14 DAY TRIAL // 1C Entertainment and 3D Realms have just revealed the spiritual successor to Hexen 2, the dark fantasy first-person shooter developed by Raven Software and released in 1997. The new game is called Graven and it will be developed by Slipgate Ironworks, a Danish studio responsible for titles like Kingpin: Reloaded, Ghostrunner and Bombshell.
Graven is a dark-fantasy action-adventure FPS that has players delve into a tenebrous medieval world of deities and monstrosities as a disgraced Priest of the Orthogonal Order. Although you've been wronged by a heretical member of the Order who sacrificed your adoptive daughter, you are the one punished for killing the oppressor.
To redeem yourself in the eyes of the Creator, you'll have to hunt down the foul heretical sects responsible for conjuring plagues and twisting the natural order of the seasons. Graven mixes action RPG and classic shooters elements, but also encourages players to explore and solve puzzles as they journey across three expansive, open-ended regions.
“Graven began as a game we had often dreamed of. What would a spiritual successor to a Dark Fantasy series such as Hexen, have looked like if it was made in 1998 in the original Unreal engine?’ We think the answer is GRAVEN. We hope you do too,” said Frederik Schreiber, vice president of 3D Realms and Game Director on Graven.
In Graven, players will wield conventional weaponry, including magic staves and wrist-mounted crossbows. Most of these weapons and spells can be upgraded with gold at blacksmiths and alchemists. You will be able to return to previously-plundered areas with new abilities to uncover secrets and entirely new areas.
According to developers, the game features more than 30 weapons and spells. Although Graven is meant to be played solo, you can share the experience with a one friend in split-screen co-op, or even in a party of four online for complete arcane chaos.
The spiritual successor to Hexen 2 won't be available until 2021, but the good news is Graven will launch on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and PC (via Steam).
