Heroes of Might and Magic

Heroes of Might and Magic
Developer(s)	The 3DO Company
Released	1995
Genre	Turn-based strategy
Mode(s)	Single player Multiplayer
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, Macintosh, DOS, Game Boy Color, Amiga
Input methods	Keyboard and mouse

Heroes of Might and Magic (sometimes called simply Heroes or HoMM) is a series of turn-based computer games developed by New World Computing, a division of The 3DO Company. The games are fantasy-themed strategy conflicts in which characters called heroes have pivotal roles as leaders of armies of mythical creatures such as harpies, unicorns, vampires, and dragons. There are currently five games in the series. All of the games are set in the same fictional universe as the Might and Magic series - except for Heroes of Might and Magic V, which is set in Ashan, an entirely new world.

The series

King's Bounty was the first game in the series, and is often referred to by collectors as "Heroes Zero". Although occasionally referred to as a "prequel", it is actually the original that all the others were based upon. After its success, 3DO bought out New World Computing, and the Heroes series was formed. The story of each installment in the series is different and they take place one after another chronologically. Heroes and some units can cast spells and gather armies. Through conquest, visitation to special areas, gaining experience or gathering magical artifacts, heroes become more powerful and useful to the controlling player. Fans of the series cite the games as some of the finest strategy games ever developed. They note the game's combat system as one of the game's strongest points. Additionally, fans specify the game's spell system as one of the best in any fantasy genre game. The games also featured map editors for extended playability, greatly lengthening their life over the Internet with user-created scenarios and campaigns. Each successive game featured improved graphics in higher resolutions than the previous version. The series seemed to lose focus after Heroes of Might and Magic III and received a poorer critical reception. According to the Game Rankings website, the second and third installments of the series averaged reviews of 85.3% and 87.7%, respectively, while the fourth and fifth installments averaged reviews of only 79.6% and 78.0%, respectively. Heroes of Might and Magic V was developed by a new team at Nival Interactive and published by Ubisoft. On December 13th, 2007, Ubisoft announced an online, browser-based, persistent version of HoMM V called Heroes of Might and Magic Kingdoms.

Platforms

Most games in the series are available for Windows and Mac OS, only the third game is available for GNU/Linux. It was ported by Loki Software. The first two installments of the series were for DOS but later ported to Windows. The original game, King's Bounty, was released for the Commodore Amiga, Sega Genesis and DOS. Gametap began offering the first four games in the series over its pay service in 2006. The first and second games were also ported for Game Boy Color and are now somewhat rare. One unique version, made for the Playstation 2, had real-time movement and turn-based battles.

Heroes Chronicles

Main article: Heroes Chronicles

A spinoff series, Heroes Chronicles, was released for Microsoft Windows, featuring the same world and gameplay as Heroes of Might and Magic III. The story centers on a hero named Tarnum. Games in the Heroes Chronicles include:

• Heroes Chronicles: Warlords of the Wastelands (2000)
• Heroes Chronicles: Conquest of the Underworld (2000)
• Heroes Chronicles: Masters of the Elements (2000)
• Heroes Chronicles: Clash of the Dragons (2000)
• Heroes Chronicles: The World Tree (free download when you buy any two chronicles, USA only)
• Heroes Chronicles: The Fiery Moon (free download when you buy any three chronicles, USA only)
• Heroes Chronicles: Revolt of the Beastmasters (2001)
• Heroes Chronicles: The Sword of Frost (2001)

Note: The last two were released in the USA and the UK together in one bundle called Heroes Chronicles, the Final Chapters (2001).

List of games

• Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest
• Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars
  • Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Price of Loyalty
• Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia
  • Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade
  • Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of Death
• Heroes of Might and Magic IV
  • Heroes of Might and Magic IV: The Gathering Storm
  • Heroes of Might and Magic IV: The Winds of War
• Heroes of Might and Magic V
  • Heroes of Might and Magic V: Hammers of Fate
  • Heroes of Might and Magic V: Tribes of the East
• Heroes of Might and Magic Kingdoms

External links

• Ubisoft Might and Magic website
• The Heroes of Might and Magic series at MobyGames
• The Heroes Chronicles series at MobyGames
• Freeverse Might and Magic (Mac port) website

Fansites

• Age of Heroes - a fan site with over 400 pages of information about Heroes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and the Heroes 4 card game
• Celestial Heavens - news, features and discussions about the Heroes of Might and Magic series (see Celestial Heavens)