• Publisher: Ubisoft
  • Release Date: May 23, 2006
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 41 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 164 Ratings

  • Summary: The first game to reintroduce the video game legend to the public is Heroes of Might and Magic V, the sequel to the universally acclaimed turn-based strategy series with a touch of RPG. The new opus will benefit from the features and characteristics that established the success of the initial saga while offering a wealth of innovations such as a a highly immersive scenario, a variety of appealing factions, modern 3D graphics, a revolutionary tactical combat system and a story-based campaign mode. [Ubisoft] Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 41
  2. Negative: 0 out of 41
  1. I am truly spellbound by the splendor of this game.
  2. Regardless of these minor concerns, HoMM V is a shining example of how a turn-based strategy should be executed, and will no doubt set the standard for generations of the genre to come.
  3. You simply have to have the willingness to learn and give this game a chance. If you do this, you will be rewarded with an amazing strategy experience.
  4. And, unfortunately, despite extra time on the grill, Heroes V's ribs are tasty, but still a bit undercooked. [Aug 2006, p.48]

See all 41 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 43
  2. Negative: 8 out of 43
  1. DawidK.
    9
    One of the best sequels so far. Gain of good looking without loss in Heroes climate. Only Heroes III is still better than this one. To arms brothers! Theres a game that is worth playing! ( something unusuall these days). Expand
  2. Humanophage
    8
    A step backwards from HoMMIV, but a step towards what is good for the series. After all, the charm of HoMM lies in its noble simplicity, while the realm of mildly sophisticated fantasy turn-based strategies nowadays is ruled by the brilliant Age of Wonders. The gameplay in HoMMV is not as captivating as that of HoMMII or HoMMIII, I personally find it somewhat unfinished and raw as opposed to wholesome completeness of the early titles, but it is still fairly fine. The new graphical style looks rather cheesy, almost as cheesy as in Warcraft. It makes me wonder if in the future people shall talk about a peculiar early '00-ies style in 3D strategic games. HoMM5 graphics might be flamboyant and colourful, but only the castle screens can truly be called beautiful (I particularly like Haven). HoMM3 seem to be the best in the series in this aspect: tastefully schematic on the map, realistic and majestic on castle screens, battle fields, etc. To my mind, the perfect style would be a mixture of an upgraded HoMM3: RoE and M&M6 (that uses altered photographs as illustrations). But I digress. And graphics don't really matter, after all. What bothers me the most about HoMM5 is that they decided to screw the universe. Of course, things started to get funny around M&M8, but I still truly hope that continuity shall be restored later, now that M&M is seemingly ressurected. Expand
  3. The six is all sorts of hard SEXY points for gameplay. By "hard" and "sexy" I mean if you could not stop playing heroes 3, you will probably not stop playing this game. It is heroes 3 in 3d for the most part. The game play takes a step back from Heroes 4, gives you that good ol' heroes of might and magic army crawlin' resource gathering nonsense that we all love. The points it loses is for style. Almost always I care more about game play but this time around everything heroes V has in substance it lacks in style. One of the things I loved about the earlier heroes games IV not excluded was the stupid little crap they threw in to flesh the world out. Remember collecting a campfire and having to click out of that annoying box that told the little story about you ransacking a bandit camp? Or how about going to the witches hut and hearing that she taught you a skill for her own inscrutable purpose? All of it gone. You collect an item, or walk across what is for all intents and purposes an in game event leaves you with a floating popup around your character telling you that you have +5 ore or +1 luck or -2 moral. No story, no reason, just a floaty fading number. I'm not eloquent or descriptive enough to give enough justice to how much this kills the atmosphere of a game. Watch a you tube video. The charm is gone, the art style looks like a turn based WoW. The music is still pretty and the game play is solid as hell. No heart though. I have no skills to make a game of any kind but I'll still bash ubisoft for sucking the life out of it. To be fare i have 106 hours logged on steam. Expand
  4. Really tedious game with very little strategy and ridiculously strong and unbalanced AI even on easy level. Pretty graphics is the only thing going for it. Exercise in frustration - stay away! Expand

See all 43 User Reviews