Witchaven
A Heretic like action adventure
The evil Illwhyrin has cursed the land of Stazhia to total darkness, but, evidently, you, the mighty hero have something to say about that and go on a journey to end the tyranny. The game, much like Heretic is delivered like a first person action with elements of shooting, though, per se, it is more than a straightforward shooting game; the action sequences are classic, though they hinge on the deploying of RPG like weapons, with magic and with dark minions. In terms of quality of the graphics, Witchaven does a good enough job of it all, however it is not too diverse, especially in the interior spaces. It has, however good animations, especially for the baddies, and, thus, it works pretty nicely and creates a satisfying experience. And so, with that in mind, Witchaven is capable of creating the very best experience. So, all in all, Witchaven stays a pretty well endowed action game; lots of action, lots of spells and first person activity to keep you retro satisfied for hours on end, and without complaints!
Good idea, bad game
Witchhaven would actually be a fantastic game if there weren't some serious setbacks. But first, a bit about the game itself. It's a mix of Heretic and Diablo and it uses the same engine as Duke Nukem 3D. Basically, you go from level to level and kill monsters. You have weapons, armor, spells and potions, like in Diablo. You also get experience points, and there are a few realistic elements, such as weapons wearing you out or armor deteriorating of use. The idea is pretty fantastic and the design is also solid. What makes this game bad is the very, very bad graphics. Since this is a FPS game, you will see most of your enemies from up close, and it's kinda bad if you don't see a monster, but a big ugly mess in front of you. Also, the level design is satisfactory the first level or two, but then gets repetitive and unoriginal. The AI is absolutely dreadful and unchallenging. Too bad, since I would really love this game if it weren't for those problems. If you still want your blood and gore, play Doom or Hexen. You won't be sorry.
