While not as good as Hexen 2, it will appeal to those who thought Hexens puzzles were annoying
Genre: Fantsay FPS/RPG
Replay Value: It has five characters to choose from, so at least 5x is initial lifespan
BACKSTORY
All three of the Serpent Riders have been defeated by the heroes they once ruled over. With the death of Eidolon, however, a new threat has risen. The lands that you liberated from the Serpent Rider have been gripped in an everlasting winter, and yet more demonic hordes spew forth from his kingdom. The heroes return to Eidolons lair, suspicious that his evil ways may yet remain there, but Eidolon is well and truly dead; it seems a new enemy has risen in his wake, and must be stopped.
STORY
While their mortal forms are dead, the souls of the Serpent Riders were captured and imprisoned by a Wizard name Praevus. He aims to absorb the powers of the trio - D'sparil, Korax and Eidolon - in order to ascend to the status of a God. While the four heroes that fought the serpents' whims in Hexen 2 return to finish what they started, a new hero has entered the fray - The Demoness - who seems to either be Eidolons newest creation before he died, or his daughter. She teams up with the heroes not because she shares their goal, but because she doesnt want to see her former master desecrated.
GAMEPLAY
The expasion is more combat orientated than the origional, and although it still has a fair amount of "Find the key for the door which has a key in it" scenarios, they seem far more straightforward than before. The game takes the player to a new hub - the forzen "Tibetan" land of Tulku. Like the other hubs in the source game, this realm is filled with new enemies that seem to be a cut above those in the previous hubs. You'll be up against Yakmen, the most powerful enemy in the Hexen series in my opinion, Were-tigers which are a step up from the were-jaguars and were-panthers of Mazera and a new form of archer which sports a blue tint to its armour and fires new types of arrows. There is also a really annoying enemy that behaves like a jumping bean and his hard to hit, but apart from that, all the new enemies are welcome additions to the game. The last boss is a letdown though, as he behaves like a "setpiece" rather than being dynamic like the bosses in the older games.
SOUND
Pretty much the same as Hexen 2. There seems to be some new music though, but thats about it. The intro is not as good either
LIFESPAN
This game should take roughly 10 hours to complete, and has five characters. However, after the first playthrough, it will go quicker because the player knows where to go. I'd say about 20 hours in all.
OVERALL
8.2/10. If you played Hexen 2, then you should get this game. Remember, you need to have Hexen 2 installed for this to work.