Games published by id Software, Inc.
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We provide a complete list of games published by this publisher.
Doom
Union Aerospace Corporation has been experimenting with teleportation technology on the Mars moons Phobos and Deimos. After early successes, something is going wrong. It seems the scientists have opened a portal straight to hell. The Phobos base is overrun by demonic creatures, and all of Deimos simply disappears. A squad of marines is sent to Phobos, but all but one are quickly slaughtered. It's up to the surviving Marine to grab some weapons and strike back at the demons.
id Software's follow-up to their genre-defining Wolfenstein 3D, Doom is another 3D first-person shooter: all-out action seen from the perspective of space marines. Like Wolfenstein, the game consists of different episodes, which can be played in any order. The first episode, Knee-Deep in the Dead, takes place on the Phobos base and is available for free as shareware. The full game continues on Deimos in The Shores of Hell and culminates in Inferno, the final episode that takes place in Hell itself (the Sega 32x version lacks this episode).
The basic objective in each level is simply to reach the exit. Since dozens of enemies stand in the way, the only way to get there is to kill them. You have to press switches and buttons to advance at certain points, and often color-coded locked doors block the way: you have to find matching skull cards or keys to get through.
The game engine technology is more advanced than that of Wolfenstein, so the levels are more varied and complex. The engine simulates different heights (stairs and elevators appear frequently) and different lighting conditions (some rooms are pitch black, others are barely lit). There are open-air areas, pools of radioactive waste that hurt the player, ceilings that fall and crush the player, and unlike Wolfenstein's orthogonally aligned corridors, the walls in Doom can be at any angle to each other. An automatic map helps navigate the levels.
Stylistically, the levels start with a futuristic theme at the Phobos military base and gradually change to a hellish environment, with satanic symbols (pentagrams, inverted crosses and portraits of horned demons), mutilated corpses and distorted faces of the damned.
Doom has a large arsenal of weapons, most of which have advantages and disadvantages. The initial weapons are fists and a simple pistol. He also has a shotgun (high damage, slow reloading, not good at distances), a machine gun (high rate of fire, but slightly inaccurate in longer bursts) and a plasma rifle (combining high rate of fire and high damage). The rocket launcher also deals a lot of damage, but the burst deals damage in bursts and must be used with care in confined areas or it can prove deadly to both player and enemies. Two other weapons in the game are the chainsaw, for melee carnage, and the BFG9000 energy pistol, which, while requiring some practice to fire properly, can destroy most enemies in a single burst. The various weapons use four different types of ammunition (bullets, projectiles, rockets, and energy cells), so it is important to pick up the right type for a given weapon.
The game abandons some of the arcade-inspired aspects of Wolfenstein, so there are no extra lives or treasure to collect for points, but there are still plenty of other power-ups available. First aid kits heal damage, while armor protects from taking damage in the first place. Backpacks allow you to carry more ammo, a computer map reveals the entire level layout on the auto map (including secret areas), light-amplifying visors illuminate dark areas, and radiation suits allow you to travel over debris without taking damage. There are also berserk packs (which radically increase the damage inflicted by fists), as well as short-lived invisibility and invulnerability power-ups.
Enemies to destroy include ancient humans corrupted during the invasion, plus demons of all shapes and sizes: fireball-throwing imps, floating skulls, pink-skinned demons with powerful bite attacks, and large one-eyed flying monstrosities called Cacodemons. Each episode ends with a battle against one or two particularly powerful creatures.
Heretic
Heretic is a classic first-person shooter game that was released in 1994 by Raven Software. Set in a mythical world filled with dark magic and demonic creatures, this game was truly ahead of its time. Its revolutionary graphics and gameplay kept gamers at the edge of their seats and established it as an instant favorite among the DOS gaming community.
The game follows the story of D'Sparil, a powerful sorcerer who seeks to rule the world with his dark army. As the player, you take on the role of Corvus, a lone hero on a quest to stop D'Sparil and restore peace to the land. Armed with a variety of magical weapons and powerful spells, you embark on a thrilling mission to defeat D'Sparil and his minions.
What set Heretic apart from other games of its time was its use of a modified version of the Doom engine, allowing for 3D environments and smoother gameplay. With a wide range of weapons, from the iconic Elven Wand to the powerful Phoenix Rod, players were given a sense of control and variety in their battles against the demonic foes. The game also featured intricate level design, with hidden paths and secret areas that rewarded players for their exploration.
One unique aspect of Heretic was the use of multiple gameplay modes. Apart from the traditional single player campaign, players could also choose to engage in multiplayer matches with their friends either through LAN or modem connection. The game also featured a deathmatch mode, which was hugely popular among players and paved the way for the rise of multiplayer gaming in the years to come.
Heretic received critical acclaim for its engaging gameplay, immersive atmosphere, and impressive visuals. The game's dark and gothic setting, along with its haunting soundtrack, added to the overall experience and made it a standout in the FPS genre. It also spawned two expansion packs, expanding the game's content and keeping players hooked for even longer.
Even after more than two decades, Heretic remains a beloved game among the DOS gaming community. Its influence can still be seen in modern first-person shooters, with its iconic weapons and gameplay elements being imitated in many titles. Thanks to its captivating storyline and challenging gameplay, Heretic remains a fan favorite and a testament to the timeless appeal of classic DOS games.
Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders
Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders is the expanded version of the original Heretic release with the addition of two new episodes. This makes Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders a total of five episodes compared to the original Heretic's three episodes (and a single episode for the shareware version). Owners of the original Heretic can download a free patch that will upgrade the game to the full five episodes of Shadow of the Serpent Riders.
Your world has been ravaged by the three Serpent Riders of the Abyss. In the aftermath, two of the Riders have departed, while one, D'Sparil, remains to oversee the oppression. It is your duty, as a Heretic, to destroy this demon.
Heretic is the first game in the Heretic/Hexen franchise. Heretic begins Raven's tradition of taking id's latest game engines, enhancing them and using them in a fantasy game.
For Heretic, the Doom engine was used. The Raven team enhanced the engine with the addition of an inventory system, the ability to look up and down, and the ability to fly, along with some minor features such as powerful wind currents. Inventory aside, the core gameplay that made Doom a success remained the same.
Hexen: Beyond Heretic
The sequel to Heretic, Hexen: Beyond Heretic brings much more to the table than its successful predecessor.
Being one of the first FPS games to introduce character classes, Hexen quickly became a fan favorite at LAN parties, due to its co-op mode, when played over a network.Also, unlike other games of the time, its level design was not as linear, giving it an open-world feel...although it does get short (compared to Heretic).
The story is pretty straightforward, as far as stories go in these types of games: there's a big villain, Korax, the second of the Serpent Riders (the first one dies in Heretic), who will do anything to keep you from killing him (can you blame him?).
Enter you, the warrior, mage or cleric, who will not stand for such madness and will dispatch each and every minion using a plethora of weapons: a short-range axe, a throwing hammer and an exploding sword (for the warrior), a mace, a shooting staff, a burning spell and what looks like a crucifix that spits out abandoned souls, which kill the bad guys (cleric) and all sorts of wands and spells that do different kinds of damage (icy, electric and. ... blood!) for the mage. ... blood!) for the Wizard.
Obviously, Hexen (like no other abandoned game) should not be judged by today's standards. However, when it came out, you could clearly see that Raven had used the Doom engine (with some tweaks) and reused many sprites and textures from the original Heretic game. Whether it was sloppy design, meeting a deadline or simply keeping the spirit of the old game, it left some of us wanting.
Quake
An enemy codenamed ''Quake'', believed to be from another dimension, is using teleporter gates to invade Earth. The player takes the role of an unnamed soldier who arrives at his base only to discover that Quake has invaded it and killed everyone. Somewhere in the base there must be a teleporter to the realm of Quake. The mission is clear: take the fight to the enemy, overcoming countless hordes of monsters, and get revenge.
The sequel to id Software's Doom and Doom II, Quake is a first-person shooter. Its main technological innovation is the use of a true 3D engine: both levels and enemies are polygonal. This not only allows for a more natural design of levels and character animations, but also for more realistic lighting and the inclusion of simulated physics that impact gameplay: grenades can bounce off walls and corners, for example.
In single-player mode, the gameplay consists mainly of advancing through the levels (spread over four different episodes) in search of an exit, killing everything that moves. Interaction with the game world is kept to a minimum: as there is no key to use, buttons are pressed by running or shooting at them. As in id's earlier games, there are many secrets waiting to be discovered, including some hidden levels.
Unlike Doom's fairly straightforward design, which combines futuristic environments with demonic imagery, the theme of Quake's levels, enemies, and weapons is not as easy to pin down. While each episode begins in a futuristic military base (with a technological 'sliding door' as the level exit), later levels take place in environments inspired by medieval fantasy and gothic horror (castles, dungeons and caverns) and the player traverses magical portals to advance. Unlike the colorful environments of Doom, all levels in Quake are dominated by earth colors.
Enemies fit the hodgepodge of designs: there are human opponents armed with shotguns and energy weapons in the early levels, while later levels include medieval knights, ghosts, zombies, ogres (armed with grenade launchers and chainsaws), and some more supernatural beasts. The player's weapons, while relatively modern, have a low-tech feel to them. In addition to an axe (stained with blood), there are shotguns, nail guns, rocket and grenade launchers, and the Lightning Bolt, which discharges electrical energy.
Quake was one of the first games that could be played natively over the Internet, in addition to LANs. Single-player levels can be played cooperatively, but the game is most famous for its deathmatch mode. Duels can be played one-on-one, in teams or in an all-against-all competition. The emphasis is on quick reaction and skillful maneuvering through the levels. All single-player maps can be used as scenarios, but the game also includes six maps specially designed for deathmatch mode.
