Heretic + Hexen isn't Nightdive's most essential remaster but it is perhaps its most fascinating, and makes for a cracking portal into retro FPS history
August is the new Christmas for gen Xers and elder-millennials who go all misty eyed upon hearing the word “gibs”. Nightdive’s annual remaster of an FPS classic has become as much a QuakeCon tradition as judging who’s got the filthiest keyboard, the one present guaranteed to be under the event’s dripping, corpse-festooned tree.
Heretic + HexenDeveloper: id Software, Nightdive StudiosPublisher: Bethesda SoftworksPlatform: Played on PCAvailability: Out now on PC (Steam, GOG), PS4 and PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2
Honestly though, it snuck up on me this year. With the first two Dooms and both original Quakes revived, remastered, and expanded, what heroes of yore remain in id and Bethesda’s sepulchral archive to resurrect? Nightdive responds to this by breaking down the door dual-wielding its most intriguing offering yet: Raven Software’s fantasy Doom clone Heretic and its peculiar, peregrinating cousin Hexen.
Both games receive the same treatment as those aforementioned FPS titans – a technical overhaul, a rerecorded soundtrack, full mod support and a new episode for both games. But the challenge here is different. Nobody needed convincing to replay Doom or Quake; the onus was instead on doing those undisputed classics justice. But Heretic and Hexen don’t have the same reputation. The former is basically Doom wearing a dressing gown, while the latter is an intriguing experiment in FPS level design many would argue failed. Even in Nightdive’s care, can these two hastily-conjured products of mid-90s Doom-mania really hold up in 2025?
Heretic-ing a lot of boxes…
The short answer is yes, albeit to different extents and for different reasons. We’ll start with Heretic, wherein elf-mage Corvus embarks on a meandering quest to defeat the sorcerous serpent rider D’Sparil. Heretic follows Doom’s template closely, but paints in even bolder colours than id Software’s 1993 masterpiece. It also sprinkles a few new ideas on top of id Software’s design, such as the ability to look up and down, and a simple inventory system where you can select and use certain items you’ve picked up on demand.
