It was quite surreal to see the data that Heroes of Might & Magic V was released on this day 20 years ago. I still have in my mind the period when the game came out and when it became one of my favorite installments. The calendar doesn't lie, it really has been 20 years.
As far as I remember that period when the game was released? Since it was before I launched the site, not really. But there is one big thing that stuck in my mind – it was the first game released in the series since Ubisoft took it over. I don't need to sing praises about the second and third games, I think it's unnecessary to mention how rushed the fourth one was and how it was 3DO. The series was in trouble, and Ubisoft as the new home seemed like a pretty solid choice.
That's how it seemed after the game's release. The fifth installment made some big changes. It went in a 3D direction and replaced hex combat with squares. There were other changes, like the setting, but in many ways, it remained the same game. It captured the magic of the series, especially the campaign was enjoyable. The story wasn't anything spectacular, but the gameplay was fun. However, there were also things that prevented the game from reaching the highest heights.
The soundtrack was really good
One of the biggest problems was the poor optimization, which made the turn duration a pretty frustrating experience. They couldn't get another turn right the way they should have. I remember in one chapter of the campaign having a situation where processing took over ten minutes from when I hit the end turn to the start of the next one. Another thing they didn't quite get right were the maps. They weren't bad, but they just had a strong impression that it wasn't quite it.
Through the two expansions, there were also great things, like the fact that each unit had two upgrades from which you could use one, which was a real little tactical brilliance that I immensely liked. And there was also the skill wheel, which was a new but very fun experience, although I think I never managed to reach the final ability. My small complaint was about the final units, too many dragons, as if it lacked a bit of inspiration.
The fifth installment has remained in my heart, but the next two sequels didn't make such a splash. They weren't bad sequels, but it just wasn't the same. Somehow, all of that pushed Heroes of Might & Magic into the background, it was clear that it didn't become fantastically successful for Ubisoft. And it had been like that until recently, when Olden Era was released at the end of last month. The fifth installment occupies an interesting place, it's a game in the series that I really love, but I actually never played it like the second and third ones. It hit the feeling, but it didn't capture the magic all the way. I will have to rectify that injustice since I really haven't played it in a long time. And I think it will be the same – it will be fun for me, that's how it has remained in my memory.
