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Hexan
is the continuing story of the sword and sorcery fantasy Heretic, that became a
top seller on the PC. Using the same game engine as doom, you must defend the
world of Hexan against the evil Korax, who has entered into a pact with Zedec,
Menelkir and Traductus, offering them the gift of Unlife.
These three
unsavory characters are dictators in the world of Hexan, leading the Legion,
Arcanum and the church respectively. Raising their status into near Gods the
entire population of Hexan are forced into a life of slavery. That is everyone
apart from our three heroes Baratus the warrior, Daedolan a mage and Parias the
cleric. They must overthrow the evil masters and restore Hexan to the world as
we Knew it .
There are a lot of similarities to Doom with the dark
settings, block walls, switches, traps and Demons, but it's the changes in the
game design that push Hexan to the forefront. Instead of using individual
levels, Hexan is based around several interconnecting maps. As you progress
through the game solving puzzles and completing tasks, new sections will open
for you to explore. There is also a lot of in game movement, as the wind
whistles it will blow debris and leaves around the set and the water actually
flows unlike Dooms static moats and lava pools.
You may select one of
the three available characters, each armed with a different selection of
weapons. Baratus the warrior is strongest, starting with full armor and close
range weapons, such as swords and battle-axes, so your reactions must remain
sharp as you will have to fight at close quarters. Parias begins with a spiked
headed ceremonial staff which is useful for short range attacks but can be
advanced to a more powerful Serpent staff as you progress. Daedolan the mage
begins his life with much weaker armor than the others but compensates this with
the advantage of being a master of magic. He can cast long range attacks using
fireballs , lightening balls and the excellent Frost spell that freezes your
enemy to the spot where he will remain until destroyed. You also find it useful
to know that in a frozen state your adversary may be slid around with ease, so
all the enemies that you have previously frozen may be pushed together into one
room and destroyed in one swoop, thus saving power.
Each character
starts with only one weapon but three others can be found during gameplay. A
fourth weapon is divided into 4 components and once assemble is capable of mass
destruction. Two kinds of magic Icons can be collected with each having it's
own uses. There are also many other pick-ups to retrieve such as Keys, energy
power-ups, bombs and alternative spells.
Hexan utilizes full use of the
controller with all the buttons having the specific tasks such as jump, fire,
strafe and spell select.
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