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Heretic is a dark fantasy first-person shooter game. All levels available for free on Hardest Skill Mode (without saves and with Ads) Try Complete game with only one life - Great Challenge Items: Bag of Holding - it gives a small amount of every kind of ammo except Mace Spheres, and doubles the player's ammo carrying capacity Map Scroll. Heretic II is a dark fantasy action-adventure game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision in 1998 continuing the story of Corvus, the main character from its predecessor, Heretic. It is the fourth game in the Hexen /Heretic series and comes after the 'Serpent Rider' trilogy.

Heretic is a dark fantasyfirst-person shootervideo game released in 1994. It was developed by Raven Software and published by id Software through GT Interactive. The game was released on Steam on August 3, 2007.^[2]

Using a modified version of the Doom engine, Heretic was one of the first first-person games to feature inventory manipulation and the ability to look up and down. It also introduced multiple gib objects that spawned when a character suffered a death by extreme force or heat. Previously, the character would simply crumple into a heap. The game used randomized ambient sounds and noises, such as evil laughter, chains rattling, distantly ringing bells, and water dripping in addition to the background music to further enhance the atmosphere. The music in the game was composed by Kevin Schilder. An indirect sequel, Hexen: Beyond Heretic, was released the following year. Heretic II was released in 1998, which served as a direct sequel continuing the story.

• 4Release

Plot[edit]

Three brothers (D'Sparil, Korax, and Eidolon), known as the Serpent Riders, have used their powerful magic to possess seven kings of Parthoris, turning them into mindless puppets and corrupting their armies. The Sidhe elves resist the Serpent Riders' magic. The Serpent Riders thus declared the Sidhe as heretics and waged war against them. The Sidhe are forced to take a drastic measure to sever the natural power of the kings destroying them and their armies, but at the cost of weakening the elves' power, giving the Serpent Riders an advantage to slay the elders. While the Sidhe retreat, one elf (revealed to be named Corvus in Heretic II) sets off on a quest of vengeance against the weakest of the three Serpent Riders, D'Sparil. He travels through the 'City of the Damned', the ruined capital of the Sidhe (its real name is revealed to be Silverspring in Heretic II), then past the demonic breeding grounds of Hell's Maw and finally the secret Dome of D'Sparil.^[3]

The player must first fight through the undead hordes infesting the location where the elders performed their ritual. At its end is the gateway to Hell's Maw, guarded by the Iron Liches. After defeating them, the player must seal the portal and so prevent further infestation, but after he enters the portal guarded by the Maulotaurs, he finds himself inside D'Sparil's dome. After killing D'Sparil, Corvus ends up on a perilous journey with little hope of returning home.

Gameplay[edit]

The gameplay of Heretic is heavily derived from Doom, with a level-based structure and an emphasis on finding the proper keys to progress. Many weapons are similar to those from Doom; the early weapons in particular are near-exact copies in functionality to those seen in Doom. Raven added a number of features to Heretic that differentiated it from Doom, however, notably interactive environments, such as rushing water that pushes the player along, and inventory items. In Heretic, the player can pick up many different items to use at their discretion. These items range from health potions to the 'morph ovum', which transforms enemies into chickens. One of the most notable pickups that can be found is the 'Tome of Power' which acts as a secondary firing mode for certain weapons, resulting in a much more powerful projectile from each weapon, some of which change the look of the projectile entirely. Heretic also features an improved version of the Doom engine, sporting the ability to look up and down within constraints, as well as fly. However, the rendering method for looking up and down merely uses a proportional pixel-shearing effect rather than any new rendering algorithm, which distorts the view considerably when looking at high-elevation angles.

As with Doom, Heretic contains various cheat codes that allow the player to be invulnerable, obtain every weapon, be able to instantly kill every monster in a particular level, and several other abilities. However, if the player uses the 'all weapons and keys' cheat ('IDKFA') from Doom, a message appears warning the player against cheating and takes away all of his weapons, leaving him with only a quarterstaff. If the player uses the 'god mode' cheat ('IDDQD') from Doom, the game will display a message saying 'Trying to cheat, eh? Now you die!' and kills the player.

The original shareware release of Heretic came bundled with support for online multiplayer through the new DWANGO service.^[4]

Development[edit]

Like Doom, Heretic was developed on NeXTSTEP. John Romero helped Raven employees set up the development computers, and taught them how to use id's tools and Doom engine.^[5]

Release[edit]

Shadow of the Serpent Riders[edit]

The original version of Heretic was only available through shareware registration (i.e. mail order) and contained three episodes. The retail version, Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders, was distributed by GT Interactive in 1996, and featured the original three episodes and two additional episodes:^[6]The Ossuary, which takes the player to the shattered remains of a world conquered by the Serpent Riders several centuries ago, and The Stagnant Demesne, where the player enters D'Sparil's birthplace. This version was the first official release of Heretic in Europe.^[6] A free patch was also downloadable from Raven's website to update the original Heretic with the content found in Shadow of the Serpent Riders.

Source release[edit]

On January 11, 1999, the source code of the game engine used in Heretic was published by Raven Software under a license that granted rights to non-commercial use, and was re-released under the GNU General Public License on September 4, 2008.^[7] This resulted in ports to Linux, Amiga, Atari, and other operating systems, and updates to the game engine to utilize 3D acceleration. The shareware version of a console port for the Dreamcast was also released.

Reception[edit]

Heretic received mixed reviews, garnering an aggregated score of 62% on GameRankings^[8] and 78% on PC Zone.^[9]Heretic and Hexen shipped a combined total of roughly 1 million units by August 1997.^[12]

While remarking that Heretic is a thinly-veiled clone of Doom, and that its being released in Europe after its sequel and with Quake due out shortly makes it somewhat outdated, Maximum nonetheless regarded it as an extremely polished and worthwhile purchase. They particularly highlighted the two additional episodes of the retail version, saying they offer a satisfying challenge even to first person shooter veterans and are largely what make the game worth buying.^[10]

In 1996, Computer Gaming World listed being turned into a chicken as #3 on its list of 'the 15 best ways to die in computer gaming'.^[13]

Heretic Gameplay

Next Generation reviewed the PC version of the game, and stated that 'If you're only going to get one action game in the next couple of months, this is the one.'^[11]

Legacy[edit]

Heretic has received three sequels: Hexen: Beyond Heretic, Hexen II, and Heretic II. Following ZeniMax Media's acquisition of id Software, the rights to the series have been disputed between both id and Raven Software; Raven's parent company Activision holds the developing rights, while id holds the publishing rights to the first three games. Until both companies come to an agreement, neither will be able to make another installment in the series.^[14]

Further homages to the series have been made in other id Software titles; In 2009's Wolfenstein, which Raven Software developed, Heretic's Tomes of Power are collectible power-ups found throughout the game. The character Galena from Quake Champions wears armor bearing the icon of the Serpent Riders.

References[edit]

1. ^'Heretic (video game)'. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
2. ^'News - All News'. store.steampowered.com.
3. ^'Heretic (Video Game 1994)' – via www.imdb.com.
4. ^Kushner, David (2003). Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture. Random House Publishing Group. p. 186. ISBN0-375-50524-5.
5. ^planet rome.ro: Apple-NeXT Merger Birthday!Archived 2007-03-05 at the Wayback Machine
6. ^ ^ab'Latest Version of Heretic with Two New Chapters! Can You Overcome the Demonic Curse of D'Sparil?'. Maximum: The Video Game Magazine. Emap International Limited (4): 34–38. March 1996.
7. ^'Heretic / Hexen - Browse Files at SourceForge.net'. sourceforge.net.
8. ^ ^ab'Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders for PC - GameRankings'. GameRankings. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
9. ^ ^abCharlie Brooker (April 1995). 'PC Zone - Issue 25' (25): 70. Retrieved June 22, 2015.Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
10. ^ ^ab'Maximum Reviews: Heretic'. Maximum: The Video Game Magazine. Emap International Limited (4): 156. March 1996.
11. ^ ^ab'Finals'. Next Generation. No. 5. Imagine Media. May 1995. p. 93.
12. ^Staff (August 7, 1997). 'Activision to Buy Raven'. PC Gamer US. Archived from the original on October 12, 1997.
13. ^'The 15 Best Ways To Die In Computer Gaming'. Computer Gaming World. November 1996. p. 107. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
14. ^Stead, Chris (12 September 2016). 'Id Software talks Heretic, Hexen and Commander Keen - finder.com.au'.

External links[edit]

• Official webpage [archived link]
• Heretic at MobyGames
• Heretic at Curlie

Heretic II is a dark fantasyaction-adventure game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision in 1998 continuing the story of Corvus, the main character from its predecessor, Heretic. It is the fourth game in the Hexen/Heretic series and comes after the 'Serpent Rider' trilogy.

Using a modified Quake II engine, the game features a mix of a third-person camera with a first-person shooter's action, making for a new gaming experience at the time. While progressive, this was a controversial design decision among fans of the original game,^[1] a well-known first-person shooter built on the Doom engine. The music was composed by Kevin Schilder. Gerald Brom contributed conceptual work to characters and creatures for the game.^[2] This is the only Heretic/Hexen video game that is unrelated to id Software, apart from its role as engine licenser.

Heretic II was later ported to Linux by Loki Software, to the Amiga by Hyperion Entertainment,^[3] and Macintosh by MacPlay.^[4]

Plot[edit]

After Corvus returns from his banishment, he finds that a mysterious plague has swept the land of Parthoris, taking the sanity of those it does not kill. Corvus, the protagonist of the first game, is forced to flee his hometown of Silverspring after the infected attack him, but not before he is infected himself. The effects of the disease are held at bay in Corvus’ case because he holds one of the Tomes of Power, but he still must find a cure before he succumbs.

His quest leads him through the city and swamps to a jungle palace, then through a desert canyon and insect hive, followed by a dark network of mines and finally to a castle on a high mountain where he finds an ancient Seraph named Morcalavin. Morcalavin is trying to reach immortality using the seven Tomes of Power, but he uses a false tome, as Corvus has one of them. This has caused Morcalavin to go insane and create the plague. During a battle between Corvus and Morcalavin, Corvus switches the false tome for his real one, curing Morcalavin's insanity and ending the plague.

Gameplay[edit]

Unlike previous games in the Heretic/Hexen series, which were first-person shooters, players control Corvus from a camera fixed behind him in the third-person perspective. Players are able to use a combination of both melee and ranged attacks, similar to its predecessor. While there are still three weapons the player can collect that each use their own ammo, they also have the ability to use several offensive and defensive spells that draw from pools of green and blue mana, respectively. The Tome of Power is no longer an item scattered around the levels, but a defensive spell that still works in the same manner as the other games in the series by improving damage and granting weapons and offensive spells new abilities for a limited time. Melee combat is also more varied, with the ability to perform several attacks using Corvus' bladestaff and cut off the limbs of enemies, rendering them harmless. Players are also able to utilize magical shrines throughout the game that grant a variety of effects upon use, such as silver or gold armor, a temporary boost in health, a permanent enhancement to the bladestaff, etc.

The game consists of a wide variety of high fantasy medieval backdrops to Corvus's adventure. The third-person perspective and three-dimensional game environment allowed developers to introduce a wide variety of gymnastic moves, like climbing up ledges, back-flipping off walls, and pole vaulting, in a much more dynamic environment than the original game's engine could produce.^[5] Both games invite comparison with their respective game-engine namesake: the original Heretic was built on the Doom engine, and Heretic II was built using the Quake II engine, later known as id Tech 2. Heretic II was favorably received at release because it took a different approach to its design.^[6]

Development[edit]

Inspired by the Tomb Raider series, Raven Software decided to make use of the Quake II engine to create a third person action game. A major step in the early development was Gerald Brom's concept art. In a month, the company had programmed the game's camera system. After Activision's approval of the game's demo, Raven Software aimed to get the full game finished by Christmas. To add to complications, they needed a software renderer to make the game playable to 16-bit users (especially in Europe).

For the animation, the main character Corvus was provided with a backbone for realism and had a total of 1600 frames. Most of the animations were done using Softimage. The static world objects and simplified animations were done with 3D Studio Max.^[7] The engine was capable of showing up to 4,000 polygons on screen.^[8]

Following ZeniMax Media's acquisition of id Software in 2009, the rights to the series have been disputed between both id and Raven Software; Raven holds the development rights, while id holds the publishing rights to Heretic II's predecessors. Until both companies come to an agreement, neither will be able to release another installment in the series.^[9]

Reception[edit]

Heretic II was a commercial flop. According to PC Data, its sales in the United States totaled 28,994 units by April 1999. Activision's Steve Felsen blamed this performance on the game's design: he noted that 'fans of first-person shooters—the target audience for this game—stayed away due to the third-person perspective'.^[15]

Next Generation reviewed the PC version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that 'Heretic II has a lot going for it. It easily earns it space on the shelf with the heavy hitters this season, but it also serves as a reminder to all that every aspect of game design needs to be pushed if you want your project to truly stand out.'^[12]

Edge praised the game for its mixture of platform and shoot 'em up action, stating that Heretic II is different enough to stand out from both first-person and third-person games like id Software's first-person shooters or Core Design's Tomb Raider games.^[11]Heretic II was a finalist for Computer Gaming World's 1998 'Best Action' award, which ultimately went to Battlezone. The editors wrote that Heretic II 'proved that the Quake II engine could work in a third-person game and that a spell-casting, shirtless elf could actually kick ass.'^[13]

Heretic Game Online

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abBlevins, Tal (November 25, 1998). 'Heretic II - IGN'. IGN. Retrieved 2014-04-09.
2. ^Kenson, Stephen (October 1999). 'Profiles: Brom'. Dragon. Renton, Washington: Wizards of the Coast (#264): 112.
3. ^Heretic II for Amiga - Technical Requirements.
4. ^'Macplay'. Macplay.com. Archived from the original on 2003-04-19. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
5. ^Staff, Raven. 'Official Heretic II FAQ'. Archived from the original on 2014-06-25. Retrieved 2014-04-09.
6. ^ ^abKasavin, Greg (December 1, 1998). 'Heretic II Review - GameSpot'. GameSpot. Retrieved 2014-04-09.
7. ^Simpson, Jake (1999-05-21). 'Postmortem: Raven Software's Heretic II'. Gamasutra. UBM. Retrieved 2018-03-05.
8. ^Simpson, Dan (March 1999). 'Out of Body Experiences - Gaming in Third Person'. Maximum PC. p. 84.
9. ^https://www.finder.com.au/id-software-talks-heretic-hexen-and-commander-keen
10. ^'Heretic II for PC - GameRankings'. GameRankings. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
11. ^ ^ab'Heretic II'. Edge. No. 67. Future Publishing. January 1999. p. 92.
12. ^ ^ab'Finals'. Next Generation. No. 51. Imagine Media. March 1999. p. 91.
13. ^ ^abStaff (April 1999). 'Computer Gaming World's 1999 Premier Awards; CGW Presents the Best Games of 1998'. Computer Gaming World (177): 90, 93, 96–105.
14. ^ ^abcdef'Activision - Heretic II Awards'. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved March 9, 2018.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
15. ^Saltzman, Marc (June 4, 1999). 'The Top 10 Games That No One Bought'. CNET Gamecenter. Archived from the original on June 16, 2000.

External links[edit]

Heretic Games Calendar

• Heretic II at MobyGames