Heretic + Hexen is a bundled and remastered version of the original mid-90s games. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying!
Heretic + Hexen Review Overview
What is Heretic + Hexen?
Heretic + Hexen is the rereleased version of id Software and Bethesda’s original mid-90s spell-casting shooters, complete with whole new episodes, improved accessibility, a remixed soundtrack, dedicated mod support, and other modern gaming garnishes like save/load functionality and engine fixes.
Heretic + Hexen features:
⚫︎ 5 unique games, including 2 new episodes
⚫︎ 117 campaign maps
⚫︎ 120 deathmatch maps
⚫︎ Online cross-platform deathmatch and co-op for up to 16 players
⚫︎ Local split-screen deathmatch and co-op for up to 8 players
 Steam |
 PlayStation |
 Xbox |
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| Price | $14.99 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Heretic + Hexen Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Authentic as Can Be Simple, Retro Gameplay Great Accessibility Options |
More Nostalgia Than Anything Niche Appeal in Modern Gaming New Episodes Don’t Switch Things Up |
Heretic + Hexen Overall Score - 70/100
Heretic + Hexen is a package built for a very specific niche: those who grew up with one or both of the originals. Without that nostalgia, most new players are unlikely to stick around for long. That said, these remain masterpieces of their era, foundational works that shaped the genre. It’s just that time has caught up with them, as it will with all games eventually—and this rerelease is where that inevitability shows.
Heretic + Hexen Story - 6/10
The story is par for the course…for its time. From a modern perspective, it feels dated in an era where narrative often takes center stage. The sprawling introductions and bits of set dressing show effort and quality, but their impact is muted unless you’re the kind of player who can appreciate storytelling the way it was done back then.
Heretic + Hexen Gameplay - 6/10
It’s good—just not this time. The formula that birthed an entire sub-genre remains intact and historically important, but it’s begging for evolution. For those who lived it decades ago, its appeal is timeless; for newcomers, it can still entertain, but it’s unlikely to inspire the same devotion it once did.
Heretic + Hexen Visuals - 8/10
That unmistakable boomer shooter style is alive and kicking here—loud, proud, and easy to appreciate even if you didn’t grow up pre-Y2K. It can feel a bit overwhelming at times and doesn’t always translate gracefully to bigger screens, but it’s still a welcome visual blast from the past that deserves recognition.
Heretic + Hexen Audio - 9/10
The soundtrack is an absolute standout—both in its original form and the modern remixes—and it’s the kind of music you’d happily drop into a gaming playlist without hesitation. The voice acting holds up remarkably well, too, carrying none of the creaks you might expect from a decades-old title.
Heretic + Hexen Value for Money - 6/10
Whether this is a worthwhile purchase really depends on your taste and your history with the original Heretic and Hexen games. It’s a distilled retro experience through and through, with little in the way of modern flourishes. If you go in expecting nothing more than that, you’ll be right at home.
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Heretic + Hexen Review: Masterworks From A Different Time
I wouldn’t survive retro video games—and as humiliating as that is to admit, it’s the truth. We’ve all seen the “back in my day” memes lamenting the absence of permadeath and the supposed mindlessness of modern gaming. Debatable, sure, but not without some truth, as I’ve come to realize.
Heretic + Hexen was not for me, and I don’t mean that as a slight. It’s simply not built for my modern gaming sensibilities. This is a retro homage dressed up for modern audiences, complete with new bells and whistles, but its core remains firmly rooted in old-school design. For its target audience, that’s a blessing. For me, it’s a hurdle.
It is a good game—or rather, it was. This re-release, though, is now subject to modern eyes and modern expectations. Does the nostalgia still hold up? Let’s find out.
Era-defining Storytelling Across Many, Many Episodes
Before we get any further, let’s set some expectations so we’re clear on what’s actually being reviewed here. To avoid critiquing a decades-old game by standards it was never built to meet, Heretic + Hexen will be judged solely on its merit as a re-release.
Within that context, the gameplay will be assessed through a modern lens, as will the new episodes and the extras bundled into this package. What won’t be critiqued is the retro style, the integrity or depth of its original story, or the legacy it’s carried over the years. All set? Good—let’s start with the story.
Heretic + Hexen is very much a product of its era. This was when id Software was still riding the hellish coattails of DOOM, fantasy aesthetics were at a peak, and arcade-style storytelling was the norm. As a result, its narrative is a blend of all three: detailed enough to set the mood, but hardly seamless. It’s not The Last of Us, where story and gameplay are intertwined—it’s more like a game of hot potato, tossing you between exposition and action.
For its time, when story was rarely the main draw, that approach worked just fine. But here, the focus is on the two new episodes—one for Heretic and one for Hexen. And to keep it brief, they’re more of the same, very much by design. That’s great for maintaining the vibe and authenticity of the originals, but for a modern audience, it’s about as relevant as a floppy disk.
Many players on this side of the millennium already struggle with the exposition-heavy openings and detail-light follow-through of retro storytelling, so adding two more episodes in that style isn’t going to change any minds. But if you were already hooked, these additions are worth noting because they give you more of the exact flavor you were after.
I won’t dive too deep into the specifics to avoid spoiling things for newcomers to Heretic/Hexen lore, but the structure sticks to the tried-and-true “stop the bad guys” formula. It’s not nuanced, and it doesn’t bother with much in the way of characterization, but it doesn’t need to; the gameplay was never built to carry a layered narrative. It’s straightforward, easy to follow, and steeped in dark fantasy. Just don’t expect Fate or The Elder Scrolls, and you’ll be fine.
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DOOM, But D&D, But Also Still DOOM
There’s really not much to unpack here in terms of complexity, and that’s exactly how retro it is. That’s not a dig at its gameplay quality; I’m sure it was an absolute blast back in its heyday, and it can still be now if you’re in tune with that style. If you can wrap your head around DOOM (not Eternal, not 2016, and yes, even older than Final Doom), then you can handle Heretic, Hexen, their sequels, and the new episodes without breaking a sweat.
It’s FPS boiled down to its purest form. You’ve still got health packs, ammo pickups, enemy HP bars, and fully explorable 3D maps, but that’s the bulk of it. If you’re expecting modern movement systems, you might be in for a rude awakening because there’s not much dynamic mobility here. You run. That’s pretty much it. Sure, there are occasional flying segments and teleporters, but otherwise it’s 100+ levels of straight running and gunning.
What about your guns? Alt-fire? Weapon attachments? ADS for precision? Nope, nope, and absolutely not. You’ve got a crosshair, you’ve got a gun—welcome to the 90s. That might sound limiting, but it keeps things refreshingly straightforward. Anyone with a quarter and ten spare minutes could jump right in, though the arcade analogy feels about as old as the game itself.
Variety mostly comes from the arsenal you pick up along the way, and both Heretic and Hexen deliver a fair spread of weapons to play with. Still, the real standout feature for their time was the class system. Nowadays, class-based shooters are everywhere, but back then, when variety usually meant swapping between a shotgun and a rocket launcher, this was a genuine novelty.
The catch? You only get three classes: melee, ranged, and melee-with-a-shield. I’m skipping their actual names because they’re basically flavor dressing. Each plays distinctly, but for your own sanity, I’d recommend sticking with ranged. It’s closest to the DOOM-style formula and far more forgiving than the up-close options, which can be punishing if you’re not already steeped in retro FPS muscle memory.
And that, conveniently, leads us to the pixelated pachyderm in the room: my retro shooter skills—or lack thereof. Let’s just say they’re not so much “rusty” as “entirely unrefined,” and Heretic and Hexen were happy to remind me of that fact at every turn.
Yeah, It’s Too Hard, I’ll Admit It—Happy Now?
Okay, go ahead. Get the jokes out now—the Gen Z gamer thinks the retro classics are “too hard.” Yeah, yeah, I hear you. Sarcasm aside, though, it’s the truth. And not to misuse the term (or the era), but this really is the Dark Souls of FPS games. Honestly, a lot of shooters from this decade could’ve worn that crown, given how little room for error they offered even on their “easiest” settings.
Enemies? Plentiful and tanky. Power-ups? Rare enough to make you wonder if you imagined the last one. Save points? Forget it—your best friend is the quicksave button, if the re-release even lets you lean on it. And as for secrets… unless you’ve got the spatial intuition of a psychic architect, you’re going to be wandering in circles, second-guessing every wall, wondering if you’ve found the exit or just stumbled onto a tiny health boost that buys you maybe two extra seconds of survival.
It’s brutal, it’s unapologetic, and it takes no prisoners. And honestly, that was the point. This is the design philosophy of the ‘90s distilled—sharp edges left unfiled, a game that twists the knife when you slip. And in playing it, I have to concede: the ‘90s kids were right. We do have it easier now.
While I’ll gladly tip my hat to its authenticity, here’s my counterpoint: for the average modern gamer, Heretic + Hexen isn’t all that fun, and even the new episodes don’t really fix that. I can appreciate keeping the original vision intact, but I would’ve liked some frills. Not roguelite mechanics, not battle passes, not some cynical microtransaction shop—but a little something fresh that still fits the world.
New weapons? Additional classes? Even just one more archetype to mix things up? Anything diegetic to the original games yet wholly new would’ve gone a long way. As it stands, the additions are mostly about making a nearly 30-year-old game play nicely on modern platforms. Still, credit where it’s due: the multiplayer support and sheer number of stages included are nothing short of impressive.
On top of that, the accessibility features are robust—plenty of options to tweak how you play, ensuring folks from all walks of life can dive in comfortably. Whether you’re a squad of fresh-faced newcomers or a clan of grizzled veterans, the game can flex to meet your needs. That’s pretty cool, even if the thrill factor lands unevenly depending on which side of the nostalgia fence you’re standing on.
Better an Homage Than A Re-release
This is a tricky verdict to land on. On one hand, I have to admit these games were never meant for me, not to enjoy as nostalgia, not to revisit with rose-tinted memories. On the other hand, they’re here now, in my time, and still open to being judged by my preferences. So it’s only fair to weigh both perspectives.
Heretic and Hexen are masterpieces of their era—genre-shaping, maybe even genre-defining—and beloved by those who grew up with them. But in the context of this rerelease, that legacy is a double-edged sword. Its niche audience is its core (and likely only) market, while the package doesn’t offer much to catch the eye of players raised on the modern gaming buffet.
The accessibility options are excellent, the new episodes add welcome value to what could have been a barebones repackaging of old IPs that might otherwise be collecting dust, and I enjoyed touches like the remixed soundtrack, modern conveniences like proper save/load, and the still-solid core gameplay. But when all’s said and done, it’s hard to shake the feeling that this is, at its heart, a nostalgia package.
This alienates a lot of modern players—myself included—but for those who can meet it on its own terms, there’s still a lot of value here. It’s a good game, just one whose impact will vary wildly depending on how fondly you can wander back down memory lane. And if you have no memories there at all, well… you still might not regret the trip.
Is Heretic + Hexen Worth It?
Depends On What Nostalgia is Worth
It’s hard to say this will be worth it when that worth hinges almost entirely on your nostalgia for the originals. This isn’t a remake or a full remaster—it’s a re-release with fewer bells and whistles than many might hope for, so whether its $14.99 price tag feels fair is going to vary wildly. If you’re chasing something layered and stimulating, you’ll want to pass.
But if retro style and gameplay are both your thing (yes, both—looking at you, ULTRAKILL fans), then it might be worth parting with a few bucks to relive the magic… and maybe toss in a few more for good measure.
| Digital Storefronts | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam |
PlayStation |
Xbox |
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| Price | $14.99 | |||||||
Heretic + Hexen FAQ
What Games Are In Heretic + Hexen?
Heretic + Hexen includes the following games:
⚫︎ Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders
⚫︎ Hexen: Beyond Heretic
⚫︎ Hexen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel
⚫︎ Heretic: Faith Renewed
⚫︎ Hexen: Vestiges of Grandeur
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Heretic + Hexen Product Information
 |
|
| Title | HERETIC + HEXEN |
|---|---|
| Release Date | July 17, 2025 |
| Developer | id Software, Nightdive Studios |
| Publisher | Bethesda Softworks |
| Supported Platforms | PC (Steam) PlayStation 5 PlayStation 4 Xbox Series X|S Xbox One |
| Genre | RPG, Action, Shooting |
| Number of Players | 1-16 Online and Loca Multiplayer |
| ESRB Rating | ESRB Teen |
| Official Website | Heretic + Hexen Website |
