History VideoGame / Witchaven

Along with Capstone's 1994 release, ''William Shatner's Tekwar'', it had the distinction of being one of the first games made on the Build Engine, debuting a full year before ''VideoGame/DukeNukem3D''. Although based on a first-person shooter engine, the gameplay had more in common with traditional first-person fantasy hack-and-slash [=RPGs=], with a heavy emphasis on close combat with melee weaponry (a bow and several magic spells for ranged attacks were also available, but each had limited uses). The player also gained experience points and increased his health and magic ability gradually as the game progressed.

* AnAxeToGrind: One of the available melee weapons. Minotaurs wield two-handed ones, while the Dark Knights sometimes combine a smaller axe with a shield.

* FollowTheLeader: At the time, most reviewers criticized the game for being derivative of ''VideoGame/{{Heretic}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Hexen}}'' due to the similar dark fantasy setting. ''Witchaven'' was distinguishable due to its emphasis on melee combat as opposed to ranged spellcasting like in the ''Heretic''/''Hexen'' series.

* RecurringBoss: Illwhyrin actually appears several times throughout the game to fight you, but always teleports away after taking damage. Only in the final level do you actually kill her.

* ALoadOfBull: Ypu'll eventually face Minotaurs with large two-handed axes.

* Black Knight: These the late-game EliteMooks, taking multiple blows to down due to their armor and shields, yet dishing out sizeable damage with their swords or axes.

* DarkKnight: These the late-game EliteMooks, taking multiple blows to down due to their armor and shields, yet dishing out sizeable damage with their swords or axes.
** The ending screen reveals that the player character, Grondoval, himself wears an identical suit of black armor.

''Witchaven'' was a 1995 fantasy-themed FPS game with RPG elements, developed by Capstone Software and published by [=IntraCorp=].

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* BreakableWeapons: One of the unique features of the game. Melee weapons had finite durability and would shatter after enough usage, requiring you to find another one.

* FollowTheLeader: At the time, most reviewers criticized the game for being derivative of ''VideoGame/{{Heretic}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Hexen}}'' due to the similar dark fantasy setting. ''Witchaven'' was distinguishable due to its emphasis on melee combat as opposed to ranged spellcasting like in the ''Heretic''/''Hexen'' series.

* CaptainErsatz: In the first game, Grondoval bears more than a passing resemblance to FrankFrazetta's Death Dealer, especially on the box art.

* JumpScare: For whatever reason, a ghostly horned skull with glowing eyes, pops up on screen at random points during gameplay, accompanied by a loud scare chord.

Along with Capstone's 1994 release, ''William Shatner's Tekwar'', it had the distinction of being one of the first games made on the Build Engine, debuting a full year before ''DukeNukem3D''. Although based on a first-person shooter engine, the gameplay had more in common with traditional first-person fantasy hack-and-slash [=RPGs=], with a heavy emphasis on close combat with melee weaponry (a bow and several magic spells for ranged attacks were also available, but each had limited uses). The player also gained experience points and increased his health and magic ability gradually as the game progressed.

The game follows the warrior Grondoval as he journeys to the forbidden land of Witchaven to defeat the WickedWitch Illwhyrin.

A sequel, ''Witchaven II: Blood Vengeance'', was released in 1996, with featured new weapons and enemies - plus a significant SequelDifficultySpike. This was Capstone and [=IntraCorp's=] last game, before they both went bankrupt in the same year.

''Witchaven'' was a 1995 fantasy-themed FPS game with RPG elements developed by Capstone Software. Along with ''William Shatner's Tekwar'', it had the distinction of being the first game made on the Build Engine, debuting a full year before ''DukeNukem3D''. Although based on a first-person shooter engine, the gameplay had more in common with traditional first-person fantasy hack-and-slash [=RPGs=], with a heavy emphasis on close combat with melee weaponry (several magic spells for ranged attacks were also available, but each had limited uses). The player also gained experience points and increased his health and magic ability gradually as the game progressed.

A sequel, ''Witchaven II: Blood Vengeance'', was released in 1996, with some added gameplay features such as the ability to dual-wield weapons and use shields. It also features a significant SequelDifficultySpike.