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    Heretic

    Game » consists of 6 releases. Released Dec 23, 1994

    Heretic is a fantasy first-person shooter built on the same game engine as Doom, letting players journey through dark fantasy locations, defeating demonic enemies with magic weaponry and mystic items.

    Short summary describing this game.

    Heretic last edited by captainofthestars on 02/05/22 12:33AM View full history

    Overview

    No Caption Provided

    Heretic is a fantasy first-person shooter developed by Raven and published by id on December 23, 1994 for the PC.

    The game uses a modified version of the id Tech 1 engine, adding new features such as inventory manipulation, ambient sounds, particle effects, and the ability to look up and down. The source code to the game's engine was first released in 1999 (under a license that granted rights to non-commercial use), and then re-released under the GNU General Public License on September 4, 2008 (having it comply with other GPL source ports, such as Chocolate Doom and Odamex).

    Story

    The first in the Serpent Riders trilogy (followed by Hexen). The game sets the story of the Serpent Riders, a demonic triumvirate who have used to their dark magic to conquer the seven kings of the realm of Parthoris. As the Sidhe elves are immune, they are branded heretics and went into hiding. One Sidhe elf, Corvus, sets out through the City of the Damned in search of D'Sparil, the weakest of the three dark brothers and the only one remaining in the realm, to destroy him.

    Gameplay

    The gameplay is very similar to Doom; with many weapons, items, and enemies having direct analogs to those found in Doom.

    Unlike Doom, however, in Heretic, players have the ability to look up and down. As well as this, players have the ability to store items in their inventory; items include from simple health potions to power-ups to the "morph ovum" - an item that transforms enemies into chickens.

    Multiplayer

    Like Doom before it, Heretic supported four-player co-op and four-player deathmatch games. Matches could be played over modem or LAN, and were also supported by DWANGO.

    Weapons

    WeaponDescription
    The Staff
    The Staff

    The Staff

    The most basic melee weapon of the game. Only viable as a last-ditch effort weapon, as it's ineffectual in almost all situations.
    Gauntlets of the Necromancer
    Gauntlets of the Necromancer

    Gauntlets of the Necromancer

    A melee weapon that delivers a strong electrical attack. Like Doom's chainsaw, it latches onto targets.
    Elven Wand
    Elven Wand

    Elven Wand

    The basic ranged weapon. It fires single yellow crystals.
    Ethereal Crossbow
    Ethereal Crossbow

    Ethereal Crossbow

    A spread weapon similar to Doom's shotgun. It fires three arrows at once - the central arrow deals significantly more damage than the other two. Effective for multiple enemies or concentrating fire on one.
    Dragon claw
    Dragon claw

    Dragon Claw

    A hitscan weapon that functions similarly to Doom's chaingun. When powered up, on impact, each shot splits into spiked balls.
    Hellstaff
    Hellstaff

    Hellstaff

    A rapid-fire, projectile-based weapon akin to Doom's plasma gun.
    Phoenix Rod
    Phoenix Rod

    Phoenix Rod

    A rod which fires explosive projectiles. When paired with the Tome of Power, the Phoenix Rod sprays a stream of fire instead of explosives.
    Firemace
    Firemace

    Firemace

    A weapon that lobs a barrage of bouncing balls.

    Items and Artifacts

    Item/ArtifactDescription
    Crystal Vial
    Crystal Vial

    Crystal Vial

    A potion that restores 10 units of the player's health.
    Bag of Holding
    Bag of Holding

    Bag of Holding

    Doubles the maximum amount of ammo for each weapon. Also, adds ammo for most weapons.
    Map Scroll
    Map Scroll

    Map Scroll

    A scroll that reveals the entire map of the current level.
    Silver Shield
    Silver Shield

    Silver Shield

    The game's most basic form of defense; sets the player's armor to 100.
    Enchanted Shield
    Enchanted Shield

    Enchanted Shield

    More effective than the Silver Shield; sets the player's armor to 200.
    Quartz Flask
    Quartz Flask

    Quartz Flask

    An inventory item that can be used when needed; immediately provides the player with 25 health.
    Torch
    Torch

    Torch

    Fully illuminates the gameworld when used; lasts for two minutes.
    Shadowsphere
    Shadowsphere

    Shadowsphere

    Grants the player partial invisibility for 60 seconds.
    Mystic Urn
    Mystic Urn

    Mystic Urn

    When used, sets the player's health to maximum.
    Darchala's Chaos Device
    Darchala's Chaos Device

    Darchala's Chaos Device

    Instantly teleports the player back to the start of the level.
    Torpol's Morph Ovum
    Torpol's Morph Ovum

    Torpol's Morph Ovum

    Shoots a spread of projectiles that transforms all targets into chickens, reducing their health significantly. Enemies turned into chickens are still dangerous to the player.
    Valador's Ring of Invincibility
    Valador's Ring of Invincibility

    Valador's Ring of Invincibility

    Makes the player impervious to damage for 30 seconds; causes the screen to gain a sepia filter.
    Delmintalintar's Timebomb of the Ancients
    Delmintalintar's Timebomb of the Ancients

    Delmintalintar's Timebomb of the Ancients

    An explosive device that deals a large amount of damage to everyone in its radius (including the player). However, its time limit is roughly one second.
    Tyketto's Tome of Power
    Tyketto's Tome of Power

    Tyketto's Tome of Power

    Powers up all weapons for 40 seconds. Every weapon has its own unique attributes when under the influence of the Tome of Power.
    Inhilicon's Wings of Wrath
    Inhilicon's Wings of Wrath

    Inhilicon's Wings of Wrath

    Grants the player flight for 60 seconds, is required in certain levels to find all secrets.

    Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders

    No Caption Provided

    Similar to Doom, Heretic was only available through mail order as a three-episode game, with the first episode released as shareware. On March 31, 1996, a retail version was released, distributed by GT Interactive, titled Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders. Along with the three main episodes, this version features two additional episodes:

    • The Ossuary - Takes the player to the remains of a world conquered by the Serpent Riders many centuries ago.
    • The Stagnant Demesne - Takes the player to the birthplace of D'Sparil.

    After its release, Raven discontinued production of the original version of Heretic, while releasing a patch from their website to update the original game to match the retail version.

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