Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders
| Developer: Raven Software | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: id Software | Sound: |
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| Year: 1994 (1996 in Europe) | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: First person shooter | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 1* | Rating: |
8/10 | |
(*) Multiplayer mode for 2 to 4 players over local network.
I thought I was being original by discovering Hexen well before Heretic, but according to Wikipedia, Heretic was only “released” in 1994 in the United States as Shareware (distributed by post). The definitive version, Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders, hit stores (and Europe) in 1996, a year after Hexen. It includes five episodes instead of three.
Wikipedia also informs me of the existence of a certain Heretic 2 (1998), fancy that!
On this page, we’ll focus on the original Heretic, a variation of Doom with a (dark) fantasy theme (medieval-fantasy-horror). There are few technical innovations to note: the ability to tilt the camera vertically or to carry a variety of objects and use them when needed, providing new tactical options. Besides the traditional healing potions, torches and rings of invincibility which need no explanation, the player has access to the iconic “tomes of power” which modify the behaviour of all weapons for 40 seconds, explosive hourglass-like devices that can be placed wherever desired, artefacts allowing teleportation to the level’s entrance, another that turns enemies into chickens, and a final one that enables flight!
The story… Three evil demon sorcerers (Serpent Riders) have brutally conquered and enslaved as many worlds. A defiant rebellious pardon me, heretical elf has sworn to slay … only the weakest of the three; leaving us with two evil demon sorcerers in reserve to supply the two future episodes of our trilogy: Hexen: Beyond Heretic and Hexen 2, which will reveal to us without pretence the final two thirds of this breathtaking serial.
As implausible as it may seem, this game is clearly focused on direct action. There are monsters everywhere, almost without interruption. Paradoxically, this diminishes the player’s sense of anxiety, being too busy engaging in unbridled shooting. The fights are relentless and demanding, especially in the higher difficulty levels, beyond the first chapter. The levels are comparable to those in Doom: relatively complex but not extensive, such that one spends most of their time fighting, and the rest poking around in corners (heh heh heh…) to replenish ammo and supplies.
[Saucy spoonerism lost to translation, sorry folks… – Ed.]
The only thing that troubles me is that while Heretic ages little (thanks to mods), I can hardly say the same for myself. To my great dismay, I am no longer able to play all afternoon without suffering from sore fingers and wrists. Twenty-seven years already! (Remember to update this page every year.)
The version sold by GOG (link at the bottom of the page) works using a DOS emulator, which is rather tedious to configure. As with Doom, I suggest you keep only the file containing the levels (“Heretic.wad”) and launch it via the GZDoom engine.
The modding community provides, of course, numerous modifications. There exists a Brutal Heretic, modelled after Brutal Doom, to which they’ve added an experience points system and flashy pyrotechnic effects. Personally, I’ve opted for a graphically updated version without any other embellishments.
Under the video, you’ll find instructions for installing mods. On Windows, just copy files ending in “.wad” or “.pk3” into GZDoom’s installation folder, then create a text file saved with a “.bat” extension that lists the mods. One note: the “Heretic HD PBR” mod comes with an old version of GZDoom. Contrary to the instructions, you don’t need it (other mods wouldn’t be compatible). Download the archive, but only extract files starting with “Heretic”.
No frills but gore please!
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