Heretic II

Short description: 1998 video game

Heretic II

Cover art by Brom

Developer(s)|

Raven Software

* Loki Software (Linux)
Hyperion Entertainment (Amiga)
MacPlay (Mac)

Publisher(s)| Activision
Director(s)| Brian Pelletier
Producer(s)| Steve Stringer
Designer(s)| Jon Zuk
Programmer(s)| Patrick J. Lipo
Artist(s)| Brian Pelletier
Composer(s)| Kevin Schilder
Engine| Quake II engine
Platform(s)| Windows, Linux, AmigaOS, Mac OS
Release| Windows

* NA: November 24, 1998[2]
* EU: December 4, 1998[1]

Linux

* NA: November 15, 1999

Amiga

* NA: May 8, 2000

Mac OS

* NA: January 1, 2002

Genre(s)| Action-adventure, third-person shooter
Mode(s)| Single-player, multiplayer

Heretic II is a 1998 action-adventure game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision for Microsoft Windows. It is the fourth game in the Hexen/Heretic series and comes after the "Serpent Rider" trilogy, continuing the story of Corvus, the protagonist of the original Heretic. Although Id Software owns the publishing rights to the previous titles, Heretic II is owned by Activision since they own Raven Software and its IPs.

Using a modified Quake II engine, the game features a mix of a third-person camera with a first-person shooter's action, making for a new gaming experience at the time. While progressive, this was a controversial design decision among fans of the original game,[3] a well-known first-person shooter built on the Doom engine. The music was composed by Kevin Schilder. Gerald Brom contributed conceptual work to characters and creatures for the game.[4] This is the only Heretic/Hexen video game that is unrelated to id Software, apart from its role as engine licenser.

Heretic II was later ported to Linux by Loki Software, to the Amiga by Hyperion Entertainment,[5] and Macintosh by MacPlay.[6]

## Contents

* 1 Plot
* 2 Gameplay
* 3 Development
* 4 Reception
* 5 References
* 6 External links
* 7 Features
* 8 History
* 9 See also
* 10 References
* 11 External links

## Plot

After Corvus returns from his banishment, he finds that a mysterious plague has swept the land of Parthoris, taking the sanity of those it does not kill. Corvus, the protagonist of the first game, is forced to flee his hometown of Silverspring after the infected attack him, but not before he is infected himself. The effects of the disease are held at bay in Corvus’ case because he holds one of the Tomes of Power, but he still must find a cure before he succumbs.

His quest leads him through the city and swamps to a jungle palace, then through a desert canyon and insect hive, followed by a dark network of mines and finally to a castle on a high mountain where he finds an ancient Seraph named Morcalavin. Morcalavin is trying to reach immortality using the seven Tomes of Power, but he uses a false tome, as Corvus has one of them. This has caused Morcalavin to go insane and create the plague. During a battle between Corvus and Morcalavin, Corvus switches the false tome for his real one, curing Morcalavin's insanity and ending the plague.

## Gameplay

Unlike previous games in the Heretic/Hexen series, which were first-person shooters, players control Corvus from a camera fixed behind him in the third-person perspective. Players are able to use a combination of both melee and ranged attacks, similar to its predecessor. While there are still three weapons the player can collect that each use their own ammo, they also have the ability to use several offensive and defensive spells that draw from pools of green and blue mana, respectively. The Tome of Power is no longer an item scattered around the levels, but a defensive spell that still works in the same manner as the other games in the series by improving damage and granting weapons and offensive spells new abilities for a limited time. Melee combat is also more varied, with the ability to perform several attacks using Corvus' bladestaff and cut off the limbs of enemies, rendering them harmless. Players are also able to utilize magical shrines throughout the game that grant a variety of effects upon use, such as silver or gold armor, a temporary boost in health, a permanent enhancement to the bladestaff, etc.

The game consists of a wide variety of dark fantasy medieval backdrops to Corvus's adventure. The third-person perspective and three-dimensional game environment allowed developers to introduce a wide variety of gymnastic moves, like climbing up ledges, back-flipping off walls, and pole vaulting, in a much more dynamic environment than the original game's engine could produce.[7] Both games invite comparison with their respective game engine namesake: the original Heretic was built on the Doom engine, and Heretic II was built using the Quake II engine, later known as id Tech 2. Heretic II was favorably received at release because it took a different approach to its design.[8]

## Development

The game was in development since November 1997 by a team of 20 people.[9] Inspired by the Tomb Raider series, Raven Software decided to make use of the Quake II engine to create a third-person action game. A major step in the early development was Gerald Brom's concept art. In a month, the company had programmed the game's camera system. After Activision's approval of the game's demo, Raven Software aimed to get the full game finished by Christmas (it would release just prior to that Thanksgiving). To add to complications, they needed a software renderer to make the game playable to 16-bit users (especially in Europe).

For the animation, the main character Corvus was provided with a backbone for realism and had a total of 1600 frames. Most of the animations were done using Softimage. The static world objects and simplified animations were done with 3D Studio Max.[10] The engine was capable of showing up to 4,000 polygons on screen.[11]

Following ZeniMax Media's acquisition of id Software in 2009, the rights to the series have been split between id and Activision Software; Activision holds the development rights, while id holds the publishing rights.[12] this has been resolved by the 2025 release after both companies were acquired by Microsoft Gaming.

## Reception

Reception

| Aggregate score

Aggregator| Score
GameRankings| 82% (Windows)[13]
Review scores
Publication| Score
Edge| 8/10[14]
GameSpot| 8.1/10[8]
IGN| 7.9/10[3]
Next Generation| 3/5[15]
| Awards

Publication| Award
Computer Gaming World| 1999 Premier Awards[16]
Gamesmania| 1998 Award of Excellence[17]
Loonygames| 1998 Action game of the year[17]

Despite positive reception from critics, Heretic II was a commercial failure. According to PC Data, its sales in the United States totaled 28,994 units by April 1999. Activision's Steve Felsen blamed this performance on the game's design: he noted that "fans of first-person shooters—the target audience for this game—stayed away due to the third-person perspective".[18]

Next Generation reviewed the PC version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "Heretic II has a lot going for it. It easily earns it space on the shelf with the heavy hitters this season, but it also serves as a reminder to all that every aspect of game design needs to be pushed if you want your project to truly stand out".[15]

Edge praised the game for its mixture of platform and shoot 'em up action, saying that Heretic II is different enough to stand out from both first-person and third-person games like id Software's first-person shooters or Core Design's Tomb Raider games.[14] Heretic II was a finalist for Computer Gaming World's 1998 "Best Action" award, which ultimately went to Battlezone. The editors wrote that Heretic II "proved that the Quake II engine could work in a third-person game and that a spell-casting, shirtless elf could actually kick ass".[16]

## References

1. ↑ "Britain's Biggest Choice of Software". Evening Standard: pp. 204. December 4, 1998. https://www.newspapers.com/image/723614320/?terms="Thief: The Dark Project"&match=1. "Heretic II...Out Today...inc. vat £34.99"
2. ↑ "New Releases". November 24, 1998. http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_11/24_pc_new/index.html.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Blevins, Tal (November 25, 1998). "Heretic II - IGN". http://www.ign.com/articles/1998/11/26/heretic-ii.
4. ↑ Kenson, Stephen (October 1999). "Profiles: Brom". Dragon (Renton, Washington: Wizards of the Coast) (#264): 112.
5. ↑ Heretic II for Amiga - Technical Requirements.
6. ↑ "Macplay". Macplay.com. http://www.macplay.com/games/heretic2.php.
7. ↑ Staff, Raven. "Official Heretic II FAQ". http://www.raven-games.com/h2faq.php.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Kasavin, Greg (December 1, 1998). "Heretic II Review - GameSpot". http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/heretic-ii-review/1900-2537536/.
9. ↑ Mullen, Micheal (April 17, 1998). "Inside Heretic II". Archived from the original on October 12, 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20001012155356/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_04/17_heretic/index.html. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
10. ↑ Simpson, Jake (May 21, 1999). "Postmortem: Raven Software's Heretic II". Gamasutra. UBM. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/programming/postmortem-raven-software-s-i-heretic-ii-i-.
11. ↑ Simpson, Dan (March 1999). "Out of Body Experiences - Gaming in Third Person". Maximum PC: 84. https://books.google.com/books?id=2gEAAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT86.
12. ↑ Chrisstead (September 12, 2016). "Id Software talks Heretic, Hexen and Commander Keen". https://www.finder.com.au/id-software-talks-heretic-hexen-and-commander-keen. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
13. ↑ "Heretic II for PC - GameRankings". GameRankings. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191209080302/https://www.gamerankings.com/pc/130984-heretic-ii/index.html.
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Heretic II". Edge (Future Publishing) (67): 92. January 1999.
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Finals". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (51): 91. March 1999.
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Staff (April 1999). "Computer Gaming World's 1999 Premier Awards; CGW Presents the Best Games of 1998". Computer Gaming World (177): 90, 93, 96–105.'s+1999+Premier+Awards;+''CGW''+Presents+the+Best+Games+of+1998&rft.jtitle=Computer+Gaming+World&rft.aulast=Staff&rft.au=Staff&rft.date=April+1999&rft.issue=177&rft.pages=90,+93,+96–105&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikibooks.org:Software:Heretic_II">
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Activision - Heretic II Awards". http://www.activision.com/games/hereticii/.
18. ↑ Saltzman, Marc (June 4, 1999). "The Top 10 Games That No One Bought". CNET Gamecenter. http://www.gamecenter.com/Features/Exclusives/Notbought/index.html.

## External links

* Official website via Internet Archive
* MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

## Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

## History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

## See also

* IGDB - game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/.
2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/.
3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1.
4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521.
8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media.
9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned.
10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner.
11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames.
12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games.
13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/.
14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/.
15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/.
16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/.
17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames.
18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628.

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