In recent history Might & Magic Strange, unpleasant things happen to the series. For all the time that the brand owns rights Ubisoft , Only two full -fledged games were published: a fifth of the “heroes” and action Dark Messiah of Might & Magic, where for the first time since time Duke Nukem 3D The reception of "kicking a boot under the ass" was competently implemented. Both games, of course, turned out to be excellent, but during this time everyone somehow forgot that actually Might & Magic is primarily an old role-playing series, which is rooted at the end of the 80s. The new publisher, it seems, cannot (or does not want) find a studio that would be able to competently continue the case of the authors of the original, New World Computing. So Clash of Heroes -The game is significant in its own way: this is the first RPG named after the sword and magic over the past eight years.
The revenge of witty
Although, with a cursory examination, it turns out that Clash of Heroes is not like a role -playing game. The plot is served in the form of comics, outwardly everything that happens on two small screens looks like an anime version of the old universe. The story, again, is primitive – the demons attacked the elves, and they are trying to repulse the evil forces. At the beginning of the first mission, it generally seems like it is a pocket, castrated version of the “heroes” painted under the manga.
Then, however, you notice that Clash of Heroes still tries to be RPG, but developers use any other role -playing game for DS as genre guidelines, but not the Might & series is not in any way Magic. And the external resemblance to https://sister-site.org/voodoodreams/ the "heroes" (places really similar to them) is purely external and remains. On a global map, we move through special cells, but completely free, without any moves. The enemy generals stand still (they can, however, suddenly jump out of the bushes), there are no castles, but it is proposed to hire warriors in special towers.
There is nothing to do on the map. We collect artifacts, carry out simple instructions in the spirit of “Find the chest in the West”, grow in levels and lazily talk with plot characters in cities. Dialogs are non-interactive: before especially important events, they show a comic book in which the player is allowed to be inserted only to an indistinguishable replica like: “And really, let's go adding to them”. The only element of non -linearity is that the player can choose whether to go or not go to the terrible cave for the next bonus necklace. Within the framework of DS-games-nothing, it would seem, criminal, on the contrary-a light, pleasant, colorful adventure. It would be strange to demand depth from Clash of Heroes from Clash of Heroes Dragon Age , But the world is still too close, and the possibility of pumping individual skills would not hurt. Everything that grows with the hero along with the level is the health, protection and the number of troops that he can lead. This role component Clash of Heroes is limited.
Lines of Might & Magic
If you take into account all of the above, it seems that Clash of Heroes is a casual parody of a role -playing game, the main task of which is not to annoy the player during a two -hour air travel. But the most interesting thing in it is the battles that really raise the new Might & Magic to the level of tactical RPG.
The most obvious solution would be to borrow a combat system from Heroes of Might & Magic: She would look organically in tandem with a global card, and the management of the stylus would have to be in handy. But the developers came up with their own combat system, taking as a basis a role -playing puzzle Puzzle Quest.
All this looks as follows: on the upper screen of the console, the units of the enemy are located, on the lower – yours. Warriors know how to attack only with “triples”, and you need to gather fighters in a vertical line so that the attack is “charged”. During the next trip, the Troika lets the arrow towards the enemy screen, after which it disappears. The task is not to interrupt all the enemies, as one might think, but to get beyond the line of the game field, where, presumably, the hero is located. This simple mechanics acquires the necessary depth due to many nuances. Drinks grow in levels, increase characteristics, and the hero himself can study magic. You can set the protective walls or slow down the attack of the "Troke" to combine them into larger formations (more about the combat system – in the inlet). In the end, there are, in the end, various special units, such as combat deer, who penetrate any barrier in their path with one jump.
* * *
Clash of Heroes is a pleasant game in every way, but talk about the revival of Might & Magic is early. Because the only thing that the authors came up with a new one is an entertaining combat system, and everything else is collected with the world along the thread: they took the music from Homm 5 (very convenient!), the appearance of units and fractions, for the most part, was also invented in Nival , The script is a simple "village burned, but we will take revenge". I would like to hope that this is just timid probing of the soil and Ubisoft has planned triumphal return to home consoles.
Game Formula: 50% Heroes of Might & Magic + 25% Puzzle Quest + 25% Might & Magic
Gameplay: 7
Graphics: 8
Sound and music: 7
Control: 9
Plot: 6
Stability: 8
Originality: 6
Grade: 7.0
[[Break]] Battle of minds
How battles work in Clash of Heroes
-
If a symbol with the image of a chain lights up over the units, this means that during the attack they will act in tandem with other detachments marked with the same sign – double and triple attacks increase overall damage.
-
Vertical Troika is the simplest construction for the attack. Three vertical triples installed in a row will hit harder. If the construction interferes with a row in a series of units of a different color, it can be removed from the field.
-
Wall – appears in the place of the disappeared horizontal triple. The walls can be built in several rows, and each newly created fortification will add protection points for the neighboring.
-
Super -junction – to “charge” it, you need to put two soldiers of a similar color nearby. The attack occurs within 3-5 moves. Pumping super -swans, you can even break through the three -layer wall.
Fathers and children
Might & Magic – yesterday, today, the day before yesterday
1986-20022009
World
For nine games (and step-by-step spin-off), the M & M universe has grown to immense sizes, and the distinctive features of the fractions, kingdoms and individual characters wandered from the game to the game.
When all the rights to the series moved to Ubisoft, they decided to arrange a total rebranding: specially hired scriptwriters Richard Danski and Ervan Le Breton were carved from the universe, as it seemed to them, superfluous. As a result, the world of Askhan appeared, which seems to be very similar to what was under 3DO, but formally has nothing to do with the old universe.
Plot
Within the framework of any part (even the failure of the ninth) there was a lot of events – betrayal, murder, blackmail, political intrigues, love stories and large -scale wars.
There is practically no plot in Clash of Heroes, and Homm 5 and Dark Messiah are only interesting in symbiosis. We remind you that Sareth, the protagonist Domm, in fact turned out to be the son of the Queen Isabelle of the Heroes, and the villain Arrantier lit up in the addon Tribes of the East.
Role system
A complex system of characteristics (about twenty), which, in turn, influenced a number of skills, from owning a staff to the ability to leave enemy attacks. The quests were multi -stage, and the action always took place in a fairly large (by the standards of that time) world.
The hero grows in levels, and along with the level (and regardless of the player), health and protection are growing. Actually, this is all.