Hexuma

Weltenschmiede

Industry	Video game development
Products	Hexuma, Das Stundenglas, Die Kathedrale

Hexuma, also titled Hexuma: Das Auge des Kal (translated as Hexuma: The Eye of Kal), is a German interactive fiction game released in 1992. Developed by Weltenschmiede and published by Software 2000, it was available on both Amiga and DOS platforms. This game serves as the concluding installment of a trilogy of text adventures, succeeding Das Stundenglas (1990) and Die Kathedrale (1991).

Plot

An estate agency takes ownership of Hawthorne Mansion, a house located on an English moor with a reputation for being haunted, where former inhabitants reportedly lost their sanity. Players step into the role of an agency staff member assigned to inspect and clean the premises. The mansion stands atop the ruins of a 15th-century castle and was once the site of investigations by scientist Owen Jugger, who met an unexplained death in the 1920s.

While tidying up, the protagonist discovers a parcel addressed to Jugger that had been delayed for seven decades. Inside lies Jugger’s diary, which details his research into a cult devoted to Kal, an ancient malevolent deity lying dormant. To prevent Kal’s resurrection, the player must retrieve five crystal fragments scattered across various historical eras accessible through time-travel portals within the mansion. These eras include the Mesozoic Era, the Ice Age, a medieval mining site, a 19th-century naval vessel engaged in combat, and a future timeline. A sixth shard accompanies Jugger’s parcel.

Gameplay

Departing from conventional text adventures, Hexuma combines over 120 illustrated locations with textual descriptions, merging typed commands and point-and-click elements. Interaction with scenes and items is possible through either text input or clickable icons representing common actions such as ascending stairs or picking up objects. An automatic mapping system supports player navigation.

The dialogue system enables players to click highlighted phrases to inquire further or examine objects in detail. Collecting five crystal shards scattered throughout multiple time periods—which can be explored in any sequence—is essential to stopping Kal’s revival. Each era features its own distinctive musical composition.

Development

As the final chapter in Weltenschmiede’s trilogy of time-travel-themed text adventures—following Das Stundenglas (1990) and Die Kathedrale (1991)—Hexuma was accompanied by physical extras known as feelies. These included a facsimile of Owen Jugger’s diary, a letter outlining the importance of the crystal shards and Kal’s potential awakening, as well as a replica shard itself. These items also served as copy protection, being necessary for solving certain puzzles within the game. The DOS edition featured VGA visuals.

In December 1992, a sequel titled Hexuma 2: Dämmerung auf der Höhlenwelt ("Twilight in the Cave World") was announced.

Reception

The Amiga version received an 82% rating from Amiga Joker, which described its fantasy backdrop as "somewhat outdated but enjoyable." The review commended Hexuma for its vivid graphics and intuitive user interface, emphasizing the helpful compass tool, robust automapping feature, and improved text parser compared to its predecessor Die Kathedrale. The soundtrack was praised for complementing the experience harmoniously despite lacking sound effects; additionally, feelies contributed positively to immersion. The review concluded that Hexuma delivers a comprehensive adventure worthy of inclusion in gamers’ collections.

Aktueller Software Markt awarded the DOS version a score of 9.8 out of 12 alongside an ASM Hit distinction. Reviewer Klaus Trafford highlighted the abundance of mysteries, challenging puzzles, user-friendly input system, and graphical enhancements over Die Kathedrale. He noted the extensive parser capabilities and refined command set but felt that the casual tone diminished some of the intended eerie atmosphere. While Chris Hülsbeck’s musical score was considered somewhat unremarkable, Trafford still regarded Hexuma as an excellent German-language graphic-supported text adventure.

Conversely, Michael Anton from ASM offered a more critical perspective, labeling the gameplay as lacking originality and drawing unfavorable comparisons to House II: The Second Story. He criticized the music for undermining the mood—particularly in the DOS version—and pointed out issues with poor translation quality. Despite acknowledging intuitive controls and solid mechanics for a text adventure, Anton found certain gameplay elements frustrating and believed that Hexuma arrived too late to provide innovation within its genre.