Each time I replay Hexen, I hate it less and less. The first time I played it, I had no access to the internet, was too young to understand all the mechanics and the game's cryptic puzzles meant I was never able to complete it until years later. I hated how much time I wasted running around in circles without knowing what to do. I hated figuring out one puzzle I was stuck in for days, just to get stuck in another one just the same. It was only until I gave up many years later and looked up a guide online that I was able to complete it. I vowed to never play it again, but found myself eventually back at it to see if it could grow on me. And that it did. Once I knew all the puzzles, I found myself having more fun. Also, the fact that the game features several classes increases your replay value. Hexen is a complex game. It's still a shooter at its core, but this time it features a lot of puzzles, switch hunting and item collecting. The puzzles can be overwhelming if you go in blind, so my advice is to either look up a guide or be prepared to do lots of running arounds. You can also fail to acquire hidden pieces of a strong weapon you can put together when you collect them all if you don't know where they are located. What I love about Hexen is that it takes the dark fantasy setting of Heretic and brings it to an even darker and more immersive tone. Kevin Schilder returns to compose the soundtrack, and this is perhaps his best work yet. I can't say I recommend Hexen to everyone, but if you give it a chance it may grow on you like it did on me.
Heretic was released shortly after Doom in 1994 by Raven Software. This sadly forgotten company was responsible of some of my favorite titles from back in the day such as Soldier of Fortune, Elite Force, Jedi Outcast and, of course, Heretic and Hexen. It's true that Heretic is quite derivative of the original Doom, at least in terms of gameplay and general layout. However, the game has many little differences that are enough to set it apart and let it become it's own thing. You have an inventory system, something new at the time; you can look up and down. There's even wind trajectory that can change the direction of your projectiles and you can fly around levels when you acquire a specific item. Thematically, Heretic set itself apart by featuring a dark fantasy atmosphere and great MIDI music to encapsulate that aura thanks to a great soundtrack by Kevin Schilder. Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders is a version of the game that comes bundled with the game's only official expansion; it includes the original three episodes plus an additional two that increase the difficulty dramatically. The first two levels of episode 4 and 5 are infamous due to how limited ammo they provide and how many enemies are thrown at you. Before you tackle them make sure to use ammo efficiently and conserve as much as you can. A pro tip for the first level of episode 4 (Catafalque) is to dispose of the enemies using the crusher featured in the level instead of wasting your ammo. If you enjoyed Doom, I'd say you have little to lose by trying out Heretic. I'll admit that the weapons are a bit less satisfying than Doom's, with perhaps too many of them acting like the plasma rifle, but everything else is simply top notch.
If you ever felt dissappointed that Quake never got a proper sequel that followed the original game's motifs of hellish horror, WRATH: Aeon of Ruin in many ways feels like what a Quake sequel could have been like. Yet, it also manages to find it's own identity and bring some non-linearity to the retro FPS trend: Think Quake's gameplay meets Hexen hub system with a sliver of System Shock 2/Bioshock styled respawn points througout levels. The look and feel in this game is superb; the atmosphere is less nightmarish than Quake, with a bigger emphasis on death and necromancy... crypts, tombs and graves adorn the landscapes while the undead roam about in this game. But it also has fantasy and wonder, with some environments looking gorgeous, robust and full of detail, making great use of the Quake 1/DarkPlaces engine. So what's the content available so far? There's the main hub, two levels, five weapons and four artifacts (items) that you can use. The levels are fairly large and will take you about an hour to complete each. So right now, consider this a type of demo more than anything resembling a full game. This early access release shows promise, but as with any similar title, there are issues present and some things are in need of polishing. The AI, for instance, I find that often gets stuck on walls and doorways; most of the alternate fires for the weapons are lackluster; the item pickup radius is too small and imprecise; reload animations, particularly the shotgun one, can take too long and won't allow you to switch to other weapons until they are complete. There are a few more quirks here and there that need to improve, but the point I'm making is... there's still a long way ahead for this game. And yet, the foundation laid out so far is really solid. If the devs play their cards right, the game can only get better from here.
It's kind of a way to retroactively back the game if you missed out on the campaign. After the Mighty No.9 debacle, I swore to never help fund another game in my life, and naturally I missed out on these backer exclusive items. What you get with this is simply that, access to these items for around the same amount of what I assume is a standard kickstarter pledge of 10 bucks. Fair warning, if you are planning to buy this to have a cool sword from the beginning of the game, THIS IS NOT WAT THIS DLC PROVIDES. What you actually get with this is an additional quest that you can get from Lindsay, the old woman that hangs around the main hub between the two descending stairs that lead into Dominique's/Anne's and Johannes' rooms; the quest can only be completed after you've succesfully defeated one of the final bosses in the game. The task you are given is to fight and defeat the creator of the game itself, who will now appear as a boss in the late stages of the game. The Sword Whip is intended as a weapon you'll get to use as part of the 'end game content', so to speak. *Spoilers ahead* To find IGA, after defeating Gebel with the Zangetsuto to the get the good or bad ending instead of the, uhm... weird one, all you have to do is reenter the boss area where Gebel was and he should show up for a fight. *Spoilers over* Once you've defeated IGA, go back to Lindsay in the main hub to claim your reward. So, how does the sword perform? Pretty good I'd say. It isn't the best in the game by any means, but it can be handy in a backup slot for dealing with enemies that tend to move around out of range a lot. It has a decent damage output too. A quick tap of the attack button will make it do a short, non-extended attack, while holding the attack button will make it do an extended whip-like attack. If you want an extra weapon and boss fight and don't mind the 10 dollar price tag, then you should get it; otherwise, you don't really miss out on much.
If you think all you get with B:RoTN is a spiritual successor to metroidvania-style Castlevania games, then you'd be wrong. Now, let's get something clear: this IS as much of a spiritual succesor as you've ever dreamed for if you are a fan of the metroidvania games. But as you keep on playing you'll realize there's more to it than just that. This game could have been done with extreme laziness, and just copy over everything that was done in previous Koji developed games and call it a day. Instead, we get all that in a much more refined and dedicated way. Elements such as the soul system from the Sorrow games and the overall combat mechanics of SOTN are present here and they have been reimplemented with the upmost care, feeling expanded and improved upon phenomenally. This game excels in 5 key aspects, and this is what sets it apart from being some type of nostalgia cash-in. These are: presentation, music/sound design, level design, story and most importantly, gameplay. By combining multiple elements from many of the metroidvania games, ArtPlay has succesfully created a gameplay that serves as a great homage while being original on its own right. The presentation is outstanding. Yuji Natsume's art design really shines through here, with vivid and colorful gothic style designs and scenery. Michiru Yamane's score is perfect as a mix between the familiar style of songs featured in other Castlevania games (which she has scored in the past) and songs that are fresh and new to give the game a bit of its own personality. Of course, level design is perfectly familiar and true to the metroidvania style, but thanks to the unreal engine 4, a few twists are thrown here and there with some of the sections. The story could have been thrown together without much effort and just ride the Castlevania nostalgia, but Mr. Igarashi's writing succeds in setting Bloodstained apart with its own identity so that it doesn't come off as uninspired. In summary, buy this. It's good.
