Review of Heretic and Hexen Games

Wow, so… where to start with this thing? Heretic and Hexen, huh? Suddenly they make a comeback on consoles after, what, a bazillion years? They used to chill out on the original PlayStation, Saturn, and the mystical N64. Now, Nightdive Studios is acting like a magician, pulling them out of a hat for the Switch. And not just the basics—oh no! We’re talking original games, Hexen’s “Deathkings of the Dark Citadel” expansion, and fresh expansions for both games. It’s like a buffet of pixels and nostalgia!

Okay, Heretic. Kind of like Doom, but not really? It’s like they slapped swords and wizard hats onto it. But not in a bad way! Sure, the poor thing’s got the same tech limitations as Doom’s early days, but there’s a bit more flair to the maps. Honestly, though, comparing weapons and foes in Heretic and Doom is like seeing doppelgangers at a medieval fair.

Now bear with me here, Hexen—whoa, it’s like a whole new ballgame. Three classes to pick from, each with their own funky weapons and powers. Think Zelda meets Metroid wrapped up in a Doom-esque package. It doesn’t stick to straight paths; it’s more of a “let’s wander and solve puzzles” vibe.

Oh, and about those expansions… three of ’em. Heretic gets a new one called “Faith Renewed”—stunning stuff. Hexen has two: Deathkings is the elder statesman from ’96, while “Vestiges” and “Grandeur” are the newbies. Honestly, the new expansions are pretty swanky but maybe can’t totally steal the classic game’s shimmer.

Side rant time. What’s up with the save system? It’s a hot mess. You’d think juggling five different games would mean each has its own little memory shelf. Nope, just one save slot that gets shared like the last snack at a party. Who thought that was a good idea? Switching games? Oops, there goes your last save. Not even close to user-friendly.

Visuals! Nightdive didn’t reinvent the wheel—kept things straightforward. You get HD because again, it’s the Switch, not Switch 2. And about those skyboxes when using the full HUD? They kinda do the Humpty Dump back to the bottom. Could be a bug from the past or just this release messing up—who knows!

So about that N64 version… nostalgia alert! Best home console take of Hexen yet? Perhaps. It missed some cutscenes but beat out those other console versions. Playing it now, though, left me wishing for a filter option. Unfiltered sprites look golden in HD, but man, the textures scream chaos. Throw in a filter or go CRT-style, please?

End of the day, Heretic + Hexen means one game that’s pretty ace and another that basically rocks socks off. New and old content are like cherries on top, though yeah, the saving system’s clunky, and modern display choices could use a boost. Just imagine a CRT filter—pure bliss. Even so, remember when we’d dust off crusty old consoles for this? Totally a step up. Fingers crossed for more of the series down the line!