Heroes of Might and Magic VII

A long running high fantasy turned-based strategy series, Heroes of Might and Magic seeks to redeem itself from the very shaky release of its predecessor with the sequel—Heroes of Might and Magic VII. Inspired by games like Total War: Warhammer and an inspiration to them, this series has developed a slew of wonderful games and even offshoots like Dark Messiah of Might and Magic that have garnered positive critical acclaim. That being said, the rich lore and deep history of this fantastical universe lends itself to a diversity of characters, factions, enemy variants and exciting battle arenas.

Branching Paths, Branching Options

The rich lore of the Might and Magic series allows the game to inherently offer up a plethora of content. Whether it be the enticing multiple campaigns that explore variations of combat and heroes—or a multiple PVP and PVE AI combat mode—there is no shortage of things to do. That being said, much like the lore of the game, there is nothing inherently special about any of the modes.

It provides passable combat and story but it doesn’t excel in specific region. It can come from the long running history of the franchise, or complacency, but the game employs fantasy tropes people have come to know without fundamentally changing them or asking questions about why they exist. At its core, that isn’t necessarily a problem, but rehashing ideas without innovation can make sequels stale.

Washed Out World

The game allows for multiple playstyles and the variance of combatants to engage with is honestly astounding. Not to mention it doesn’t overstay its welcome by allowing auto-battles to not lose story momentum. There are multiple enemies of all shapes and sizes, along with multiple factions, kingdoms, alliances, races, and combat options. That being said, a lot of the fun in this game comes solely from its content variety. Exploring the world, you might find some mundane images, washed-out colors in more desert or snowy environments and lackluster textures—but you won’t be able to deny the inherent variance of each section and its inhabitants. The style here, is very strong—even if it’s lacking graphical leaps.

Attention Where it Counts

The place where the game really shines are in its battle maps—which is a good thing considering the fight is where you’ll spend most of your time. In these moments, character models are at their most detailed and strategy reigns supreme (especially a good flanking maneuver), and there is no shortage of ways to dispatch the various enemy groups.

Beyond that, however, the majority of the game never really pushes past average. The voice work of the main characters feels somewhat weaker than just the ancillary questgivers, the music is fairly bombastic and rarely anything else, and the stories are nothing not told before—and told better.

Pros

• Rich lore—full of heroes and enemies
• Endlessly strategic engagements and variants
• Multiple lengthy campaigns

Cons

• Jack of all trades, master of none
• Washed-out look, simple textures and level geometry
• Relies on well-worn fantasy tropes