Hexen II Comes Alive

Raven Software is preparing to unleash Hexen II, slated to hit the shelves early this fall for the PC. A Nintendo 64 version is set to go into production once Quake 64 is completed.

This sequel to Raven's 1995 title takes id Software's Quake engine to a new level of intricacy and detail with photo-realistic 3-D environments and role-playing elements. The player will select from one of four character classes and travel through different areas including a Gothic cathedral, Egyptian-like ruins, and a Meso-American temple in the search for the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, not to mention the third and most powerful Serpent Rider, whose two brothers were defeated in Hexen and its predecessor, Heretic.

Hexen II promises a much more interactive environment than Quake, including breakable objects like pots and stained glass windows, usable objects like catapults, and ambient effects like rustling leaves. The game will be Windows 95-native, and Raven is planning to incorporate 32-player network compatibility. Full 3-D accelerator support for 3Dfx and Rendition-based video cards will be available out of the box. Enemy characters already seen lurking about the pre-alpha version of the game include evil archers, slippery spiders, scorpions, fireball-casting skeletal mages, translucent fallen angels, and one of the Four Horsemen, mounted on a rearing steed and armed with a terrific supply of throwing axes.

The player characters earn experience points for defeating monsters and will gain special abilities as they progress. For instance, the Assassin will learn to pick pockets and hide in shadows, while the Paladin discovers healing abilities. Each of the four character classes uses four different weapons, each of which can be temporarily enhanced through a Tome of Power, an item familiar to Heretic players. The daunting Necromancer, master of ranged attacks, begins with a scythe and masters two different spells. The Paladin, similar to the fighter from Hexen, begins with a pair of spiked gloves and later finds a sword and a magic axe. The Crusader packs a metal warhammer, but will shortly come across a magic wand similar to the default weapon in Heretic, as well as a more powerful scepter that projects devastating hurricanes when powered up. The Assassin starts off with a katar (a brutal knife), but she'll find a crossbow and even hand grenades soon enough. The final weapon for each character is a powerful staff pertaining to that character's specialty; most notably, the Necromancer's fires projectiles that magically draw and quarter the poor opponent on contact.

Hexen II will use a hub-based, open-ended level design much like its predecessor, and it's being closely overseen by id Software's John Carmack. The screenshots available here are taken from the OpenGL version of the game.