Play Hexen (j) Online

I first played Hexen on the Nintendo 64 in 1997, a port of the PC game developed by Raven Software. It arrived during a time when the N64 library was still growing, offering a different kind of first person experience compared to the platform's early hits. The game felt like a direct continuation of the style established in Heretic, placing you in a dark fantasy world built on the Doom engine's technology.

You choose one of three character classes a fighter, cleric, or mage each with a unique set of weapons and abilities. Your goal is to stop the second Serpent Rider, Korax, by navigating a series of interconnected hub worlds and defeating his guardians. The gameplay is methodical; you explore levels screen by screen, solving environmental puzzles that often involve flipping switches to open new paths. Combat is a mix of melee with a sword or axe and projectile attacks from a distance, requiring you to manage your limited resources carefully. The pacing is deliberate, and the difficulty can be punishing as you backtrack through mazelike dungeons to find the correct sequence of actions. It feels like a demanding, hands on puzzle box where every monster encounter and key discovery matters.