Hexen II | |
---|---|
Boxart
|
|
Developer(s) | Raven Software |
Publisher(s) | id Software |
Distributor(s) | Activision |
Director(s) | Brian Raffel |
Producer(s) | Kevin Cloud |
Designer(s) | Brian Raffel Eric C. Biessman |
Programmer(s) | Rick Johnson Ben Gokey |
Composer(s) | Kevin Schilder |
Engine | Modified Quake engine |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Macintosh |
Release date(s) |
Microsoft Windows
|
Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Aggregate score | |
---|---|
Aggregator | Score |
GameRankings | 84.25% (Hexen II) 65.25% (Portal of Praevus) |
Review scores | |
Publication | Score |
GameSpot | 7.3/10 (Hexen II) 8.6/10 (Portal of Praevus) |
IGN | 7.8/10 (Hexen II) 7.5/10 (Portal of Praevus) |
Hexen II is a dark fantasy first-person shooter video game developed by Raven Software from 1996 to 1997, published by id Software and distributed by Activision. It was the third game in the Hexen/Heretic series, and the last in the Serpent Riders trilogy. It was made available on Steam on August 3, 2007. Using a modified Quake engine, it featured single-player and multiplayer game modes, as well as four character classes to choose from, each with different abilities. These included the offensive Paladin, the defensive Crusader, the spell-casting Necromancer, and the stealthy Assassin.
Improvements from Hexen and Quake included destructible environments, mounted weapons, and unique level up abilities. Like its predecessor, Hexen II also used a hub system. These hubs were a number of interconnected levels; changes made in one level had effects in another. The Tome of Power artifact made a return from Heretic.
The gameplay of Hexen II is very similar to that of the original Hexen. Instead of three classes, Hexen II features four: Paladin, Crusader, Assassin, and Necromancer, each with their own unique weapons and play style.
Hexen II also adds certain role-playing video game elements to the mix. Each character has a series of statistics which increase as they gain experience. This then causes the player character to grow in power as his or her HP and Mana increases.
Thyrion is a world that was enslaved by the Serpent Riders. The two previous games in the series documented the liberation of two other worlds, along with the death of their Serpent Rider overlords. Now, the oldest and most powerful of the three Serpent Rider brothers, Eidolon, must be defeated to free Thyrion. Eidolon is supported by his four generals, themselves a reference to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. To confront each general, the player has to travel to four different continents, each possessing a distinct theme (Medieval European for Blackmarsh, Mesoamerican for Mazaera, Ancient Egyptian for Thysis, and Greco-Roman for Septimus). Then, finally, the player returns to Blackmarsh in order to confront Eidolon himself inside of his own dominion Cathedral.