I watched a trailer for Heroes of Might and Magic: Ancient Age. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for this successor to Heroes 3, but I’m skeptical.

Many players, including myself, may have thought that Ubisoft decided to end the cycle. Heroes of Might and Magic And never look at it again. It’s been nearly a decade since the seventh installment premiered, and its reception was, to put it mildly, less than positive. But It’s time for redemption and judgment as the prequel to the entire series arrives.We return to the planet Enroth, specifically to the continent of Jadami.

In the game Heroes of Might and Magic: Ancient AgeRevealed during Webedia’s Find Your Next Game event at gamescom, we’re supposed to see the events before the first part, and therefore before Lord Ironfist appears on Enroth. Old players will meet famous characters, and new players will dive into a world that’s been around for decades.

From fans to fans

to Heroes of Might and Magic: Old Earn The Unfrozen team responds. So far, the team’s portfolio has only included well-received RPG products. Eratos: Lord of the Dead. Now we know what the studio has been up to in the past few years, because the developers announced that they already have a lot of material ready: the core gameplay, all the mechanics, the interface, the map editor, the random map generator, the arena mode, and the online play.

I had the opportunity to participate in a show hosted by Unfrozen. HoMM: Old Erie And let’s see what the game looks like. The developers themselves call themselves big fans of the series in question, a I The main inspiration was the more famous “Hirołsy”, i.e. “Three”.Some elements reveal that Unfrozen actually wants to return to the past.

and Olden Erze Models on the world map or during battles are 3D, but the camera is locked, giving the impression of a 2D production.One of the most fun elements of the new game is the use of designs from the third installment of the series. When I saw the Stone of Knowledge, a star, an observatory, or a virtuous dragon, I felt like Leonardo DiCaprio was pointing his finger at me. Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.

The ancient era is supposed to be like HoMM3+.

The developers have repeatedly emphasized that the basis of their game is the third part of the series. At the same time, they want to add something of themselves.So that people who have been playing the same game for over 25 years can feel refreshed. The question is, will players want to? Eventually if they get bored Home3They will stop playing. However, the changes on offer do not seem invasive enough to discourage the recipients. At least for now.

The basic gameplay remains the same, i.e. we expand our cities, collect resources, and fight opponents. However, the devil is in the details (by the way, verse 12). Olden Erz Demons in Inferno are missing or not shown) and known systems have something extra added or slightly changed.

Among other things All units in the army are equipped with active skills, so even the average peasant has more to offer than just cannon fodder.. Hero abilities have received an interesting modification. When choosing the next level of a certain skill (or a new “skill”), we also decide to improve it. For example, Advanced Command adds +2 to army morale – however, we can also choose a bonus that gives +1% chance for an additional turn to the unit for each point of morale, -1 to enemy army morale or +5 morale until the end of the unit’s next turn if it received negative morale on your turn. Naturally, players will quickly check for more valuable bonuses.

The artifacts have also undergone changes. From what I understand it seems that Items should be divided into groups.If it consists of six items, you only need to collect three to unlock all the rewards, so you won’t have to search for a bunch of artifacts to get the boosts you’re interested in.

Not all changes are explained, although they are shown. For example: In cities, each unit has three versions: a basic version and two enhanced versions.However, I don’t know if we have two options, as in Part V, to choose from, or if the creators chose the dragon path of “number two”, that is, upgrading a certain monster twice.

The spirit of HoMM3 in a mobile gaming environment

That’s what I liked at least. HoMM: Old MaterialsThere are graphics and interface. This item is similar to a mobile game.and the most stereotypical of them all. They’re very colorful and fairy tale-like. It takes away from the whole character and even the city models didn’t captivate me, but they’re usually an element… Heroes of Might and Magic I like it very much.

The army unit models look more serious, although they could still be included in any smartphone strategy or RPG and no one would notice them. However, the interface is close to that of the sixth part of “Hirołsy” and also lacks “that thing”. I realize that the UI is visually th Home3 It was very simple, but aside from that, the game looked great. In Olden Erze This is not there – at the moment. However, I do take into account the fact that this is not the final version of the game yet.

I’m also not convinced that the battlefields are clearly made of hexagons. I prefer an optional convertible grid.The current treatment reminds me a lot of Conquest songswhich, however, has a specific style, where everything comes together. In Olden Erze This approach is inconsistent with the rest of the visuals.

Maybe the reception would be better if there was music in the game. It wasn’t present in the material provided at all, which might have affected my impressions. I hope Paul Romero does the soundtrack. A series without his work Heroes of Might and Magic It won’t be the same – Every now and then I like to put together a long playlist with songs from all the parts.

Resurrecting a corpse or a worthy successor?

I definitely get excited when thinking about a new entry in the series. Heroes of Might and MagicFinally, the word “Heroes” in the title is back in place, and the font-inspired logo from the fourth installment of the series also references the good old days (although it probably won’t suit everyone). The ads show that we might be getting a hit game. It’s true that the art direction was chosen incorrectly, but if the gameplay is attractive, the graphics shouldn’t matter..

However, my concerns are related to other elements. Surely everyone remembers the performance and AI issues. HoMM7This destroyed the chance of success – a situation similar to this one. Olden Airy It can’t happen. We don’t know yet how the servers will work when playing online. Technical elements like this can make a difference. Olden AiryBeyond that, the brand weight remains. Unfrozen itself added work, as the developers came up with the idea of ​​creating a prequel. If the campaign is weak, many fans will not forgive it.

There is still the issue of monetization. There will be six different cities at first, but the authors want to add new cities as part of the downloadable content (DLC).Yes, the word “DLC” was used, not “expansion pack”. Let’s hope this is just paranoia on my part, because I fear it might mean monetization, which expanding it later might discourage new people from buying the game, because the basics ancient era It will look incomplete.

However, I will definitely put the game on my wishlist and keep an eye on the progress of work on it in Early Access. I want this title to work, but I’m still skeptical.What I’m most curious about is whether the Unfrozen team will be able to stay away from it for long. Hmm3: Horn of the Abyss Players who have been in the professional arena for years. ancient era It would have to be a great match to make that happen.