Heretic

Moby ID: 21987

Description official description

The world has been attacked by the three Serpent Riders from the Abyss. Their mysterious power makes people obey and follow them like sheep. Only the ancient Sidhe elves are immune to the Riders' influence, which led to them being branded heretics. With most of their work done, the two elder Riders leave, leaving only D'Sparil, the youngest and weakest Rider, behind to oversee the oppression. He sends the armies of the Seven Kings against the Sidhe, who have no choice but to extinguish the Seven Candles, vanquishing the armies. The retribution is swift and hard, and most of the elves are destroyed. Now, one of the last remaining Sidhe must take the fight to D'Sparil himself, being the only hope his world has left.

Heretic is the first game in the Heretic / Hexen franchise. It uses the engine from id Software's DOOM and transplants that game's first person shooter gameplay into a fantasy setting.

Like DOOM, Heretic consists of three distinct episodes, playable in any order, the first being available as shareware. The hunt for D'Sparil begins in the City of the Damned, continues in the alternate dimension of the Hell's Maw and comes to an end in The Dome of D'Sparil. Every episode consists of nine levels, one of them a hidden one. The goal in each level is to find the exit, killing everything standing in one's way. Keys must be found and buttons pressed to advance. Enemies include gargoyles, golems, undead knights, sorcerers, ophidian beasts and more. Most enemies exist in several varieties: some have additional range attacks, others have ghost forms and are impervious to certain weapons.

The weapon arsenal is large and varied: the basic weapons are a wooden staff and the Elvenwand that shoots low-damage magic bullets. More powerful equipment must be found: the Ethereal Crossbow dispenses a spread of arrows doing high damage, but at a low firing rate. The Dragon's Claw and Hellstaff shoot with a higher frequency: the Claw hits enemies instantly, the Staff's energy bullets need to travel to them first. The Phoenix Rod fires explosive charges and must be handled with care. The Firemace unleashes steel metal projectiles that bounce across the room towards the enemy. A better melee weapon than the wooden staff are the Gauntlets of the Necromancer, which dispense deadly energy.

Heretic goes beyond DOOM in certain aspects. The engine has been enhanced with the ability to look up and down and the ability to fly, and wind currents pushing the player in (often unwanted) directions have been added. Also new is an inventory system. Many different power-ups can be collected and then be used at the correct time. These include health flasks, invisibility and invincibility upgrades, time bombs, and torches to light dark rooms. The Morph Ovum transforms enemies into chickens for easier dispatching, the Wings of Wrath allow one to fly, and the Tome of Power gives all weapons a substantial upgrade: projectiles become more powerful or split up upon impact; the Phoenix Rod becomes a flamethrower and the Gauntlets remove life force from an enemy and transfer it to the player.

Heretic includes the same multiplayer options as DOOM: both cooperative team play and competitive deathmatch are included.

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (DOS version)

16 People

Project Director
Programming
Artists
Level Design
Sound Effects
Music
Executive Producer
Engine Programmer
Engine Tools Programmer
Audio Drivers
Cover Illustration
Package Design by
  • Louis Saekow Design

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 81% (based on 16 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.0 out of 5 (based on 61 ratings with 7 reviews)

A medieval Doom with boring weapons

The Good
Heretic was supposed to be the dream of medieval fantasy fans of playing Doom in an RPG-like world. In terms of design it does the job well, with its interesting spiral towers, chapels, dungeons, medieval textures and fantasy inspired enemies, really catching the theme of the game.

In terms of gameplay there are some quite interesting ideas plugged into the original Doom gameplay. Mainly the use of special items, from potions that heal you to magic items that can transform the enemies into chicken. Some of the most important items are a pair of wings that make you fly, the tome of power which makes your weapon either strong or more interesting (for example, it makes the hellstaff turn into a weapon that creates a field of acid rain above the enemies it shoots) and then there are items that can heal all your energy, make you invisible or give you invulnerability.

While the weapons are normally underpowered and the enemies take a lot to go down, I found the game quite easy which is something that I liked even though more hardcore gamers will not tolerate. Using the ring that gives you invulnerability and/or the tome of power, sometimes even final bosses can be put to pieces in less than half a minute.

The Bad
There is something in this game that makes it a very boring experience. First of all, the weapons are inspired by Doom repainted in a medieval concept. You have a little yellow diamond in a staff that fires just like the pistol, then the ethereal crossbow fires three pellets similar to the shotgun, the dragon claw is firing frequently just like the minigun, then there are equivalents for the plasma and bazooka from Doom.

Though, the problem is not that of lack of originality. The real problem is that even these bland copies of weapons tend to be far more boring than the original Doom weapons. First of all the weapons power do not scale up. The dragon claw (number 4) which is a reminiscent of the chaingun does the same or maybe more damage than the next weapon which is a staff firing exactly like the plasma gun in Doom. The final weapon which is a mace firing little iron spheres is like a minigun doing the same or less damage than the dragon claw. This is so strange when you would expect that it should be the most powerful weapon of the game. Only the weapon equivalent to the bazooka does a little more damage but it's dangerous to use when you are very close to an enemy.

So, the weapons are weak copies from Doom, don't scale up in power and even they lack feeling, they don't feel powerful, they are not well designed in terms of animation and sound effects to make you feel the blast or something. Put into this the fact that the enemies need enough hits relative to the weapons to go down, even if they also don't scale up in power too much. Well, the enemy deaths at least are great so it's half the fun down.

Imagine going through several levels hoping to find a better weapon in no avail. I was still playing with the crossbow or the dragon claw till the end. I was so bored after a while that I downloaded a Heretic WAD that gives you the original Doom weapons in the game. This proved to be a much more fun experience and some weapons really did the proper amount of damage that the original weapons never managed to provide.

One final note, the tome of power item upgrades the weapons in such a way that makes them powerful enough or gives some alternative interesting attacks. However, its effect will last for a limited time and there are not enough instances of this item around to let you play like this for the most duration of the game.

Speaking too much about the weapons, I forgot to write about some little things you might encounter that could make you getting annoyed and stop playing. A lot of times you have to wander around trying to figure out what to do next. There are a lot of riddles where you have to find a switch that opens another wall which reveals another switch and so on. Also, at some levels to proceed you have to find some secret walls. In the original Doom this was forbidden as a level design strategy. Secrets should only be used for additional weapons and bonus. But in Heretic, sometimes you can't progress if you don't push a random secret wall. In some levels I really had to read a walkthrough in order to proceed. This is another important point that will make the game a less desirable experience. Though, not so much if you are an experienced player. The real culprit here is the weapons.

The Bottom Line
If you wonder how Doom would look like with medieval settings then go for it (or try Hexen which is much better in my opinion). However, prepared to get bored by uninspired and underpowered weapons. This is a game I have just finished for historical reasons but wouldn't be willing to play for a second time again.

DOS · by Optimus (75) · 2011

A masterpiece created with the Doom engine, but isn't it really just a Doom clone?

The Good
By December of 1994 we already had a legendary FPS game called "Doom", and a great sequel to it. It seemed as if like "what more did a gamer need back then?". But then a bit later after the release of Doom 2, Heretic was released, as a new game with a modified version of the Doom engine, bunch of new ideas and, most importantly, lots of monsters to shoot at.

Even after the first Doom, Heretic's visual look isn't too impressive, in fact, Doom's animation looked a lot more serious and gory than Heretic's cartoonish animation. However, Heretic had some really good improvements in its engine. Besides little things like when you jump in the water a wet splat is made, Heretic was the first game ever to include in it self a feature of looking up and down. Again however, the Doom engine didn't handle that exactly like it should have because of its 2D levels, the first games which included a "real up and down looking" weren't released until 1995. As for some other notes about the graphics, for the most part the monsters, levels and weapons look quite beautiful and descent, so the visual look is quite positive.

As for the sound, this is where Heretic kills Doom by being serious. Though using fictional and fantasy based weapons, they make more realistic sounds than those from Doom, monsters in Heretic also sound creepier than in Doom, the soundtrack is also pretty descent, however by the most part, not so memorable like Doom's soundtrack. Heretic also included some sound effects of water drops falling from the ceiling, creating an atmosphere which is a lot more creepier than the one in Doom.

Now for the gameplay. The game has some new really original ideas in its table. First being the introduction of the inventory, where you can carry portable items with you and use them whenever you want. It included in itself some really cool power-ups, like the Morph Ovum, which allowed you to turn enemies in to chickens, or the Tome of Power, which gave your weapons a more powerful secondary fire. Heretic is also the first FPS game which allowed you to fly, though it didn't have the ability to jump. Now i should talk about the goodness of the gameplay itself, but from here on, only the flaws of the game begin.

The Bad
Though it did introduce some new original ideas to the table of the gaming world, Heretic is a serious copycat of Doom in a lot of aspects. First off - look at the weapons list. Didn't get me? Okay, now compare the weapons from Heretic to the ones from Doom. Get me now? Every weapons is basically an analogue to a gun from Doom. The weapons aren't the only thing, most of the items are just ripped off from Doom, even some enemies. The best example is the Maulotaur, he looks almost like Doom's Cyberdemon, he is just as big, and like the Cybbie, is the boss of the second episode. And while the storyline is quite different from Doom, like in the last one, you also take a visit to Hell while you progress through the game. So in conclusion, Heretic's main flaw is that it is a really big clone of Doom.

The Bottom Line
Those who happened to not play Doom may find Heretic the "best game ever". As for most gamers who did play Doom, i can describe this game with the following sentence: "If you're looking for a Doom clone or mod with a medieval scenery, you'll find Heretic a masterpiece, if you wan't a really original game created with the Doom engine, you'll find Heretic average at best".

DOS · by Medicine Man (328) · 2009

Fantasy Doom? What more could a fantasy/action devotee ask for?

The Good
Its Doom in a fantasy universe!! This is the first of the so-called "Doom Clones" I've played that I thought came very close to mimmicking Doom's feel when it comes to running around slaughtering hordes of monsters. I guess that given the engine this shouldn't be surprising. I thought the inventory and the ability to look up and down and to fly added a LOT to the genre. Some of the powerups like the Morph Ovum (a.k.a. the Chikennator) were very inventive. The Tome of Power, being much more than a simple damage amplifier, effectively DOUBLES the number of weapons!

The level design was also a step up from most FPS's of the time. Where other games would send you into military base after military base after prison after millitary base, Heretic had castles, cathedrals, towns, and caves. The music is pretty good, by MIDI standards, and provides the perfect mood for the game.

I personally really liked the graphics. I think the complaints some people have in this area stem from the fact that the Doom engine wasn't made specifically for large open spaces, and Heretic has a lot more of these the Doom.

The Bad
This was before mouse-look, so in order too look up and down you had to use the keyboard. The un-powered weapons bear an uncanny resemblence, in use if not in look, to Doom's arsenal. Eventually the game becomes repetitive, especially by the fourth and fifth episode where no new monsters, weapons, or items are introduced.

The Bottom Line
If you like Doom, you'll like Heretic. If you like Doom and are a fantasy buff, you owe it to yourself to get this game.

DOS · by Kalirion (565) · 2024

[ View all 7 player reviews ]

Discussion

Subject By Date
Macintosh RaVeN RaVeN (32) Dec 15, 2010

Trivia

Awards

  • Computer Gaming World
    • November 1996 (15th anniversary issue) – #3 Best Way To Die In Computer Gaming (being turned into a chicken)

Analytics

MobyPro Early Access

Upgrade to MobyPro to view research rankings!

Related Games

Heretic Operative
Released 2019 on Windows
Heretic II
Released 1998 on Windows, Linux, 2000 on Amiga
Heretic + Hexen Collection
Released 2007 on Windows
Hexen: Beyond Heretic
Released 1995 on DOS, 1997 on Windows, PlayStation...
Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms
Released 2014 on Windows
Heretic Kingdoms: The Inquisition
Released 2004 on Windows, 2006 on Macintosh
Heretic Operative: Blood Cult
Released 2019 on Windows
Magic & Mayhem for Heretic
Released 1995 on DOS

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 21987
  • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

Contribute

Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by John Romero.

Additional contributors: Jeanne, Patrick Bregger.

Game added April 9, 2006. Last modified November 23, 2023.