Hands of Necromancy first full playthrough: Episode 3
1We've got one more full episode remaining, with one not-yet-obtained transformation for further progression. Would this episode pull any new tricks?
I have to figure the level designers must've treaded carefully in terms of working in the final transformation, since it has potential to completely break the game wide open if not handled well or provided too soon. It's nice to see that there were multiple backtracking opportunities once it's granted.
In terms of routing, this episode unfortunately still doesn't delve into truly Hexen-esque territory, sticking to its existing formula of only one entrance per level.
The post-hub section of this episode might be the shortest out of the three, especially where the final level is concerned; whereas the previous two episodes each involved a full-blown level before the boss fight, this one throws you right into the final encounter. The final boss felt like a better fight than episode 2's, since this one gives you a full arena to move around in. The last-minute switch hunt might've hurt pacing a bit though, given that it took me a little while to spot the final switch. (But hey, that's Hexen for you.)
I give this game a bit of a hard time for not truly providing the full Hexen experience with regard to complex intra-hub routing, but it does still manage to scratch some of the itch, and there's a lot to appreciate about getting a modern Hexen-inspired GZDoom/VKDoom FPS from an indie dev team. Plus we've still got the extra expansion content to look through, so I'm not ready to move on to HoN2 just yet.