Hexplore

About

Hexplore is a 1998 PC adventure that mixes puzzle-solving, combat, and character management. Play solo or team up with three others in co-op mode as MacBride, an adventurer gathering allies to rescue captured companions from a sinister magician. The game uses a voxel-based engine with a top-down isometric view, letting you rotate the camera for better angles. Missions involve navigating grid-based levels filled with traps, enemies, and brain teasers. Party members can join or leave between quests, altering your available skills and strategies. With over 200 levels and optional characters to recruit, the game emphasizes flexibility and replayability. Its engine was praised for smooth performance using 3D voxel tech at the time of release. The blend of turn-based combat and logic puzzles keeps the pace varied, while the medieval fantasy setting offers a straightforward but engaging narrative. Though its visuals feel dated now, the core mechanics hold up for fans of classic tactical adventures.

Storyline

Set in 1000 AD, the player explores the world as MacBride, the adventurer. Early in the game you are joined by three party members, an archer, a warrior and a sorcerer. The player must track down Garkham, the black magician, to free the main characters' companions that were taken prisoner. The game continues the story from there, and characters may leave or join the party (of a maximum of four members) in subsequent missions. Most of the characters are optional, which means the user may or may not recruit them for future quests.