Editing Heretic (video game) (section)

==Reception==
{{Video game reviews
<!-- Reviewers -->
|CGW={{rating|5|5}}<ref name="cgw">{{cite magazine | author=Dei, Vox | date=March 1995 | title=Review: ''Heretic'', Meet Your ''Doom''! | url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_128/page/n105/ | issue=128 | magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] | publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] | pages=104–6| issn=0744-6667}}</ref>
|GSpot=7.6/10<ref name="gamespot">{{cite web | author=Blevins, Tal | date=June 13, 1996 | title=''Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders'' | url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/hereticshadowofthesr/review.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031011033316/http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/hereticshadowofthesr/review.html | archive-date=October 11, 2003 | publisher=[[Paramount Streaming|CBS Interactive]]| work=[[GameSpot]] | accessdate=May 11, 2022}}</ref>
|Hyper=90%<ref name="hyper">{{cite magazine | author=''Hyper'' staff | date=March 1995 | title=''Heretic'' | url=https://archive.org/details/hyper-016/page/n31/  | pages=32–5 | magazine=[[Hyper (magazine)|Hyper]] | publisher=[[nextmedia]] | issn=1320-7458}}</ref>
| PCZone = 78%<ref name="PCZ-Heretic">{{cite journal |date=April 1995 |title=Review: Heretic |journal=PC Zone |url=https://archive.org/stream/PC_Zone_Issue_025_1995-04_Dennis_Publishing_GB#page/n69 |first=Charlie |last=Brooker |issue=25 |pages=68-70 |access-date=June 22, 2015}}</ref>
| rev1 = ''Maximum''
| rev1Score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="Max4r"/>
| NGen = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="NG5"/>
}}

''Heretic'' and ''Hexen'' shipped a combined total of roughly 1 million units by August 1997.<ref name="1m">{{cite web|author=Staff|date=August 7, 1997|title=Activision to Buy Raven|url=http://www.pcgamer.com:80/news/news080497.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19971012044914/http://www.pcgamer.com/news/news080497.html|archive-date=October 12, 1997|access-date=January 13, 2020|work=[[PC Gamer US]]}}</ref> Individually Heretic sold more than 500,000 copies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.idsoftware.com/corporate/idhist.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19961220090327/http://www.idsoftware.com/corporate/idhist.html|title=History|website=[[id Software]]|archivedate=December 20, 1996|accessdate=June 19, 2024}}</ref>

''Heretic'' received generally positive reviews.

''[[PC Zone]]'' remarked that ''Heretic''{{'}}s weapons are stylistically unsatisfying, the ability to look up and down is useless, the level designs are poorly conceived and confusing, and the flying ability lacks depth and a sense of true flight, more closely resembling "sitting on the front of a [[forklift]] truck". While they regarded the inventory mechanic as genuinely innovative, they felt that overall ''Heretic'' failed to differentiate itself from ''Doom'' to the extent of contemporaries such as ''[[Descent (video game)|Descent]]'' and ''[[Star Wars: Dark Forces]]'', and concluded, "Not as good as ''Doom 1'' or ''2''. Still fun, but I'd rather wait for ''[[Quake (video game)|Quake]]'', thanks."<ref name="PCZ-Heretic" />

''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' stated that "If you're only going to get one action game in the next couple of months, this is the one."<ref name="NG5">{{cite magazine|date=May 1995|title=Finals|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|publisher=[[Imagine Media]]|issue=5|page=93}}</ref>

While remarking that ''Heretic'' is a thinly-veiled clone of ''[[Doom (1993 video game)|Doom]]'', and that its being released in Europe after [[Hexen: Beyond Heretic|its sequel]] and with ''[[Quake (video game)|Quake]]'' due out shortly makes it somewhat outdated, ''Maximum'' nonetheless regarded it as an extremely polished and worthwhile purchase. They particularly highlighted the two additional episodes of the retail version, saying they offer a satisfying challenge even to first person shooter veterans and are largely what make the game worth buying.<ref name="Max4r">{{cite journal|title=Maximum Reviews: Heretic|journal=Maximum: The Video Game Magazine|issue=4 |publisher=[[Emap International Limited]]|date=March 1996|page=156}}</ref>

In 1996, ''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' listed being turned into a chicken as #3 on its list of "the 15 best ways to die in computer gaming".<ref name="cgw199611bestwaystodie">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1996&pub=2&id=148 | title=The 15 Best Ways To Die In Computer Gaming | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=November 1996 | access-date=25 March 2016 | page=107}}</ref>