Heroes of Might and Magic V

Strategy game fans are something hard to please. After all, they have a demanding requirement- complexity. Complexity can't be made in two seconds in the back room of a studio, which means a lot of strategy fans are disappointed, year after year, with shallow gameplay overemphasizing graphics and stupid plot lines. But one series, while somewhat blasted for it's sometimes rocky later versions, seems to come back game after game with what strategy fans crave- complexity and unique gameplay. That one series- Heroes of Might and Magic- has sold millions of dollars worth of high quality strategy games- and finally is releasing a new Might and Magic game, entitled Heroes of Might and Magic V.

Having been a virgin to this series until now, I can finally say that, after examining the series for quite a while, this is a series worth looking into- but Heroes of Might and Magic V might not be the appropriate entry point. Much like Age of Empires 3, Heroes of Might and Magic V is the very first in the series to utilize complete 3D, allowing for 360 degree rotation of the play field, as well as zooming in and out, among other miscellaneous abilities. That being said, Heroes of Might and Magic V is a strategy game- so, while it is 3D, the 3D is utilized a lot like a tech demo to the real core of the game, and that is in numbers and statistics.



So let me first break down Heroes of Might and Magic V in the best way possible. HoM&MV is a strategy based RPG- that is, it is built like Fire Emblem or the like, where instead of walking around and battling randomly, the whole game is in a fantasy setting with RPG-like numbers, but built on a “Click to move your unit” kind of strategy engine. However, Heroes of Might and Magic V seperates itself from the norm in that your “Unit” is generally one “Hero”, which can not only cast spells, but can recruit more help, among other miscellaneous skills. Essentially, as I found through playing the game, it resembles one big scenario of Joan (Or John) of Arc: You run around recruiting assistance and killing anything in your path. By grabbing money and resources, much like in the Age of Empires series, your Hero builds up more assistance and other miscellaneous helpful things, even so far as to controlling whole garrisons and buildings to your cause.

So, first of all, as I delve into my opinion on this game, I have to say that I walked into this game with absolutely no favoritism or hatred whatsoever. Honestly, I really didn't know what to say about it before I turned the game on- it was just one of those times where I got it just to review, and didn't think more about what it really was. When turning on this game, first of all, I must admit I was confused- much like Age of Empires 3, the user interface has been refined to over-simplicity, meaning that a lot of random guessing goes on from point to point for about an hour until you truly understand what goes on in the back end of this engine. Simply put, there are only a few things you really do for the majority of the game- move your Hero around, recruit via various means, and fight enemies. While collecting gold and other resources helps, really this game is all about the “Collect and fight”, which is why I really have to categorize this whole game as a Strategy game, rather than a very perverse Role Playing experience.

So, how does the game hold up? Having experimented with the older versions of this series just to compare and contrast, I can say that while the new Heroes of Might and Magic game holds up well to tradition and is in no way bad, I yet again lament how almost stupidly simple the game can come at times. Having grown up in the strategy realm on games like Command and Conquer, I generally prefer seeing things all at hand, so I may make decisions quickly- but unfortunately, getting information in this game seems to be a bit more troublesome. Be it a simple GUI problem or maybe something deeper, one of my biggest frustrations was not being able to see strength/hit points/other similar information without basically paying the toll bridge to see the menu. For example, in battle, I want to see the remaining hit points remaining of a certain unit (or, rather, just more information on the unit as a whole), but I was not able to do so without clicking the units- and I couldn't open two at once, so I was trying to oddly compare without any kind of easy-to-read guide. Sure, it clears up the view window so I can see the graphics (which are, as I will mention, generally nice on the eyes), but I still wanted more information available to me without work.



So let me break this game down for you even further and say that it is a strategy RPG, and not much else. With that in mind, people not interested in this game will not only find boredom and a constant irritation and the harder parts in this game, and obviously this would not be a purchase geared toward people looking for instant gratification. The somewhat annoying turn-based movement system in this game somewhat demands that you constantly manage the day and time of whatever you do, and inevitably, a lot of clicking goes into getting from point A and point B. I don't like this (I actually would have preferred a real time system seen in many Strategy games), but I can't complain too much, as this is one of the main facets of the series that many fans hold dear. Of course, much like any given game of Civilization, a round of Heroes of Might and Magic V can take upwards of an hour to three hours, depending on how micromanaging you are, and that kind of time only goes to people with insane amounts of patience (And a very comfortable chair).

So, essentially, Heroes of Might and Magic V is a strategy game, and a really good one at that. When zoomed out like a typical strategy game, HoM&MV has some of the prettiest graphics of any strategy game I've ever seen, even rivaling the latest and greatest in the field. Detailed graphics are everywhere, from the trees to the characters- and a zoom-in shows that yes, the people are detailed in a very significant way. Of course, zooming in doesn't reveal Half Life 2 style graphics, but considering the insane detail from a far distance put even my computer to work, I can say there is a rewarding factor to be had visually. In the Audio department, there is not much I can say other than it fits- the audio is good, but I won't be buying the soundtrack any time soon.

But, of course, there are some things that I would like to have seen improved. As I said before, I wanted more action, though the game tries to fix that anyway with smaller maps designed for faster action. Repetitive clicking to get from one building to another annoys me just slightly, as I feel that I should not be punished purely because I want to do something that has no ill consequence anyway. A “Messenger” system (Allowing one of your troops to run and contact a base or something) would have been better and sped up gameplay significantly, or maybe even just allowing me to contact a base directly. Also, though it might have gone against the hero-centric viewpoint, I would have at least preferred the ability to split or use different units, as the game hides them and the GUI makes them hard to see, so I really had to “look around” to figure out who I had. However, these are minor issues in the big pond of a really unique strategy game.

So, unfortunately, I cannot give Heroes of Might and Magic V anywhere near a perfect score. It's not for everyone. I can say happily that if you enjoyed this series, you will definitely enjoy this version- but anyone looking for fast gameplay or just something to kick back on may be repulsed by the long gameplay time and some of the real intricacies in the game. If you are a strategy gamer looking for a Civilization IV addiction cure or just a real time-killer, this is the kind of game to play. That kinda breaks this game into an “elite” group, and I don't like that as a whole- but overall, it turns the game into a complexity that can only be enjoyed if you put the effort into it- which can be rewarding, so long as you try.

3.5 star(s) out of 5

Discuss More PC Games More RPG Games