"A good game with serious faults"

Hexen for Nintendo 64 is a fantasy first-person action game that mixes action and puzzle-solving in a uniquely devious way. A direct port of a PC game that came out well before the console, the graphics are bad even for the Nintendo 64 era. But despite the terrible graphics(and comically bad monster designs), this game is still well worth playing now.

Graphics-4/10

The graphics are absolutely abysmal. Using sprites rather than true 3-d models for monsters and objects in the world, the game has only marginally better graphics than the original Doom. Worse yet, the sprites for the monsters and players are campy and cliche. Luckily, the terrible graphics allow for a reasonably high framerate, even during 4-player cooperative modes.

Single Player Gameplay-7/10

There are three classes in this game, each with different styles of gameplay. The sorcerer is slow and weak, but with powerful spells. The Cleric is slightly faster and slightly stronger, but with less powerful weaponry. Finally, the fighter is strong and agile, but his strongest weapons are only usable at melee range.

The level design is impressive and varied, but often frustrating. A number of interconnected level sets make up most of the areas of the game, and devious switch-pulling and key-finding puzzles span the entirety of many of these areas. This can be a cerebral exercise or confusing and irritating, depending on a person's level of patience.

Multiplayer Gameplay-8.5/10

Cooperative multiplayer for up to four players allows for a mix of classes that can tackle even the strongest foe or, if well-coordinated, can make solving puzzles much less time-consuming.

But this game really shines in deathmatch, where the three classes are fairly well-balanced and make for a unique experience. Every single-player level can be played in deathmatch, and with or without monsters. The powerups and various items strewn about change the multiplayer from good to great, and add another layer of strategy to the fray.

Replay-8/10

The three classes each have three different weapons, plus a fourth weapon that can be assembled from three sections strewn about the world of Hexen, and a different style of play. More importantly, five difficulty levels that range from easy to unflinchingly difficult make the replayability of this game quite high.

Overall, this game is frustrating, ugly, and unbelievably fun and original. While it may be difficult to locate, it's definitely worth the effort.

Final score-7/10
*This score is not an average of the categorized scores, but a general score of the game*

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/18/06