Genre: First-Person Shooter
Developer: Raven Software
Publisher: GT Interactive

While it would be unfair to call Hexen ugly-- the enemy sprite work, animation, and overall direction is delightfully nightmarish-- the title's stages do suffer from a muddy look; there is simply too much brown and gray in use, especially given the title's relatively low resolution. The attention paid to details however-- such as the leaves falling from the trees-- help to make up somewhat for the grubby appearance of the levels.

The CD renditions of Kevin Schilder's work are all present, and in a somewhat spectacular remixed form on top of it. In construction as well as instrumentation, the melodies are haunting and dramatic, yet not overbearing. Like with the visuals, lots of attention to detail was paid to the title's sound effects; the owls hooting and wind whistling through the trees can be rather shiver-inducing.

In a sharp break from its predecessor, Heretic, Hexen features puzzle-like stages that require traveling between interconnected maps in order to flip series of switches. The level design seems to alternate between ingeniously tight-knit and, unfortunately, utterly uninspired. The control scheme makes use of all of the Saturn's buttons, and works well enough.

Hexen plays more like Metroid Prime than it does Heretic or Doom. If the map design was more consistent, and the title featured some more RPG elements, it has the potential to be somewhat of a classic. As it is, it's still a fairly engrossing experience, rife with chilling ambience. The Saturn port in particular, done by Probe Entertainment, contains a remixed soundtrack, FMV cut-scenes, and faithful presentation-- these facts help to deliver the experience effectively.