The release of the Heretic + Hexen remaster was a surprise to everyone. Bethesda and Nightdive Studios shadow-dropped the game randomly and watched everyone's excited reactions on social media. Those who played first-person shooter games in the 90s vividly remember both Heretic and Hexen: Beyond Heretic as games that were inspired by the Doom series, but offered a very different experience to players. But what makes the remastering of these titles in this collection so interesting is the extra effort that Bethesda put into making the games the best they have ever been to date. And then they went further beyond that.

The truth is that Heretic + Hexen is exactly how you do a remaster of classic games from an old era. Not only is it smart to give fans the same experience they remember having back then, but even smarter to offer small tweaks that improve their quality of life features, without compromising what made the games great to begin with. The deal only gets sweeter for players like me when extra bonus material gives a look behind the curtain look at the games, while new content I've never seen before makes me want to dive back into everything. The Heretic + Hexen remaster made me feel very nostalgic in all the right ways, which is something that we need to see more of from other legacy video game series.

Improving where it counts

But not fundamentally changing

With Heretic + Hexen being released on modern platforms outside of PC, the presentation and controls received some minor tweaks that greatly improve the total experience. I remember running through the dark and pixelated stages of Hexen on the Nintendo 64, taking out monsters with different spells and weapons along the way. Now with the remastered release, the visuals I remember have been given a massive boost up to 4K scale, with a greatly improved frame rate of 120 frames-per-second. Things move smoother and look more detailed, but maintain the dark colors and atmosphere that gave Heretic and Hexen their unique look.

Other aspects of the presentation were given a lot of attention, like the soundtrack of the games. Each title has a remixed soundtrack based on the original MIDI and FM Synth music that makes everything sound incredible. But the best part is that I have the option to switch between them whenever I want, so I can experience the games to my liking. While the new music sounds great and will definitely please many players, there are definitely those who would rather stick with the original music to keep things authentic. The option to have either one is welcoming, especially for those who have never played the original game before.

At the same time, the options for controls are just as open to players. Keyboard and mouse support is possible on all platforms, including consoles. And during cooperative multiplayer, a mixture of control options is possible to let each person play the game the way they want to. Things like this make me feel untethered to the limitations of the original games, while simultaneously taking me back to when I played them years ago. It's one of the highest compliments I can give about a remaster collection.

What's new feels welcomed

Adding more to it all

Although Heretic + Hexen has the original games that make up the series, including Hexen 2 and all their DLC, the collection gives more than just that. Two extra episodes are brand-new additions to the collection, Heretic: Faith Renewed and Hexen: Vestiages of Grandeur. These campaigns have new maps to explore, new abilities for some classes, and other additional gameplay features that build upon what the original games had. While some parts of the new content are included in the original titles, it's more quality-of-life elements that make playing the game better, not major changes to the core content itself.

New inclusions like this are what make remastered collections more valuable, because they don't just do the bare minimum for classic games. Instead, they add things in smart and respectful ways that feel authentic. The new episodes for both games don't compromise what the original titles were, but they're additional experiences that modernize elements of the classic titles, letting long-time fans get something new for diving into the games once again. It may be content that was made in 2025, but playing through them makes me feel like they could've come out back in 1995.

Much of the same can be said for all the bonus materials included in the Raven Vault section of Heretic + Hexen. Everything from concept art, texture maps, HUD graphics, and more make up a gallery of materials that fans like myself love to explore. Seeing how the final concept for the intermission screens was reached with all of its variations shows how much work goes into every aspect of these games. All the while, the many different sketches and concept art of key characters and monsters let me explore the beautiful dark fantasy artwork that makes up the franchise. Each inclusion of bonus content like this makes me feel rewarded as a fan of the series for so long.

Beyond limits

Things that go even further

Luckily for everyone, the bonus features are only the tip of the iceberg of how much Bethesda added to Heretic + Hexen across all platforms. Things like mod support and cross-platform multiplayer take the games far beyond the scope of their original inception. Mod support can be accessed on all platforms, allowing me and other players to download creations made on a PC and play through them on a home console. Even if mods for consoles are limited to featured ones, there's still a lot to browse through.

This is a great choice for the collection, as it opens up the amount of replayability even more, going even further than any of the new episodes already included ever could. Some of the mods available to download get very complex, and even go as far as to recreate levels from other versions of the games. Even with the amount of content that can keep me playing for a long time, opening up the door for me to enjoy even more content beyond the boundaries of the game is the best option for classic games like these. This is definitely true for games that have been rooted in the PC platform for a long time, and have a history of mods created by players over so many years.

But cross-platform multiplayer will also keep everyone busy. I can team up with multiple players to traverse through a level and not feel left out because I'm not playing the game on a PC. Online death match games can get chaotic, with up to 16 players at a time. Luckily, the Xbox Series X and PC versions can have split-screen multiplayer that can go up to eight players at a time on one screen. The amount of content included in Heretic + Hexen is worth the price alone, but it's extra details like this that give so many options to tailor the games to my needs that make it even better.

Nostalgia done very right

The people that really care about a release like Heretic + Hexen are the ones that have a long history with these games. You may have played Heretic on a PC with DOS, or dived into Hexen on the Nintendo 64, but you haven't seen or played them quite like this. With so many smart changes that enhance the core experiences they offer, as well as the bonus material that grants tons of insight into the series, Heretic + Hexen is a prime example of how a publisher can do nostalgia for classic games very right, with reverence for the originals and mindfulness of how to present them today. Every aspect of this re-release made me feel nostalgic about them in all the right ways, and we really need to see more studios follow a similar approach for their own classic series.