Let’s play some word association. I say ‘iD Software,’ you say… Doom? Quake? Wolfenstein, perhaps? For real FPS heads, the names Heretic and Hexen may also come to mind. Produced and published by iD in the mid 1990s, but developed by Raven Software (the folks now responsible for overseeing Call of Duty Warzone) these two shooters are extremely close cousins to Doom and Quake. Now they’re getting another chance to shine. Nightdive Studios – the remaster specialist that has already tackled the likes of System Shock and the early Turok games – has worked its magic once more, with the new Heretic and Hexen bundle that features enhanced versions of both these iconic FPS games. The best part? It’s out right now.
Announced during the welcome livestream for this year’s QuakeCon event, iD has unveiled the Heretic and Hexen bundle that Nightdive has cooked up. This collection brings together all three episodes of the original Heretic, Hexen and its Deathkings of the Dark Citadel expansion, plus two all-new episodes (one for each game) that have been jointly created by iD and Nightdive. Yes, 30 years on, these iconic, sorcery-infused FPS games ever are getting new content. Wild stuff.
Heretic and Hexen also features split-screen co-op and online multiplayer support. Incredibly, it can support up to eight-player local split-screen for its Deathmatch mode. For online multiplayer, there’s full crossplay across PC and consoles, again ensuring no one is getting left out.
While the original look and feel of the game remains, it’s received a huge performance boost. Nightdive guarantees that it’ll run at 60fps in 1080p on all platforms, with more powerful systems able to achieve up to 120fps at 4K. There’s also the option to have the games’ original music playing while you’re slaying, but this bundle also comes “the enhanced (Tome of Power) soundtrack by composer Andrew Hulshult.”
A bonus feature called the Raven Vault has also been added, which is a stash of early character models, concept art, and other behind-the-scenes info relating to the creation of both games.
The Heretic and Hexen remaster bundle is available right now on Steam and consoles, costing just $15.99 / £13.49. There’s even better news too for Game Pass subscribers – it’s just been thrown into the library, so you can go and play it at no extra cost.
To make sure you don’t miss out on any other bangers included with the service, check out our best Game Pass games guide. Or for more nostalgia, head to our best old PC games list.
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