HeXen II Demo

Raven Software developed a bunch of iconic first-person shooters since the studio open its gates, including names like Return to the Castle Wolfenstein and HeXen. Obviously, due to their constant cooperation with id Software, most of the games felt and played like Quake or Doom, but that didn’t make them any less good on their own.

HeXen II is the obvious sequel to the first part and it continues the story from where the previous episode left it, although it also ties to the Heretic series in a way. A lot of interesting technical improvements were integrated as well, most of which made the gameplay a lot more fun and responsive. Still, the core concept is the same and any fan of the original release should feel more or less at home in this sequel as well.

The background story talks about one of the last Serpent Riders to terrorize the world, Eidolon. He also happens to be the most powerful of them, so challenging him is the ultimate test. Naturally, you must defeat his generals beforehand, which are actually the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and they each have a substantial amount of power by themselves.

To keep the dark fantasy theme going, you must choose one of the four character classes in the beginning and experience a different playthrough depending on the skills and abilities of the chosen class. Hence, you can either play as the Paladin, the Necromancer, the Crusader, or the Assassin. Each one of them comes with advantages and disadvantages, but what truly matters is that you can finish the game four times and not have the same experience twice.

Visually, the game now supports a lot more resolutions and you can still enjoy it even today, although the HUD shrinks way too much when you increase the resolution past a certain point. Other than that, the environments are moody and detailed, while each continent you get to visit features a different theme and architectural style. The monsters are nicely animated and smart enough to pose a challenge on higher difficulty levels.

All things considered, HeXen II is not as bright or as revolutionary as the first episode was, but it comes pretty close in terms of quality. Hence, if you are curious how the genre looked and felt when it was barely beginning to take the shape we all know today, this can very well be on your must-have list.