Shadow Drop! ‘Heretic + Hexen’ Is Now Available On Xbox Game Pass
Surprise! Nightdive Studios has revealed its next project as part of QuakeCon today, and it’s not Quake 3 Arena or Quake 4 as expected – instead, it’s a “definitive re-release” of two classic shooters in Heretic + Hexen!
For those who haven’t played them before, both of these titles were released back in the ’90s, and this definitive version features improved performance, an enhanced soundtrack, local split-screen deathmatch and co-op modes as well as online crossplay, a bunch of behind-the-scenes materials, support for in-game mods and various other bonuses.
New Enhancements
- Online cross-platform deathmatch and co-op for up to 16 players
- Local split-screen deathmatch and co-op for up to 8 players
- Toggleable, enhanced Tome of Power soundtrack by Andrew Hulshult
- Community-published mod support with an in-game mod browser
- Improved performance with multithreaded rendering supporting up to 4K resolution and 120 FPS
- A Vault section containing concept art and unused sprites from the development of the original games
- Accessibility options, such as updated UI, improved legibility, contrast and screen FX adjustments, and text-to-speech features.
- Modern controller support
- Weapon carousel for faster weapon switching
- Game balance toggle (original/enhanced)
- Quick Save/Load support
- Widescreen support
- Many engine fixes for bugs present in original versions
- Translated into 12 new languages: French, Italian, German, Spanish, LATAM Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Polish, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese
As mentioned, Heretic + Hexen is available right now on Xbox Game Pass for Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC, and it’s also very cheap to buy at a price of £13.24 / $14.99 on the Xbox Store.
We’ll throw more details about the package below, along with some screenshots.
Originally developed by Raven Software and produced by id Software in 1994, Heretic and its 1995 sequel, Hexen, broke new ground blending fast-paced first-person shooter mechanics with dark fantasy themes and RPG elements, helping to expand the burgeoning genre beyond its sci-fi and military roots.
In addition to combining these groundbreaking games, Heretic + Hexen also adds cross-platform online Co-op and Deathmatch multiplayer support for up to 16 players, two brand-new episodes, community-published mod support and much more!
