Heroes of Might and Magic III preview: I get the hype now
Just one more mine. Just that one monster. One more building. Heroes of Might and Magic III is 27 years old, yet its dangerously addictive gameplay still works.
I’ll be honest, I should’ve stopped a long time ago. My next appointment at Gamescom was drawing near, my stomach was growling, and yet I clicked End Turn once more. Just one more mine. Just that one monster. One more building. What was meant to be 15 minutes suddenly turned into 60.
Pretty remarkable, since up until now, my relationship with Heroes of Might and Magic III has been rather one-sided. I’m aware of its legendary reputation. I’ve heard about it countless times over the years, so I’m almost as familiar with it as if I’d played the 1999 strategy classic myself. But I never did. Back then, I was more into Warcraft II.
27 years on, the remake is finally giving me a chance. And even without any nostalgia to speak of, I have a realisation: «Damn, I get what you guys were on about now.»
A classic without the nostalgia factor
Ubisoft is rebuilding Heroes of Might and Magic III in 3D from the ground up. The world map, cities, battlefields and units have been redesigned, and the camera can be rotated as well as zoom in. In contrast, Ubisoft plans to make surprisingly few changes to the actual gameplay. The remake’s still intended to be Heroes III – just prettier and with a few modern convenience features.
For me, that’s an ideal starting point. I can’t tell whether a griffin looks exactly like it did in 1999 or if some tree’s in the wrong place now. Instead, I can answer another question: does this game format – nearly three decades old – still work on someone experiencing it for the first time today?
I spend my first 30 minutes or so in the new tutorial campaign. In it, I play Catherine Ironfist, who returns to Erathia after her father’s death. Things are going wrong there, so Catherine sets out to reclaim her kingdom. The tutorial gently guides me through the basics.
Source: Ubisoft
Instead of building bases and moving units across the map in real time, as in Warcraft, Heroes III uses a turn-based system. I move Catherine around a large adventure map, gather resources, visit buildings, secure mines and lead an ever-growing army. Once I’ve used up all my movement points, I end my turn and a new day begins.
When I encounter enemy creatures, the game switches to a separate hex grid. There, my troops move in turn, attacking or defending, while Catherine supports them with spells. The remake helps me out with a few new displays. For example, I can see the turn order, show enemy movement ranges and get an approximate damage estimate before an attack. Trivial stuff for veterans, but pretty helpful for me.
Source: Ubisoft
Then, the game lets me go crazy
After the tutorial, I launch into a free-play scenario. That’s when the guardrails come down – and exactly where Heroes III really starts to click for me.
I have a city, a hero, a small army and several types of resources. So I set off. Everywhere I look, I discover wood, ore and gold, as well as mines, artefacts, treasure chests and neutral creatures. At the same time, I expand my city. New buildings improve my economy and allow me to recruit stronger units. I want both, but of course, I never have enough resources for everything.
This marks the start of an actual game within the game. Should I invest my resources in my economy, or do I urgently need stronger troops? Should I go grab the mine in the west first, or should I risk fighting those creatures in the south, behind which lies an artefact? None of these decisions is particularly complicated on its own. Together, however, they form a chain of small considerations, in which each answer immediately raises the next question.
Source: Ubisoft
And that’s exactly when I lose all sense of time. Initially, this part of my demo was supposed to last about a quarter-hour. I’d set aside a total of 45 minutes for the preview. So following the tutorial, I just wanted to take a quick look to see what free-roam mode was like.
An hour later, I was still sitting there.
I’d just built a new building allowing me to recruit better creatures when I discovered a mine. There was a treasure chest on the way there. With it, I was able to level up my hero. And since I’d already walked that far, I might as well take a quick look to see what lay beyond that unexplored part of the map.
Now I understand why Heroes III is considered an infamous «just one more turn» machine. But it’s actually even more insidious: I don’t necessarily want to play another round. I just have one more thing to take care of. The only problem is, there are already three more waiting in line after that one.
Source: Ubisoft
Pretty, but not always easy to navigate
Still, my first impression isn’t entirely rosy. I like the new 3D graphics, generally. Cities, in particular, benefit from them: buildings rise visibly higher, tiny characters scurry about and even battles seem more vivid thanks to the detailed units and effects.
On the adventure map, however, I sometimes had trouble figuring out what was actually in front of me. Some resources, buildings and creatures blend into the surroundings more than I’d like. Several times, I had to hover my mouse over something before I realised what I was actually looking at. Particularly in a game where I’m constantly scanning the map for interesting destinations, readability is no small issue.
Source: Ubisoft
I can’t – and don’t want to – judge whether this new look drops some of the original’s charm. But I lack precisely that nostalgic connection that many fans will bring to this remake. In any case, I find it more interesting how carefully Ubisoft is modernising the gameplay. For example, a construction queue makes urban expansion easier, the additional on-screen indicators make battles easier to follow and the freely movable camera gives me a better overview when needed. The core systems remain unchanged.
Apparently, this also applies to the scope. In addition to the main game, both expansions – Armageddon’s Blade and The Shadow of Death – as well as all nine factions will be included. Old community maps and campaigns should be largely compatible, and the game will also feature new editor tools, multiplayer for up to eight players and the classic hot-seat mode. So, Ubisoft isn’t just trying to make Heroes III look better; it’s trying to preserve as much as possible of what’s kept the game alive for decades.
I get what all of you were on about
Whether the remake will appeal to people who have known every creature and every map since 1999 is for others to judge. After my demo, all I can report on is what Heroes III does to someone who doesn’t have all those memories.
And tell you what, it won me over.
Source: Luca Fontana
Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake is set to be released in 2027 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
I write about technology as if it were cinema, and about films as if they were real life. Between bits and blockbusters, I’m after stories that move people, not just generate clicks. And yes – sometimes I listen to film scores louder than I probably should.
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