Reviews - hexenstar

A splendidly made, highly polished stealth-action FPS, that could even be used as an example of what a competently put together game looks like. Fluent mechanics that prioritize planning and tactical playstyle. Top-notch attention to detail, art direction and thematic design. Every element is coherent, well executed and works perfectly with the gameworld. The only few things that i would, perhaps, complain about - is that the game would've shined better with more attention given to the ambient soundtrack, with story presented through a dedicated artwork, - and more of the otherworldly, demonic set-pieces in the levels. 10/10 anyway. Really looking forward to the final result.

An extremely well-crafted mod that uses highly competent design strategies in its approach to level design, thematic design, color design and detail design. Unfortunately, this impressive creation overlooks the innate flaws of the original Heretic mechanics and does nothing to work around them, let alone fix them. Instead, the Wayfarer mod not only falls prey to these, but even exacerbates them by basing the gameplay on mechanics that Heretic doesn't do so well with. This not only results in a lot of the battles being predictable and rather janky, but also mutates the FPS genre of Heretic into more of a Doom-mod-meets-Pacman hybrid. If not for that, it would easily score a 10, if not 11.

A competently conceived first person shooter with excellent top-notch gameplay, - only to be marred by the terrible art direction and aesthetics (or a lack thereof). I really wish this gets addressed, as the game could easily score a 10. Until such times, the result is evaluated for what it is, and not for what it could be.

Definitely the best texture set among several that i have tried. I particularly like that it is consistent with its quality, does not omit textures or detail, yet most of all - that it masterfully avoids all the ubiquitous upscaling issues, such as texture elements becoming shiny when they shouldn't be, or that plastic-y wax-on/wax-off look that is all too famous on the HD-Planet. Even the runner-up for this set's quality, - is not quite in the same league (although for a different reason). As far as i am concerned - this texture pack is the ultimate look for Doom-3.

With this one, Raven finally ascertains that creativity and imagination are within their realm
of possibilities. Heretic II elevates these two factors to the most impressive level that Raven Soft. ever aspired to. Presenting a wonderfully detailed, living and breathing universe of dark fantasy world of Heretic, with strange and befitting worlds, characters and themes. With a set of weapons that has never been surpassed in the awe-factor, and a cool acrobatic hero to wield them - this is one action-adventure that set a new standard in quality and provided an immense inspiration. At least, for me.

Raven's big redemption. A perfect example of how to
design everything in a dark fantasy themed shooter.
There are a few blunders with the weapon balance,
and it badly needs light (and music) mods to unleash
its true power, - but with these in place (and patched) -
it is a masterpiece that can be enjoyed timelessly.
My top favorite game of all time.

One of the best looking gaming experiences of all time. Excelling particularly in the dark and grey palettes. However, the max score
is denied, due to the bad need of colored and dynamic lights. These became possible, eventually. But
at the time of the initial release - console ports of the Q1 engine games would outclass their PC ancestors.

A great idea, but quite a few features require further thought, testing and polish.

The mod's artistic enhancements greatly surpass the work of ID Software (or any other mod)- to an unimaginable level. We are not talking about pixels - we are talking about the ability to draw, having the imagination do guide one's hand - and the real fan's understanding of the game and what it should be, as well as what it should not.

And this greatness has it all. Staying close to the darker gothic art-style and carefully avoiding needless or extreme changes of gameplay - it gives everything you see in the game such an amazing makeover that it takes your breath away. Basically, it is the dream version of the game released back in 1996. It plays classically - but on steroids, feels familiar - yet gives you so much more, and every tried-and-true action you take - will be way more exciting. Like someone said here: "This is a Masterpiece. Test it. You will understand".

As someone who grew up on classic games like Blades of Vengeance and Castlevania - i simply couldn't stop admiring this game from the first sight. It is a true gothic pixel-art masterpiece. Fantastic!!! The ex-artist in me applauds this game in awe of it's beauty and design. Gameplay is exactly like the oldschool console glory. Works great with a gamepad and everything feels familiar and very much "at home". No grinding or useless loot. It is just like the old Castlevania, only much better! The only reason i don't give this a 10 - is because i think the team which is THAT good - should have pushed for the soundtrack which has more of a standalone power to it, beyond being just a game accompaniment. I know my band and i would definitely do just that. Still, i can only say great things about this game. If you have oldschool style in your blood - you'll love this!