8-11 /10 | No story spoilers
It is one of, if not THE BEST turn based strategy game of all time.
Its very important to point out8-11 /10 | No story spoilers
It is one of, if not THE BEST turn based strategy game of all time.
Its very important to point out however, that the expansions are highly recommended, if not a MUST, because its just not the same without those. As much as I love the game, playing the basic/vanila version of it, isn't as good/charming/appealing. Missing maps, missing my favourite castle, the Confux, missing some items,heroes,units,mechanics, etc. And by some I mean A LOT, but some realy major ones and a ton of minor ones. With the expansions however its EPIC.
MY PERSONAL RECOMMENDATION:
is to get the user/fan made expansion on top of the existing, official expansions. Its called "in the Wake of Gods", aka "WoG", dubbed as "HoMM 3.5" . It makes the game so much more interesting,deep and rich, that its very hard to describe, but this is what makes it Legendary in my opinion in the truest sense.
Some may hate what i will say right now, but I think "Wake of the Gods" is WAY better then "Horn of The Abyss", aka "HotA" (another user/fan made expansion mod)
The mod provides/contains:
- TONS of settings, in game mechanics and features (ie: you can set that every enemy gets bonus units, base of your army -> an army of 80-ish peasants, got 216*6 of tier 7 mixed units, based of my army. Makes boring fights interesting -> can still get a solid amount of exp in the late game as well!); aka. WOG options.
- new units (including 3rd upgrade option/variant of already existing units. Ie: green dragon -> gold dragon -> diamond dragon, OR Firebird -> Phoenix -> Sacred Phoenix, etc...)
- new items and item sets
- henchman (super elite) unit (of your choice, stronger as it levels)
- commander (2nd hero-ish?) unit (can equip items, fight, cast spells, level up, die and can be resurrected)
- army units can have various buffs and military ranks (similar to gaining exp.)
- new dwellings, (map) buildings (not castle), quests, and a lot, LOT more, that i'm honestly lazy to list/include here. The 5000 character limit might not be enough tbh.
Just to name a few:
war machines can now stack and be stronger; catapults can attack units; your hero can move and fight without an army; additional skill slots (>8); custom battle rules (ie: everything, or just some specific units, have double attack, and/or breath attack, etc...the list goes on!
IMPORTANT NOTES!:
- Everything mentioned above is customizable to your liking. If you want none, some, all of it, you can! It's up to you.
- Earlier I mentioned another user/fan made expansion mod "Horn of The Abyss", which I even compared to "Wake of Gods". The 2 mods are in no way compatible: no WoG features are available when playing HotA, and vice versa
The very best example, that graphics is not everything! It has a very dated, but at the same time kind of old school/charm to it. Sounds, spot on. And the overall game, the feeling is one of a kind!
VANILA (The Restoration of Erathia): 7/10
with Expansions (Armageddons Blade) + (The Shadow of Death): 9/10
with user mod (Horn of The Abyss): 10/10
with user mod (Wake of Gods): 11/10
Last, but not least, some side notes.:
I'm not a might and magic fanboy. In fact this and maybe HoMM 5 the only ones I liked and could recommend. Never tried the black and white HoMM 1, but tried everything from HoMM2. Later games aka Might and Magic Heroes....X. Stay away from 4!!! It was an interesting concept, had a few potential in my opinion, but in the end it was a major **** up **** where, for example, the pikemen literally moved as if they've **** in their pants.
Sadly the new/current generation of kids/"gamers" #wanna be true gamers, wont/cant appreciate this game and may never be able to. Its not fancy, not shiny, no Michael bay booms and graphics. Its not holding your hand, not dumbed down, oh and no 3d CGI AAA cinematics. You actually have to READ OMFG.
These are the facts, the sad facts, and hopefully to be changed facts. #HoMM 3 remake FF7 style?!… Expand
