History VideoGame / Heretic

** "No Blood" turns enemy gibs into debris, excises blood particles and decals (with the former being turned into sparks of light and dust), and removes the ability to dismember enemies. Should Corvus be gibbed, the game will immediately bring up the Load Game menu with no input from the player to cover up the gibs.

* TheHeretic: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Our hero.]]

* ConvectionSchmonvection: Besides the usual case of lava not hurting you unless you walk on it, there's the Ice Grotto in episode 2: Hell's Maw, which features [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20200417_183229.jpg ice pathways atop seas of lava.]] Hell follows its own rules of physics, it seems.

* DamnYouMuscleMemory: In ''Doom'', the Rocket Launcher is placed in slot 5 while the Plasma Rifle is placed in slot 6. However, ''Heretic'' places the Phoenix Rod (its equivalent to the Rocket Launcher) in slot 6, while the Hellstaff (its equivalent to the Plasma Rifle) is placed in slot 5. Just try to ''not'' get them mixed up after playing ''Doom'', especially since the Phoenix Rod can still cause SplashDamage to yourself.

* FakeUltimateMook: Outside of their boss encounters, Iron Liches are hobbled by a severe shortage of speed. Their attacks can be devastating but they'll be hard pressed to use them in regular levels where the player can retreat and abuse cover. You also gain weapons that can devastate them such as the powered-up Hellstaff and Fire Mace (you can bounce the giant spheres around corners thanks to their homing). If you lack a Tome of Power, the unpowered Phoenix Rod kills one in 4-shots. Just don't bother with the rippers from the powered-up Dragon Claw, as they do 0-1 damage per interval to Liches instead of the normal 1-8 they do to any other enemy.

* HailfirePeaks: "Episode 2: Hell's Maw" takes place on the sides of a volcano, according to the world map, but some levels contain icy areas in addition to the usual lava pools. There is even a SecretLevel titled "The Glacier", that takes place near the bottom of the volcano, reinforcing the "fire and ice" theme of Hell's Maw. The Ice Grotto level of Episode 2 stands out with a [[SlippySlideyIceWorld slippery]] [[ConvectionSchmonvection ice lake right next to molten lava.]]
* HarderThanHard: Black Plague Possesseth Thee difficulty level makes enemies harder to kill as well as make them move and attack far faster, including making projectiles move faster. To compensate, [[HardModePerks Ammo pick ups now give three times as much ammo.]]

** ''Trying to cheat, eh? NOW YOU DIE!''

** ColorCodedMultiplayer: The players are red, yellow, green, and blue.

* HarderThanHard: Black Plague Possesseth Thee difficulty level makes enemies way faster.

* GoneHorriblyWrong: Turns out that when you're using a series of seven [[AmplifierArtifact Amplifier Artifacts]] to cast a spell turning your entire race into [[PhysicalGod physical gods]], and one of those seven artifacts has gone missing, a duplicate will ''not'' suffice. Morcalavin, the [[spoiler:FinalBoss]] of ''Heretic II'', finds this out the hard way.

* AllLowercaseLetters: everywhere, where possible, in the first game; this was continued in ''VideoGame/{{Hexen}}''. the typeface is clearly based on gaelic script (insular and uncial, with some influence from humanist minuscule).

* AllLowercaseLetters: everywhere, where possible, in the first game; this was continued in VideoGame/{{hexen}}. the typeface is clearly based on gaelic script (insular and uncial, with some influence from humanist minuscule).

* ConvectionSchmonvection: Besides the usual case of lava not hurting you unless you walk on it, there's the Ice Grotto (And the Glacier) in episode 2: Hell's Maw, which features [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20200417_183229.jpg ice pathways atop seas of lava.]] Hell follows its own rules of physics, it seems.

* ContractualBossImmunity: Not surprisingly, OneHitKill abilites will not work on bosses. The [[ForcedTransformation Morph Ovum]] does nothing, while the powered up Fire Mace does 18-144 damage in lieu of [[FixedDamageAttack 10,000 damage]]. The Hell Staff's crimson rain effect does 1-8 damage per droplet instead of 5-40 against Maulotaurs and D'Sparil to balance it against their large hit-boxes. The rain is [[SubvertedTrope very effective against Iron Liches]], however, as they are very slow and receive full damage from each rain drop.
** D'Sparil, in particular, responds to being hit by the most powerful attacks, such as the powered up Hell Staff and Phoenix Rod and the Firemace, by teleporting immediately, preventing you from reliably spamming those attacks.
* ConvectionSchmonvection: Besides the usual case of lava not hurting you unless you walk on it, there's the Ice Grotto in episode 2: Hell's Maw, which features [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20200417_183229.jpg ice pathways atop seas of lava.]] Hell follows its own rules of physics, it seems.

* DegradedBoss: Iron Liches and Maulotaurs are met in regular gameplay after their boss introduction. So after Episode 3 (Where you fought D'Sparil), bosses are ''large groups'' of them. Most pronounced with Iron Liches because you gain firepower in Episode 2+ to make short work of them. The Hell Staff (especially when powered up), and the Phoenix Rod (Rocket Launcher) stand out.

** The hellstaff is exactly like the plasma rifle but shoots red instead of blue.

* FireAndBrimstoneHell: Subverted, the episode titles and lava pits make it appear that Corvus is on his way to here. Episode 2 comes closest but is in fact an active volcano with frozen-over regions. D'Sparil's compound meanwhile is actually an UnderwaterCity at the bottom of and ocean with much more water than lava & fire. You can even say D'Sparil's properties are relaxing with all the audibly flowing water you encounter and a spectacular view of the ocean overhead.

* LethalJokeItem: The Fire Mace is a weird short-ranged "machine gun" that is completely ineffective against ghost monsters, and against most monsters, isn't any better than using the Hell Staff (Plasma gun). Also, if the floor texture is water, the shots will sink. However, if you power it up, then it shoots bigger, slower spheres that will OneHitKill anything excluding boss monsters. Oh, and the big spheres ''travel through teleport pads and can even telefrag you if you happen to be standing on the spot where they emerge''. It still will not hit ghosts however.

** Episode 2 is titled '''Hell's Maw''' but the setting is a relatively mundane volcanic mountain with frozen-over sections (even next to lava lakes). You don't even complete the episode by entering into Hell, rather you're taken to an UnderwaterCity.

** The firemace. It's normally like a weaker version of the hellstaff (as it has a much shorter range, doesn't work on ghost creatures, and sinks if the floor of area has a water texture. If you use a [[QuadDamage Tome Of Power]], the metal orbs it shoots become ''much'' more effective, being a OneHitKO for mooks and other players, albeit the orbs are very slow. Even against bosses it does a respectable amount of damage (about the same as the phoenix rod). In its base form, while the orbs scatter so much that it's not very effective outside of close range, it has a fast rate of fire, a higher damage per second rate than either the dragon claw or hellstaff, and it can easily stunlock the tankier enemies like weredragons, ophidians, and even iron liches.

** Hell Staff = Plasma Rifle / Area-denial radius akin to a rain of more powerful Plasma Rifle shots

* WalkingShirtlessScene: Corvus in ''Heretic II'', who is very fit. At least one reviewer compared him favorably to [[ThirdPersonSeductress Lara]] [[VideoGame/TombRaider Croft]], considering his butt [[FemaleGaze not too unwelcoming to look at]].

* NoFairCheating: More savvy players of the first ''Heretic'' might be tempted to try ''Doom'' cheats, since the game runs on the same engine... only to discover they usually do the opposite of what you expected (e.g. Using ''Doom'''s GodMode cheat instantly kills you, while using the cheat that gives you all weapons instead takes away all your weapons and leaves you with just the staff).

* BalefulPolymorph: The Morph Ovum, Porkalator and Seal of the Ovinomancer items in the first three games of the series. In the multiplayer for ''Heretic II'', the Morph Ovum can be used on players. Using the Tome of Power after you've been turned into a chicken will turn you into a ''giant chicken''. This doesn't work in the first game, where the tome just turns you back to normal.

* ContractualBossImmunity: Not surprisingly, OneHitKill abilites will not work on bosses. The [[BalefulPolymorph Morph Ovum]] does nothing, while the powered up Fire Mace does 18-144 damage in lieu of [[FixedDamageAttack 10,000 damage]]. The Hell Staff's crimson rain effect does 1-8 damage per droplet instead of 5-40 against Maulotaurs and D'Sparil to balance it against their large hit-boxes. The rain is [[SubvertedTrope very effective against Iron Liches]], however, as they are very slow and receive full damage from each rain drop.

* DifficultySpike:
** Episode 1 isn't much to write home about difficulty wise, until you get to the Citadel, which throws hordes of enemies at you from every direction (with lots and lots of Gargoyles sneaking up on you.)
** Episode 3 ramps things up, with at least one Iron Lich per level on the higher difficulty settings. [=E3M1=] is widely considered the most difficult level of the base game, simply because the only new weapons you'll get in that level are the Gauntlets of the Necromancer and the Dragon Claw (there's also a Hellstaff, but it's in a secret at the very end of the level), and ammo pickups are very limited. This is on top of there being ''at least'' one Iron Lich in the stage, and two on any difficulty other than easy.
** The two episodes added in ''Shadow of the Serpent Riders'' really crank up the difficulty. [=E4M1=] alone has a Maulotaur and a whole posse of Iron Liches, and not a lot of weapons or ammo to go around. Later levels have ''at least'' two Maulotaurs and five Iron Liches, sometimes all nearby each other.

** Hell Staff = Plasma Rifle / Area-denial radius akin to a rain of Plasma Rifle shots

** Hell Staff = Plasma Rifle / Area-denial-effect akin to a DamageOverTime GrenadeLauncher.

** Hell Staff = Plasma Rifle / Area-effect-red-rain

** The powered-up Fire Mace is a downplayed example as it deals exactly 10,000 damage (18-144 on bosses) and can therefore kill a non-boss monster with one sphere. However, the spheres move and bounce around very slowly, will disappear if they strike a wall (terrible in tight halls), do not bounce on liquid, flying enemies are difficult unless you fire point-blank, and ghosts are completely immune to the weapon. The weapon also follows the player's inertia complicating aiming and against multiple enemies, you can't really chose who the super orbs home in on. However, you can use the machine gun on swarms of weaker enemies to get the most out of its regular mode, or send some power spheres out to for tracking D'Sparil after he teleports while another niche use is against Iron Liches as they are extremely slow and easy targets for the still-powerful super orbs. In short, their unpowered mode overlaps with HerdHittingAttack abilities that ''also'' work on ghosts like the powered-up Hellstaff or Dragon Claw, and even when powered-up, it is somewhat situational.

** The powered-up Fire Mace deals exactly 10,000 damage (18-144 on bosses) and can therefore kill a non-boss monster with one sphere. However, the spheres move and bounce around very slowly, will disappear if they strike a wall (terrible in tight halls), do not bounce on liquid, flying enemies are difficult unless you fire point-blank, and ghosts are completely immune to the weapon. The weapon also follows the player's inertia complicating aiming and against multiple enemies, you can't really chose who the super orbs home in on. You can use the machine gun on swarms of weaker enemies to get the most out of its regular mode, or send some power spheres out to for tracking D'Sparil after he teleports while another niche use is against Iron Liches as they are extremely slow and easy targets for the still-powerful super orbs. In short, their unpowered mode overlaps with HerdHittingAttack abilities that ''also'' work on ghosts like the powered-up Hellstaff or Dragon Claw, and even when powered-up it remains situational.

** The firemace. It's normally like a weaker version of the hellstaff (as it has a much shorter range, doesn't work on ghost creatures, and sinks if the floor of area has a water texture. If you use a [[QuadDamage Tome Of Power]], the metal orbs it shoots become ''much'' more effective, being a OneHitKO for mooks and other players. Even against bosses it does a respectable amount of damage (about the same as the phoenix rod).
*** It's actually not that bad in its base form, either. While the orbs scatter so much that it's not very effective outside of close range, it has a fast rate of fire, a higher damage per second rate than either the dragon claw or hellstaff, and it can easily stunlock the tankier enemies like weredragons, ophidians, and even iron liches.

* ContractualBossImmunity: Not surprisingly, OneHitKill abilites will not work on bosses. The [[BalefulPolymorph Morph Ovum]] does nothing, while the powered up Fire Mace does 18-144 damage in lieu of [[FixedDamageAttack 10,000 damage]]. The Hell Staff's crimson rain effect does 1-8 damage per droplet instead of 5-40 against Maulotaurs and D'Spairl to balance it against their large hit-boxes. The rain is [[SubvertedTrope very effective against Iron Liches]], however, as they are very slow and receive full damage from each rain drop.

** D'sparil is pronounced like Despair-il.

** This seems to be the case with the ending of Episode 3, once [[VideoGame/{{Hexen}} Hexen]] was complete. [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/heresiarch_heretic.PNG A supposed second serpent rider appears ambiguously angry]] with a crystal ball spying on Corvus after Corvus struck down D'sparil. He wears a serpent rider robe similar to D'Sparil's and D'Sparil himself appears on a stained-glass window in his scrying chamber.\\

* DarkerAndEdgier: As a dark-fantasy counterpart to ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'', this game has an even more gloomy tone with edgier bosses like the Iron Liches and D'Sparil, and more muted color tones, except where appropriate (like cathedrals and palaces). Corvus also has a very personal involvement in his quest after his people were slain by D'Sparil driving his quest to confront him and deliver justice.

* DarkerAndEdgier: As a dark-fantasy counterpart to ''VideoGame/Doom'', this game has an even more gloomy tone with edgier bosses like the Iron Liches and D'Sparil, and more muted color tones, except where appropriate (like cathedrals and palaces). Corvus also has a very personal involvement in his quest after his people were slain by D'Sparil driving his quest to confront him and deliver justice.

* DarkerAndEdgier: As a SpiritualSuccessor to ''VideoGame/Doom'', this game has an even more gloomy tone with edgier bosses like the Iron Liches and D'Sparil, and more muted color tones, except where appropriate (like cathedrals and palaces). Corvus also has a very personal involvement in his quest after his people were slain by D'Sparil driving his quest to confront him and deliver justice.

** Elven Wand = Pistol / Rapid-fire ShortRangeShotgun with slower projectile components.

** Elven Wand = Pistol / Rapid-fire Shotgun
** Crossbow = Projectile Shotgun / Projectile Super Shotgun