Heretic + Hexen
A progress report on the games we just can’t quit
Developer Raven Software Publisher Id Software
Format PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series
Original release 1994, 1995
While Wolfenstein 3D laid the technical groundwork for the FPS genre and Doom pioneered its experiential spirit, Heretic was one of the earliest explorations of how the shooter could be made more mechanically sophisticated. You had an extra button so you could use power-ups whenever you wanted, prompting you to think more strategically. Collecting the Tome Of Power effectively granted every weapon a secondary fire mode. As well as left and right, you could look up and down.