Quick Hit Review: Heroes of Might and Magic III Complete
Find out if Heroes of Might and Magic III Complete stands the test of time.Spinning off from the popular old school RPG franchise Heroes of Might and Magic was one of the first tactical games to incorporate RPG elements such as leveling up and equipping artifacts. The first four games in the series were created by New World Computing, the developers who also made the main Might and Magic series. To many fans of the Heroes series part three is considered the peak of the series in terms of depth and difficulty. Beyond the original campaign New World Computing also created two expansions that gave players new heroes, new artifacts, and new challenges.
The story focuses on Queen Catherine returning from a foreign war and finding that her father’s kingdom has fallen. Gathering her forces Queen Catherine begins her campaign of restoration and with the aid of allies rebuilds the kingdom and defeats the dark foes that began this war. The first expansion entitled Armageddon’s Blade continues the story with a new villain who intends to forge Armageddon’s blade in order to conquer the world. In addition the expansion comes with several stand alone stories that expand the world of Heroes of Might and Magic III. The second expansion, The Shadow of Death, tells of the events that led to the restoration war that began the main game. Overall, the main story is interesting and will keep you wanting to know how the heroes team up to save the land. The side stories are nothing special, they often focus on a power hungry individual who rises to power with either cruelty or heroic deeds.
The graphics are simple, but in a tactical game the graphics are not the primary concern. Overall, the monsters that are used in combat are unique looking and the map you move around on is easy enough to understand. The CG cut scenes are not that great. Not only do they look dated, but even at the time of release (1999) they were not very impressive. The music is simple and repetitive, but gives the game a fantasy feel that fits the settings. The voice over is not that bad, but there is also not much of it in the game. Aesthetically it is a little dated, but it will not hinder the enjoyment of the experience.
The game is easy to pick up and even has a tutorial in order to help new players. The big problem with this game and what often turns people away from this franchise is the difficulty. In almost every map you will be facing heavy odds. The computer can be brutal even on easy difficulty and with the exception of The Shadow of Death the difficulty cannot be adjusted at all. Many maps will take multiple reloads and replays before they can be successfully completed. There is no singular tactic to beat a map or a campaign. In addition some campaigns can be nearly impossible to beat without the right combination of spells or level bonuses. This comes together to give this game massive depth in terms of strategy and allows for numerous variations in play style.
Heroes of Might and Magic III: Complete is a great game and has one of the better storylines in tactical games. The age of the game has not detracted from the game other than the handful of cut scenes. This game is very easy to pick up and nearly impossible to master. In fact there are very few who can claim to have beaten every mission without using chat codes. Overall, if you are looking for something with old school difficulty and an interesting story then give Heroes of Might and Magic III a chance.
Verdict: Recommended (for those who can handle brutally difficult games)
Quick Hit Reviews are in no relation to CtrlAltKill’s standard F/A+ grading scale.
