Hands of Necromancy II
Hands of Necromancy II
Game
Game2022
Hands of Necromancy
Developer HON Team
Hands of Necromancy is a 2022 first-person shooter video game, developed by Rising Fire Games and published by Fulqrum Publishing. It was built using GZDoom, a modern source port of the Doom engine, and released for Windows, macOS, and Linux. For its retro shooter mechanics, fantasy setting, and metroidvania-style exploration, the game has been described as a spiritual successor to Heretic (1994) and Hexen: Beyond… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
217 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 1, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
72
Fresh
131 positive · 50 negative
95% range 65–78%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 131 | 50 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 6 | 0 | 20 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Mastodon * | 3 | 0 | 2 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
246 of 305 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
73% recommend · 132 yes, 49 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 181 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (348 of 419 positive).
Players praise it as a spiritual successor to Hexen and Heretic. [1][2][3] Some find the level design confusing and the game slow. [4][5] Others appreciate the transformation mechanics and weapon variety. [6][7][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [5]
The levels are giant mazes. When I get to actually shoot something I like this game. Sadly that's about 30% of play time at best. The rest is runnign around looking for the place you are supposed to go.
- [2]
This is the closest thing I've seen to a spiritual successor to Hexen, which is something I've wanted for a very long time now. The atmosphere is a little less serious (maybe closer to Doom/Heretic) and the art is fairly colorful, but the arsenal and progression through the levels (structured around hubs) have the kind of complexity that you'd expect from something inspired by Raven's classic. Progression does take …
- [6]
Absolutely fantastic hexen boomershooter. Kickass weapons, big open maps connected by portals, some nice level design, really fun enemies, secrets, and a lot of funny little details. Running low on ammo? Summon an army from the bodies of your foes. Gotta fit through a tight space? Transform into a tiny snek to spit and monch your enemies. There's an icethrower! a badass sword! and I'm only a couple hours in! My …
- [16]
By default, Quicksave is under F6 and Quickload under F9. Instant incline. Edit after 10 odd hours: Whereas the mechanics are somewhat original, hence the name—necromancy—I feel like the game is somewhat simple in comparison to other contemporary retro-scene pieces of the similar genre. Simpler and rather uneventful. No lore, no writings, no 'little quests', etc. Just looking for the keys and buttons, revealing some …
- [9]
This is a great buy for anyone who has fond memories of Heretic and Hexen. The level design is a mix of the two games, with some metroidvania elements thrown in (in the form of transformations). The game fixes the biggest problem of Heretic, the spongy enemies, and the obscure solitions to Hexen puzzles. On the downside, the game still looks amateurish compared to those two (it's a very indie game compared to the …
Summarised from 34 of the 216 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Hands of Necromancy sits at 72% positive across 181 opinionated reactions from 4 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Kotaku described Hands of Necromancy as "a game so good it could have been Hexen III", praising its hub-based level design as "top-notch" and its unique ability to transform into enemies as "such a splendid idea". The review noted it was inspired by Heretic and Hexen without being beholden to them, and concluded it could stand alongside Raven Software's mid-90s fantasy shooters, calling HON Team "a name to follow". PCGamesN noted that "thankfully there are some developers who are still willing to try and crack the fantasy nut", praising the game's magic system, distinct monster transformations, and the ability to raise fallen foes to fight alongside the player. Jot Down remarked that Hands…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 217 · most liked firstIts Hexen except you won't get lost looking for that switch.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Shadow Wizard money gang! We love casting spells!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is the closest thing I've seen to a spiritual successor to Hexen, which is something I've wanted for a very long time now. The atmosphere is a little less serious (maybe closer to Doom/Heretic) and the art is fairly colorful, but the arsenal and progression through the levels (structured around hubs) have the kind of complexity that you'd expect from something inspired by Raven's classic. Progression does take a milder form, however, one better suited for people who aren't obsessed with…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Happy #PortfolioDay everybody! I'm a professional musician that started making classic Doom maps for fun and ended up working on an actual GZDoom game: Hands of Necromancy 2. Here are some of my oldschool Doom and Heretic maps. #Doom #Heretic #Rietveld #LoversQuarrel
neutral · AI labelView post →Bought this because a) saw the sequel was coming out, and 2) it was only $5. This has been one of the BEST expenditures I have made! It's worth triple the price- I haven't had this much fun in an "old skool retro boomer shooter" for some time! Well worth the money- I wish I could pay MORE for it!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I got this off of a bundle because I thought it might be a metroidvania. For the last time, keys and locks do not make a metroidvania. metroidvanias are ABILITY GATED. Stop falslely marketing your retro shooters as metroidvanias. As a retro shooter this is outclassed by AMID EVIL and you should buy that instead. This is a little bit too retro and could have used some adjustments seen in other modern GZDoom engine games.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Absolutely fantastic hexen boomershooter. Kickass weapons, big open maps connected by portals, some nice level design, really fun enemies, secrets, and a lot of funny little details. Running low on ammo? Summon an army from the bodies of your foes. Gotta fit through a tight space? Transform into a tiny snek to spit and monch your enemies. There's an icethrower! a badass sword! and I'm only a couple hours in! My personal favourite things in this game are the small touches. Press "use" on a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The sound effect used for trying to find a hidden door, the one to replace Dooms classic "UNF", is so so good. They replaced it with a thoughtful "Hmmm.." Such a small detail, but it shines so brightly its worth mentioning. ...Oh yeah, the game is good too.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →By default, Quicksave is under F6 and Quickload under F9. Instant incline. Edit after 10 odd hours: Whereas the mechanics are somewhat original, hence the name—necromancy—I feel like the game is somewhat simple in comparison to other contemporary retro-scene pieces of the similar genre. Simpler and rather uneventful. No lore, no writings, no 'little quests', etc. Just looking for the keys and buttons, revealing some secret rooms, and, of course, a lot of killing. It might be a bad thing or…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A boring slow shooter with magic instead of weapons and very small corridor maps, the character sways too much when walking.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hexen nostalgia game running on GZDoom. Possibly a good time for people who really enjoyed Hexen, but otherwise, it has too many things I don't like seeing in my boomer shooters: Fall damage Enemies can attack you through walls (but you can't attack them with the same ability!) Some use of invisible walls, although rare Too much platforming over bottomless pits -- especially considering your player character has some inertia after you let go of the move button. Sometimes, even on ice…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hands of Necromancy is a fine boomer shooter in the vein of Hexen and Heretic. Armed with an arsenal of many different magic weapons, such as a Fireball staff, an ice ring and just literally a pistol (not magic), you kill hordes of Undead, Demons and other Magic monsters such as Gargoyles and Golems on a quest to find whoever commands them. I mostly had fun with Hands of Necromancy and it's competent as a retro boomer shooter. Most of the weapons feel good to use and the game is mostly fair…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Defaults to no controls at all (for keyboard and mouse, at least). I had to manually configure each input, despite a preset keyboard option of "WASD (Modern)." Then I slid through the first level, quickly tiring of trying to determine if I was missing something or needed to configure yet another input option. Unless the input defaults are actually set to something useful, this is useless. Additional Details Operating System Ubuntu Linux 22.04 x64 CPU…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I can't really recommend this game, I have tried to like it as there are geniunely good things done right in the gameplay but I got tired in the end. The gameplay is done well as it feels like classic Doom but with spells and magic. The main weapons you'll be using are fire spells, ice magic, tornado magic, and a magical sword. I had fun using them as they each have their own effectiveness against certain enemies. I love it when I use tornadoes against the golem and watch them get destroyed…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The levels are giant mazes. When I get to actually shoot something I like this game. Sadly that's about 30% of play time at best. The rest is runnign around looking for the place you are supposed to go.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I can appreciate games when it feels like the developers have put love and passion and effort into a game, but this just immediately doesn't feel like that. Here's some examples of low effort you can notice in your first minute loading up the game. - Default GZDoom font on a letterboxed pre-menu screen. - "Hands of Necromancy" menu title is slightly smaller than the same title in the background video. - Terrible menu font. Menu is left-shifted but title is centered. Looks very roughshod. - The…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not a bad game but also not really a game I can recommend. It's basically Heretic with more elaborate environments and worse spritework. That's not to say the sprites are bad, but that almost every single one of them is brown, and most of the backgrounds are brown, and they tend to fade in with the backgrounds a lot. The weapons are also staggeringly unimpressive. Out of the first four(sword, wand, ring, tornados), none of them feel punchy or effective and none of them have any…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[Fanatical] Build your own Fantasy Bundle (Fall 2024) - ($1+). **Tiers** - 1+ Games for $1.00 per game - 5+ Games for $0.60 per game - 10+ Games for $0.50 per game **Games** - Arboria - Blazing Beaks - Dark Deity - Eldest Souls - Elven Legacy Collection - Fantasy Wars - Gedonia - Hands of Necromancy - Hunchback's Dungeon - King's Bounty: Dark Side - Mists of Noyah - Mordheim: City of the Damned - Of Orcs And Men - Otherwar - Scarlet Tower - Styx: Master of Shadows - Styx: Shards of Darkness -…
neutral · AI labelView post →This is one of those times I wish we had a "sideways thumb" for "meh" in the review system. Its a beautiful and cool game, and it faithfully shows the inspiration it got from 'Hexen', but I don't know about this one. They didn't have the cool enemies like 'Hexen' has, but they kept the confusing mazes and labyrinths. It's just mildly frustrating and I feel like I'm wasting my limited free time by just walking around. The spells and items are cool and fun to use though, which helps things…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Decent Hexen like. Enemies are less spongey, puzzles are more key hunting than switch hunting. But there is some variety in puzzles.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is an elaborate Doom mod with a dark fantasy aesthetic. If that sounds like something you might enjoy then you'll love this game. It utilises advanced GZDoom tech such as rooms on top of rooms and slopes. The way the game is structured is similar to a Metroidvania. You start off in a hub level with multiple branching levels. In the individual branching levels you collect transformation powers that make it so you can reach other places in the other levels. The goal is to get keys in…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a great buy for anyone who has fond memories of Heretic and Hexen. The level design is a mix of the two games, with some metroidvania elements thrown in (in the form of transformations). The game fixes the biggest problem of Heretic, the spongy enemies, and the obscure solitions to Hexen puzzles. On the downside, the game still looks amateurish compared to those two (it's a very indie game compared to the state of the art of the early 90s), and the enemies death animations and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Discount of Hands of Necromancy 2 with -20% on GOG, you can buy it for 7,99$: www.gog.com/fr/game/hand...
neutral · AI labelView post →I really wanted to like this game. I'm a fan of boomer shooters and played most of the megawads that got a Cacoward in the last ~10 years. I'm a fan of Heretic and Hexen as well, and this game was promoted as spiritual successor to the latter. But it's not. The controls feel clunky and weird, and it can't be GZDoom fault since I didn't experience that in other games using this engine. The graphics look sterile and cartoony (nothing like the gloomy, misty environment of Hexen). Most enemies seem…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →fantasy game built on the engine of the original doom. recommended if you're a fan, but level layouts were confusing. The shapeshifting mechanic was cool though.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Digiphile Deep Dive: @underthemayo.bsky.social called KILLBUG a "must own"! Get this and 4 other Indie Boomer Shooters for $5 ...while supplies last @samuraipunk.bsky.social @neondoctrine.games @rawfury.bsky.social Hands of Necromancy II TEXNOPLAZM @texnoplazm.bsky.social Wrack: Reclamation
neutral · AI labelView post →Support indie game developers! $5 gets you 4 great Boomer Shooters handpicked by @kirkcollects.bsky.social Developer tip option goes 100% to devs KILLBUG @samuraipunk.bsky.social @rawfury.bsky.social @neondoctrine.games Hands of Necromancy II TEXNOPLAZM @texnoplazm.bsky.social Wrack: Reclamation
neutral · AI labelView post →This is one of those games where I wish Steam had a neutral review option First of all what I do like. The level design is really good, outside of a few minor hiccups, I thoroughly enjoyed exploring. The devs also did a great job of leaning into Doom's graphical aesthetic. Also the transformations a pretty neat gimmick. Now the big problem with HoN. The weapons are some of the most flaccid and impotent feeling of any game I've come across. Now I'm not saying they don't kill things, they…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's not completely bad but quite basic, uninspired and unpolished. There's nothing that makes this game stand out from others. Levels are boring, weapons are mostly lame, no real story. The shapeshifting mechanic and the ability to raise enemies are nice ideas, but they aren't enough to carry this game. If you want a game like Hexen/Heretic, play AMID EVIL instead. If you want a Quake-like experience, DUSK or maybe CULTIC is your pick. For retro shooters based on GZDoom, pick Hedon Bloodrite…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There's good and bad things about this game. I'm happy to see a GZDoom project on Steam and I think the price is very reasonable given the amount of work that probably went into it. What I don't like to see is a game that isn't really coming together: I quite like the atmosphere of the game, it somewhat reminds me of Unreal. There are secrets but luckily, they're very easy to find and don't involve wall-hugging. That's good but on the other hand it has a bad case of 'what does this switch…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →GZDoom Hexen Extravaganza: Mages ONLY edition.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this game is like a crap version of heretic,
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This one really surprised me. At first you're plinking away at cultists with your starting pea shooter and it's not anything special, but then you start to find more creative weapons and you discover that the levels are more complex than they seem. The gimmick is that you learn spells to transform into different creatures, and you then use their abilities to open up new parts of the map. Like you can turn into a snake to squeeze into crawlspaces, or a golem to smash through walls. The cool part…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A fun retro shooter that really captures that classic Heretic vibe with its dark fantasy aesthetic and complex, vertical level design. While the actual necromancy mechanics feel a bit tacked on, juggling the various magical weapons and transforming your body to tear through hordes of monsters is deeply satisfying.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A solid Heretic / Hexen inspired FPS. The key hunting is optional and isn't as frustrating as Hexen. You even have a handy notebook to help you keep track. Nice maps, enemies, and weapons. I also liked how you can transform into various creatures.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you want a classic FPS game, similar to old-school DooM + Quake, you've come to the right place! Step into the shoes of an unnamed Necromancer to put a stop to an uprising of nightmarish monsters and show who's the most badass around! It's pretty straightforward, but I'd be lying if I said the letting the bad guy be the good guy wasn't a refreshing take nonetheless. ;) Now, while the story is fairly simple, and there isn't too much lore to beheld, the gameplay certainly shines from time to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Your movement as well as aiming both have acceleration. Meaning when you are moving and dead stop your characer will keep their momentum for a second and keep moving that direction. Same thing with aiming you will aim, stop, and it keeps going. That along with the AWFUL controls and confusing menus made this a very miserable experience. I'm gonna go for a refund and attempt to get my dollar back or whatever this was on sale for. Do people actually like "acceleration" as I call it on their…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's like Hexen, but without the cryptic switch hunt and with the ability to transform into 4 monsters. You can also revive dead enemies to help you, although you need an item to do so. That said, I've had framerate issues in a few maps. Not many, but they did sour my experience, with my Fps going from 60 to the 40s and even the 20s in one case. The Earthen Depths map couldn't keep a stable framerate at all. I could blame it on my laptop being old, but I don't think a random normal-looking…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is a lot of fun when you're doing stuff but it has a really big problem with "once you clear the main room you need to backtrack and find the weird little alcove you missed 3 times to progress" which tends to eat up more time than the actual shooting itself. If you like that sort of thing, treat this as recommended.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What Hexen should have been.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Doomish with magic. Love it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →https://youtu.be/wGwWml5nqB8 Technical issues are far to impactful to get a true read of what this game has to offer from a gameplay experience.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A brilliant little Heretic/Hexen like hub based game. Most of the assets are great looking (some a bit uninspired maybe). Art direction might not win any prices but the mood is there and... I mean, more of this kind of game just tickles me. Weapons are this time around a bit different, while they do lack punch in effects and "feel" they are cool and different. At first the ice spell felt... useless but I grew to love it. Only minus is the traditional. Games like these? You get lost ALL THE…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Admittedly, it’s been a while since I’ve been around. Life’s been lifin’. That said, I have been “brought back” to work on this! Haha, get it? Bc, it’s abou- yeah, you get it. Anyway, if you enjoyed Hands of Necromancy 2, you may dig this! Coming soon ™️. store.steampowered.com/app/4804270/...
neutral · AI labelView post →Under normal circumstances, I'd write a negative review for a game that has no proper checkpoints, where I'm always lost no matter if it's my 3rd or 4th playthrough (believe it or not, I started nauseating and had to quit after running in circles for over an hour in a certain level and then for over half an hour the next level) and how it made me fall in love with a ring that gives you ice-based magic, since I despise ice-related attacks in games. I guess it's probably because it's kinda…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A considerable and valuable Hexen Clone, way enhanced for nowadays times and squeezing out a lot from the rather simple GZ engine. If you like Hexen or similar FPS RGP games, you will feel at home in here too. There are 3 episodes with each 1 main level and hubs, made for finding keys to open the final gate and encountering the boss. Make your early selection when you start the game- The Explorer version is the more Hexen related imitation, means you need to find more keys, while in the action…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After playing Heretic and Hexen I had itch for similar games, thinking this would be close to it I bought Hands of Necromancy, the result was... disappointing. I tried to give this game a fair shot but I just cant seem to enjoy it no matter what. Maybe its my mistake for thinking it can scratch that Heretic/Hexen itch but still I didn't expect it to be such a letdown
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Abiotic Factor, which is a new open world survival game based on a mix of og Half-Life and SCP, so the graphics and models look like they come from the 90s or early 2000s. Hands of Necromancy (and pretty much all other GZDoom games for that matter) all look like they came right out of 1996 - with the exception of Selaco. That game is actually beautiful. Going Medieval has a slight pixel/voxel look to it. There's also Ultracop, which I think is made by one person and also looks straight…
neutral · AI labelView post →Hands of Necromancy 2 is in the "Build your own Explosive Bundle" of Fanatical! www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-... You can buy the game for a very low price!
neutral · AI labelView post →Bought this on a sale and it feels like I robbed the devs. I've completed two of the three episodes but I already want to give it a big thumbs up. I simply love the level design. Every location feels fresh (Despite its theme being either necrotic or fire & brimstone) and brings a good amount of variety in the way you navigate them. They require some exploration like you expect in a game of this genre. And yet it's not the sort you would need to constantly look up a walkthrough, because the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game was good. OMW To make sure Hands of Necromancy 2 is in MY HANDS. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2706450/Hands_of_Necromancy_II/ If you like Hexen and Heretic, this is great. I make my reviews after beating the game. This was 15 hrs of my life that I enjoyed. I played it over a few days this Christmas break after Wrath: Aeon of Ruin & Selaco. So yeah, that's what I put this game up against. It was good. It is far less convoluted than Hexen (not knowing where anything is and how…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hands of Necromancy 2 is at -34% on Fanatical, 1 day left! www.fanatical.com/en/game/hand...
neutral · AI labelView post →It's the "Black Friday Sale" on Fanatical, you can get Hands of Necromancy 2 with a discount of -34% ! www.fanatical.com/en/game/hand...
neutral · AI labelView post →This oldschool fantasy shooter is strongly inspired by Hexen, and it determines both its strong and weak sides. On one hand, it's atmospheric, set in a gloomy world of dark magic, with nice art and music. There's a lot of creative ideas with weapons, abilities and items, pushing the game into a metroidvania territory: there are lots of places you'll need to revisit once you have the right power. On the other hand, the gameplay has the pacing of a frozen snail: both you and your enemies are…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love this game, it's pretty much everything i loved about Hexen as a kid, brought back. .. Unfortunately, it's also got some of Hexen's faults, for me at least. Twice I got semi-stuck and spent over 30 minutes searching for something I had yet to interact with. Have had flashbacks to getting the same issue in Hexen's level 2. By all means get this one if you miss the old Hexen, this is very easily worth the low price :)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good graphics for this style of game. Number of different modes. Lots of maps and I like the map layouts. Bought the new Hands of Necromancy 2 as well. If you like Fantasy and Doom well worth a purchase. Good price as well.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What you've got here is a retro game which draws a lot of inspiration from Heretic and Hexen, which is to say it's a fantasy-based spell-em-up rather than sci-fi or military shooter. You are "The Necromancer", just out for a stroll minding your own business when all manner of wild and crazy critters start accosting you and asking if you'd be good enough to supply them your soul. You will have to fight through your way through three different hubs and a few extra intermediary levels to get to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nice game. Made me feel nostalgic. No checkpoints, you save manually. Like old school classics. Well done team 💪👏
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →controls genuinely feel untested, dont feel fluid at all
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I bought this game as part of a bundle and didn't expect much from it. Little did I know, this is actually a very solid old-school FPS! The fantasy theme cooks up an interesting arsenal where some weapons intuitively counter certain enemies in ways that you don't see from more typical fare like Doom or Gloomwood. I ended up using the cyclone spell a lot to sweep groups of small enemies or single large enemies off of cliffs, and that kind of combat depth kept the game fresh for my 15+ hour…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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