This interwoven approach to level structure also makes each map feel alot bigger than it actually is. The maps are complex without being too mind-bogglingly labyrinthine, so that they delight in how they fold upon each other rather than confound by being too maze-like. Its stages are deviously assembled latticeworks of corridors and alcoves, packed full of secret areas and chambers spring-loaded with traps. Whereas the showstopper in Doom was the macabre menagerie of monsters, Heretic’s true standout is its map design. For example, unleashing the Firemace while under the influence of the powerup fills the screen with spiked, pinball-like spheres, while using the Hellstaff causes tongues of sparks to shower your opponent. This created truly spectacular results that were sure to render the 486 systems of the day to a crawl. The weapon powerup also granted each weapon in your arsenal additional properties. The developers went beyond the usual collectables to include wacky and previously unheard of abilities, including the option to transmogrify your foes into defenceless chickens. The game allowed you to carry certain items, such as damage amplifiers and health pickups, to use at your discretion.

New to the first person formula at the time was Heretic’s portable inventory. In Heretic, these take the form of the sorcery-imbued Hellstaff, the Ethereal Crossbow, and the magically-charged Gauntlets of the Necromancer. Throughout all this the player will encounter various monsters, mutants and other adversaries, then despatch them after collecting and carefully micro-managing weapons and munitions. Like Doom, players methodically explore each level, crisscrossing and backtracking across individual stages in order to find keys, open obstinate doors and progress further. There’s not much that can be said about Doom’s – sorry, Heretic’s – gameplay that hasn’t already been said. In Heretic, players assume the role of Corvus, a rebel elf-wizard hunting down the evil Serpent Riders, who are responsible for destroying his home. The two companies reportedly enjoyed a strong relationship at the time, which would bear fruit over the next fifteen years in the form of Soldier of Fortune, Singularity, Quake 4 and Wolfenstein 2009. The game utilised the Doom engine and was developed and published with id Software’s blessing. Heretic was released by Raven Software in 1994. It’s both a blessing and a curse for the title, which I will explain in this review. In the grand scheme of things, Heretic just might be the Doom-iest Doom clone ever made, so close does it resemble its source material.

First thing’s first: Heretic is a Doom-clone, an early nineties term for a game that mimicked id Software’s revolutionary first-person shooter, Doom.

Corvus heretic