Well, it’s finally here, folks. A new Heroes of Might and Magic game has finally arrived. The original game is one of the first PC games I ever played and the one that made me fall in love with turn-based strategy games.
The original game came out 30 years ago in 1995 on MS-DOS. A lot has changed since then. Especially the operating system. The last version of the game was developed by Limbic Entertainment ten years ago.
I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a preview copy of the Olden Era before it comes out in Early Access. So, let’s jump in and see what the developers over at Unfrozen were able to do with their version of this genre-defining series.
In this preview, I will be going over the following topics.
In this preview, I will cover the following
Story
Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is set as a prequel to the original game that came out back in 1995. The setting takes place on the continent of Jadame in Enroth. There are six different factions battling over the continent.
These include Temple, Necropolis, Sylvan, Dungeon, Schism, and Hive. It’s up to you to decide who will be the ruler of the land when the dust settles.
Gameplay
Olden Era follows the same formula as the series, with some added features. You will explore the map with your heroes, build out your castles, and grow your armies of incredible mythological creatures.
The developers have also added faction-based laws that you can implement at your castles for additional bonuses unique to each faction. Some of the creatures in your army also have added abilities that they can use in combat. The game still runs on the familiar day, week, month cycle, where each turn is a day and creatures are recruited at the start of every week.
Game Modes
In the preview build that I was given access to, there were several different game modes to choose from. This included a pretty extensive tutorial with two general gameplay tutorials and eight additional nodes, which focused on specific topics for newcomers to the series.
I did not have access to the single-player campaign, sadly, but there was an arena mode as well as classic and single-hero modes.
The arena mode was pretty interesting. You draft a hero as well as their equipment, skills, and spells. Then you draft an army of 8 creatures. Afterwards, you will be put straight into combat with another hero to duel.
Classic mode allows you to select your map, faction, and hero before starting a standard game of Heroes of Might and Magic. Lastly, the single hero mode is similar to classic, with the exception that each player only gets one hero. This makes the game a bit faster and more focused.
I am looking forward to hotseat mode when the game comes out. It’s not a Heroes of Might and Magic game without hotseat multiplayer.
This mode is a local multiplayer mode that allows you to play with friends on the same computer. It’s like pass the device, but instead, you are passing the mouse to the next player.
Hopefully, they will also include Steam Remote Play Together for those of us who have friends or family remote but still want to play hotseat mode together.
Heroes
You will command one or more heroes around the world map as you explore. Each one of your heroes is able to level up as you play the game.
Every level, they will get a boost to one of their attributes. These attributes are attack, defence, spell power, and knowledge. Then, you will pick 1 of 3 secondary skills for them. Each skill has three tiers with selectable subskills to tailor each hero to your playstyle.
The heroes are the leaders of your army. You cannot have a hero without an army or an army without a hero. Their attributes affect how powerful the creatures in their army are. They are also able to provide some support to the army in combat through spells.
Map
The world map is where you will spend a lot of time in the game. There are so many things to discover between creatures, buildings, and treasures. Your heroes have a limited amount of movement each day, so use it wisely.
You can really fall behind the other players if you are constantly going back and forth rather than efficiently using your movement each turn.
When you go through the full tutorial, you will learn all the secrets of how to efficiently explore the map. Things like what affects your hero’s movement or what important building to make sure you visit to make your army stronger.
It is helpful to try to master these skills so you can do well in the game. However, it is also just as fun to jump into a game and figure it out as you go, especially if you are a veteran player of the series.
Castles
Your castle is a very important part of Heroes of Might and Magic. If your opponent captures your castle, then the game is over. This is where you will be constructing buildings to recruit more creatures of your faction.
You can also upgrade your creatures, recruit more heroes, and even trade resources. You are limited to building just one structure per day, so make sure you have the funds to build whatever you want to build next.
The view inside the castles has always been a fun part of the series, and Olden Era doesn’t disappoint.
The whole thing really comes alive as you build out more and more structures. An additional feature that was added in the Olden Era is Faction Laws.
These are unique to each faction and modify things like economy, creature stats, and even core gameplay mechanics. Make sure you are enacting new laws whenever you visit your castle. They can truly make a lasting difference.
Combat
Lastly, we will talk about combat. Olden Era stays true to the series with the turn-based combat on a hexagonal battlefield. Your creatures will take turns on the timeline based on their initiative.
There are three different types of attacks, which include melee, long reach, and ranged. Melee attacks are taken from adjacent spaces and trigger a counterattack from the enemy unit once each round.
Long reach is just attacks taken from one space further away. Ranged attacks can hit a target at any range on the map; however, the damage does decrease with distance. Ranged units are also not able to fire their ranged weapon if engaged in melee combat.
The AI is pretty intelligent and aggressive. It is not afraid to charge into engage with your ranged units as quickly as possible. It also uses its spells quite frequently. You will want to make sure you are using your spells and creature abilities as tactically as possible to stay ahead in combat.
The combat is smooth and tactical. It reminds me of why I enjoy turn-based strategy games so much.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, this was just a preview build for me, and I was not able to explore more of the story mode or multiplayer features.
However, the developers are promising a full non-linear campaign and competitive multiplayer with matchmaking and a ranking system. Leadership boards are not really for me, but I do know I will be spending a lot of time in hotseat mode once that is released.
As for what is already available, I think that the team at Unfrozen is doing a fantastic job so far. I might be a little biased because I am such a big Heroes of Might and Magic fan, but I also think that means I have some pretty high expectations.
And, I know I am not the only one. The developers have done their research and are really staying true to the series. I really like the art direction that they chose for the game, and the new features are a welcome addition.
If you are a big fan of Heroes of Might and Magic, like I am, then you’ll definitely want to keep an eye on this one as it continues to grow during early access.
If you have never played one of the games in the series or are even new to the turn-based genre in general, I think this is a perfect place to get started. Either way, make sure you go check out their Steam page and join the early access if you feel so inclined.
A preview key was provided by the developers at Unfrozen.
