuck you.
After beating the game with the Cleric for the first time ever, I decided that it was time for a replay with the Warrior and on max difficulty, where enemies got a big boost on speed and are far more agressive, to the point where ranged enemies won't stop attacking you for as long as you are in their field of view.
That was a problem for sure, specially at the start of the game where the Warrior doesn't have any kind of ranged attacks except for some shitty grenades. Once things get rolling and you complete your arsenal, things will get easier for all classes, but the challenge still remains. Keep in mind that the game's not only about combat, as msot times your progress will be halted not because a difficult fight, but because you get lost or haven't figured out what to do next.
This warrior is a total chad btw, dude goes save the world and the only weapon he carries at the start are his own fists.
So yeah, I really liked this game! Far more than what I was expecting since I never was a fan of Heretic in the first place. But man, this one is really cool and for sure way different of what you would expect from a DOOM clone, which this game isn't at all.
It makes a great job at differentiating itself from it's predecessors, which results in a quite unique game. Which is quite sad actually, where are my Hexen clones, uh?
Anyway, since I'm not great at writing, here are some bullet points to help me talk about the game:
What I liked...
- The music. Better than what I heard of Heretic's OST, suits the ambience pretty nicely.
- Level design. Holy fuck, some segments are reaaaally confusing, specially the Guardian of Steel in the first hub, which I'm guessing must be what filters most players mostly because it's a prime example of "what the fuck does this button do?". Thing is, once you get used to how the game works and what it expects of the player, it's great to get lost and figure out all those interesting environments. Specially rewarding when you manage to unstuck youself.
Hey Hexen, that's quite philosophical of you, but how about giving an actual tip for once?
- Atmosphere. A mix of the two previous things results in a very immersive game that succeeds at portraying a world in decay. Peak 90's dark fantasy.
- Enemy design. For a dark fantasy nerd like me this was very cool too. Gargoyles, two headed dudes, evil wizards and more.
I like this pic. Cool looking enemy plus some cool atmosphere thanks to the rotten trees and the foggy swamp.
- Weapon design. Some weapons have two ways to be used instead of just one, something that's quite impressive imo for a game released in 1995. Their visual design is also awesome across the board.
- Graphics. On the 3D side, they manage to make it look like a bit closer to actual places than DOOM, ending up being somewhat closer to Build Engine games like Duke Nukem rather than DOOM I & II. Geometry is much more complex too, seeing a cave crumble on this engine is quite impressive.
Some places have cool looking effects like this, but there are many that also manage to resemble the actual place it's supposed to be, adding a lot to the immersion and atmosphere.
On the 2D side, the spritework is absolutely amazing. Enemies are very cool to look at and the weapon's design and animations are the stuff of legends. Specially fond of the Mage's Arc of Death and the Cleric's Serpent Staff.
(Sorry for the potato gif, haven't been able to find anything better)
What I didn't like...
- Combat is a bit meh on any difficulty but the highest one. Also there's a boss that's not just "shoot it until it dies" which might be a bit confusing if you don't realize what's going on.
- Those fucking centaurs. Most are fine but there are some that shoot projectiles (Slaughtaurs) and guess what... both types share the same sprite.
Sometimes the game will make you face a bunch of those bastards at once. Good luck!
- Classes aren't quite balanced imo. The cleric is too overpowered thanks to it's final weapon the Wraithverge, which must be the most poweful shit ever put in a game. Across all classes, some weapons suck ass while others are much more useful, which is a mistake imo.
- The expansion... for what I've played it's not as fun as the main game, mainly because lots of Slaughtaurs everywhere almost from the get go.
Thanks for reading my shit mate. Hopefully this thread will make someone else try the game and who knows! I'd recommend it for players who dislike being told what to do at any given moment, who enjoy exploring on their own and aren't afraid of being stuck for a few minutes.
Maybe you'll be as pleased as me with what you find in Hexen.
And if not, well, I did my best.
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