{"id":1538247,"date":"2026-03-28T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/NZBmcLpkWSh6CuCjiioj6b"},"modified":"2026-03-28T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T13:00:00","slug":"forgotten-fps-sequel-heretic-2-gets-a-reverse-engineered-sourceport-that-fixes-bugs-improves-the-framerate-and-adds-lots-of-cosmetic-improvements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/forgotten-fps-sequel-heretic-2-gets-a-reverse-engineered-sourceport-that-fixes-bugs-improves-the-framerate-and-adds-lots-of-cosmetic-improvements\/","title":{"rendered":"Forgotten FPS sequel Heretic 2 gets a ‘reverse-engineered sourceport’ that fixes bugs, improves the framerate and adds ‘lots of cosmetic improvements’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Classic boomer shooters Heretic + Hexen<\/a> received a lavish overhaul courtesy of Nightdive Studios last year, making these classics of the 2.5D FPS era much more accessible on PC. Playing the sequels to Raven Software’s early shooters is not so straightforward, however. Hexen 2 is available to buy on Steam<\/a> in its original, unvarnished form, but the only way to play Heretic 2 is to summon an evil demon and sell your soul for a boxed copy.<\/p>\n

This is a shame, because Heretic 2 is the most unusual entry in the whole Heretic\/Hexen coven. The sequel breaks rank with all the others by being a third-person action adventure rather than a dedicated FPS. Released in 1998, it received decent reviews at the time, praised for its large, complex level design and grisly 3D action.<\/p>\n

There is some good news for those who happen to own a copy of Heretic 2 though. There is now a way to make it easier to play on a modern PC. A programmer who goes by MaxEd<\/a> on Github has created a “reverse-engineered sourceport” for Raven’s fantasy blaster, which is pretty much a remaster in all but name.<\/p>\n

Dubbed Heretic2R<\/a>, the sourceport introduces a bunch of new technical features to the elf wizard Corvus’ second adventure. For starters, it adds widescreen support with automatic HUD scaling, and unlocks the framerate to a theoretical maximum of 1,000 FPS.<\/p>\n

On top of this, Heretic 2R ensures that in-game special effects update at the appropriate rendering framerate, improves map loading times, and makes “lots of cosmetic improvements” so that “the game plays as you remember it, not as it actually played”. Which sounds very remaster-y to me.<\/p>\n

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