DLC Review: Heretic + Hexen – Faith Renewed & Vestiges of Grandeur
I know. I’m six months late with this review. I apologize. But, with all that’s been going on in the world of gaming, it can sometimes be a little tough to carve out the time to take an in depth look at every new update. Regardless, I’ve finally had a chance to play these latest versions of both Heretic and Hexen and I have lots of thoughts. Who would have ever imagined that we’d be talking about these two games in the mid-2020’s? But, considering how Bethesda recently released an updated version of Doom and Doom II, I guess it should really be no surprise that they would extend the treatment to both Heretic and Hexen. If you’re familiar with the recent updates to Doom, then you already know what to expect here. Both Heretic and Hexen have been updated with the modern version of the Doom engine and bundled together for re-release on multiple platforms. This new update includes official native widescreen support, a frontend for mods, and a re-recorded soundtrack. This bundle also includes a new official episode for each game. When it comes to the new enhancements, there’s really no debate. If you want to play Doom engine games on modern hardware, this is the version you want to play. The days of relying on open-source engines and community created frontends is over. This bundle is THE WAY to play Heretic and Hexen on modern systems. Period. So, with that out of the way, let’s talk about the new playable content.
Faith Renewed is the name of the new Heretic chapter. It’s the second official expansion for the game. In terms of storyline, it picks up right where Shadow of the Serpent Riders left off. Admittedly, the new story isn’t very compelling. Apparently, after the events of the previous expansion, Corvus continued to explore the strange new world before him and challenge the evils therein. That’s the whole gist of it. While the new episode may lack a detailed storyline, it excels in terms of challenge and level design. This new episode features some of the most brilliant level design I’ve seen out of any Heretic levels. It’s clear that the dev team has a solid mastery of the engine and knows how to push it past its intended limits. Everything from the new maps,to the enemy placement is just some of the best I’ve seen from this game. On top of that, Bethesda even took the time to design a few new enemies and even added an entirely new weapon to game. It’s assumed that anyone playing this new expansion is going to be experienced with the game. I say this because these levels are the more challenging than any other of the previously released episodes. If you’re going to tackle this add-on, you’re going to need to be skilled in all things Heretic.
Next up, we have Vestiges of Grandeur. This is the second official expansion to Hexen and it continues the story immediately following the events of Deathkings of the Dark Citadel. For many, including myself, Deathkings was a bit of a let down. It felt grindy and not particularly entertaining. I always viewed that expansion as a bit of a cheap money grab. Thankfully, that is not the case with this new add on. What we have here is a series of levels designed to take everything that Hexen has to offer and present it in a new and extremely challenging way. The puzzles that made the original game feel unique are back with this add on. To complete this episode, players will need to hunt down a total of nine special items and re-challenge Korax for the final time. As was the case the new Heretic expansion, Vestiges is only for the most hardcore Hexen fans. It will take everything you know about the base game and make you applying in an environment that’s more challenging than anything you’ve faced before. Considering these new chapters are add-ons to games that are now thirty years old, it’s difficult to come up with new things to say about them. They take the best things from these classic games and present them in a new way, using the three-decades of player feedback and development knowledge. These new levels are only available with the new Heretic + Hexen bundle. If you own the previous versions on Steam or GOG, you will automatically receive this new update for free.
Overall Impression: Again, Bethesda comes through with two great expansions to two legendary games. These new episodes add a fresh challenge while keeping with the old school design philosophy. This update is certainly worth your time if you’re a fan of the original games.
Value: For PC players who purchased these games on Steam or GOG, you will get this update and the new expansions free of charge. If not, or if you want to play on a modern console, the bundle is only $15. This price is a steal for the amount of content you will get.
Other Reviews In This Series:
Heretic – Hexen – Hexen II – Heretic II
