Few computer game series have such a storied history. Might & Magic has been many things and taken many forms, but it is in Heroes of Might & Magic that the franchise's spirit glows brightest. The third Heroes game is still considered one of the giants of strategy classics, so it was only natural that it be given a high-definition update--and even more natural that publisher Ubisoft would ride the wave of nostalgia by delivering another entry. Might & Magic Heroes VII is at the top of this wave's crest, a wave that purposefully washes away Might & Magic Heroes VI, which was not met with unbridled enthusiasm by longtime players rightfully exalting Heroes III as the height of the series.
I've now spent almost four hours playing Might & Magic Heroes VII over the course of two visits to Ubisoft's San Francisco office, and while it's difficult to say whether the game will inspire hundreds of hours of exploration and strategizing in the way Heroes III did, I appreciate its ability to suck me in. I'm generally delighted by this brand of fantasy in any case, and Heroes VII has that blue-and-gold sheen that brings to mind all manner of arcane spells and barbarous beasts. In the first of three maps I explore, harpies are trapped in a magical prison whose boundaries pulse and glow. Cyan crystals and impossibly lush green grass provide a striking contrast to the browns and yellows of the cliffs and countryside. And through it all, pompous music pumps up the drama, much of it recalling early Tchaikovsky, vibrating with sonorous French horns and elegant strings. Heroes VII wants you to know that it is the highest of high fantasy from the moment you start playing.
The initial map is focused primarily on story. There is no castle to maintain here, only a single orc hero named Imani, who has diverted from her brother's orders and seeks alliances with other factions that may greatly bolster the army. Heroes VII is focused not just on Imani, but on the Stronghold faction, which is made up of three different orc nations. This story centers on the tribes of the Sahaar, which--as you may guess from the name--a vast desert. In any case, Imani was the hero I controlled in this first map, where I have only a few weeks of in-game time to convince harpies, centaurs, and other races to come to my aid. Unsurprisingly, none of the faction leaders is willing to do it just because I ask nicely in my broken, verbless English. They need favors done; If I am unwilling to scratch their backs, they will not scratch mine.
So I gallop about the kingdom, each turn giving me a certain number of movement points to spend in Heroes tradition. I gather wood and gold as I gradually uncover the fog of war, and eventually approach a blackfang vendor who agrees to reveal the area around its towers--for a price, of course. Remember that magical prison? The only way to earn the harpies' trust is to free them from the wizards, who, as the harpies tell it, often come to laugh and scoff at the creatures' misfortune. However, the prison's anchors are guarded, and I must destroy the beastly sentries protecting them before I can grant the harpies their wish.
This is the first of many combat encounters to come, but the flaming salamanders I face in the current turn-based battle are easily dealt with. Imani stands behind the battle grid, waiting for me to issue a standard attack order or perform the one spell available to me, which heals targets over time. On the grid, I move orcish dagger-throwers and soldiers forward, each visible individual representing a larger number of units. Suffering attacks means not just taking damage, but losing those numbers until the entire unit is destroyed. The salamanders are soon toast, but subsequent battles introduce me to new opponents, as well as to new units I can hire for myself. The lizardlike basilisk might be my favorite of these, given the massive amount of damage it does not just during attack, but when retaliating against djinn and genies mounted on hovering magic carpets. It's most effective when I flank my adversaries, which is a new element Heroes VII introduces.
The adventure sees me completing the necessary actions until my army is made up of griffins, harpies, centaur archers, elemental golems, and a number of other fiends. The enemy hero has been aggressive, attacking me twice during my travels--and one of those times introducing a game-killing bug that auto-initiates the end of turns before I can ever move from my position. But success is at hand: it is time to face the beastmen army that has branded me as a traitor. What a gorgeous battlefield this is, with a waterfall in the background, and surrounding us with shining blue-and-white architecture. I win not just with might but with magic; my most valuable unit is a flaming elemental that flings fire all the way across the map, though I have to give my centaurs some of the credit. Alas, it is too late. The battle may be won, but Imani's brother Jengo has already proceeded to battle, leading his troops to sure death before Imani and her alliance can supplement his army.
I don't have enough time to see either of the remaining two maps to their conclusions, sadly. The second map keeps me in Imani's substantial shoes, and puts me in control of a keep for the first time. One way to recruit troops to your heroes' armies is to bribe them rather than fight them, though the stronger the opposition, the less likely they are to offer their services. But this map is populated by orc squadrons willing to join me if I perform a particular rite at a nearby burial ground. And of course, I can recruit units at my castle, to which I return several times to build upgrades that give me access to new units and magic spells.
The best element to this map is the navigation itself. In addition to rally flags and other objects that offer me passive bonuses and resources, I discover portals that transport me to other parts of the Sahaar desert. Fully exploring the map means repairing bridges and teleporting to and fro. Yet sometimes, the shiny things beckon: there are new weapons and pieces of armor that I can retrieve and equip--but only if I fight the creatures guarding them. With each successful fight comes experience, and soon I have spent multiple skill points, most of them offering passive bonuses, such as removing morale penalties when employing units from other races. The skill wheel is incredibly simple to use; There is no mystery in finding and employing the right benefit when the time comes to level up.
The second adventure comes to an end when I face an army that blocks a bridge I desperately need to cross. My opponent and I wipe each other clean, leaving my remaining orc archer to fend for himself against murderous soldiers. I am ready to say goodbye to Imani, frankly, so it's fortunate that the third map gives me two Haven heroes to send out into the world. (The Haven and Stronghold are two of six factions in total; the other four are Sylvan, Academy, Necropolis, and Dungeon.) The two heroes at my disposal are Orna and Edric, who represent a split of might and magic: Orna has numerous spells already available in her spellbook, while Edric clearly prefers might, and currently employs no spells.
I don't get too much time to engage in battle, but I enjoy alternating turns, as it allows me to see new battlefields and employ different kinds of strategies. Orna's spells make her my favorite in combat. I always have the option to auto-resolve battle, but it's always satisfying to watch her summon fire from the sky and rain it on the skeletons and wolves charging from the other end of the square-based grid. After a while, I purchase a war machine for her--in this case, a catapult that automatically launches a projectile at a nearby unit. Edric, in the meanwhile, finds himself in trouble after I get too aggressive, and even his wolves are left to the buzzards. I busily collect wood and gold when it comes time to control Edric, while I throw Orna into every encounter I can that won't result in slaughter. But before I can see how my strategy plays out, it's time to leave, and I can only surmise what might happen on these cracked plateaus.
I never got to experiment with Heroes VII's proposed cover system, which I am told exists, but I don't think ever came into play during my time with it. (Indeed, my centaurs' arrows sailed directly through the rocks that you would think should block their path.) But flanking bonuses are clearly vital, and I suspect many battles will be won or lost this way. Otherwise, my time with Might & Magic Heroes VII scratched that same itch the series always has, and with luck, the full game will be just as enchanting when it releases to the wild sometime later this year.
