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Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/798
MacDirectory 99
REVIEW | GA,MES
Heroes of Might and Magic is a
venerable medieval combat series that
stretches back many years. A particular
favorite of mine, I was thrilled to find
the latest version on the Mac, and
jumped at the chance to take it for a
spin. Not only did I find it extremely
easy to jump in and start a game with
little setup, but I discovered that the
developers of this noteworthy title have
not rested idly on their laurels, and have
instead delivered a top-notch
experience on par with the excitement
of its previous incarnations.
A little back story: When the king of
your embattled nation is kidnapped by
the demonic forces it opposes, it's up to
you – controlling the new-to-combat
queen – to build your army, increase
your powers, and venture forth to save
him and bring victory to your country.
The game does a good job of starting
you off slowly, introducing the
navigation and combat system in
digestible stages. The environment is
fully 3D for the first time in the
franchise's history, which provides a
welcome graphical update. The map can
be zoomed-in, leveled, and rotated to
assist you in locating the shortest route
to take to get to a particular area, or to
reveal concealed resources and goodies.
The time system plays out as a
continuum of days and weeks. A day is
the length of time your hero has to
travel, at the end of which the turn is
over. After seven days, a new week
begins, which signals the growth of
creatures around the countryside; this is
how you grow your army. Certain weeks
also provide bonuses and penalties to
game play.
Engaging a map creature in battle
switches the display to a closer view. It's
here that the graphics really shine, with
wonderfully expressive creature
animation and detailed character
models. The combat is turn-based,
which means that your individual
creatures' speeds are taken into account
to determine initiative in battle. Your
units possess various special abilities –
some for attack, some for defense – and
are stackable, meaning that they gain in
strength the more units of that
particular type are in play.
The way your units face their
opponents is an important factor to
consider; an attack from the rear will do
more damage than a frontal approach.
Some enemy attacks also affect
multiple unit types, depending on their
arrangement with regard to each other.
Finally, your hero also plays a role. It can
attack the enemy directly, stand in for
one unit's defense, or buff a unit's stats.
The battle isn't over until your last unit
falls, so your hero is never directly
threatened, acting more as a general
over your troops than as an actual
combatant who is able to be killed off.
The other important aspect of game
play is in building your hero's castle.
Once discovered on the map, you may
take over a fortress and begin building
structures. These structures provide
both units and hero boosts. For
example, building the Blacksmith will
provide your combat party a ballista,
which gets its own free attack. Building
the Stables increases your hero's
movement for one week. Upgrading
your citadel allows for greater amounts
of gold to accrue each week.
Each structure requires an investment
of resources, both initially, and ongoing.
This is where countryside travel enters
the picture; resource nodes are
scattered throughout the environment.
Visiting one deeds it to your kingdom,
but an enemy player may usurp it,
stealing its resource from you.
As challenging and deep as ever, Heroes
of Might and Magic V is a worthwhile
successor to the throne.
HEROES OF MIGHT AND MAGIC V BY UBISOFT/FREEVERSE
WORDS BY KEONI CHAVEZ
Product Heroes of Might and Magic 5
Made by Freeverse