What Heroes of Might and Magic V should've been.
To my very pleasant surprise, it was incredibly fun, addictive, beautiful and somewhat humourous.
To break it down:
Graphics: The graphics in this game are beautiful. Yes I've used this word twice already but that's what it is so there. The art direction is inspired and knows what it wants. It presents a bright, fairytale-ish flavour and the hand-drawn art is also nice. The water is pretty, the terrain is appropriate, and the creatures are full of personality. The effects are polished and the creatures are what they are supposed to be. All in all no issues here. The interface is simple and easy to pick up.
Gameplay: The game plays much like the Heroes of Might and Magic series as that series was inspired, or was a spiritual successor, to the original King's Bounty. You play a hero leading an army, split between real-time movement on the adventure map and turn-based combat. The leadership system, spells, and leveling up, all provide a nice addictive way to keep you hooked, and so do the Spirits of Rage. There is a learning curve at the beginning, even to those familiar to this type of gameplay but especially to those who have never played such games before. I urge you, learn the game and you'll love it. The difficulty is a bit scattered but provide a nice challenge, if somewhat inconsistent one.
Music: The music, I swear, is great. It does not pull your attention away from the game and yet there are some parts which are rather catchy. The sound effects could have used a bit more variation but that is just nitpicking. The sound design of the game is solid and there are no complains here.
Story: The game starts you off as a just-graduated hero, and continues with standard hero fare. Somehow, the game wholeheartedly embraces this story and does not try to make something new of it and yet it draws you in as you start out as a small time errant boy to the king and take more and more responsibility in things to come. The story is communicated mostly through written dialogue bubbles but such is tradition, one that works to set the tone and feel of the game. There is not much voice acting in the game and they could do with more of that. However, the characters in the game positively drip with personality and individuality, each one a memorable one. There are also many many jokes and references scattered through out the game and it's amazing how seamless the join is that those who don't get it don't realise it's a joke. Well done here!
+ There is exactly one bug I have found but it is not gamebreaking and the fix is simple and already out.
+ The game also is appealing to me as it gives a much missed sense of nostalgia I've never felt for a long time.
All in all, the game is a solid addition to your gaming collection, don't hesitate to pick up a copy if you are into slower paced games and don't mind reading. The game has no major and/or minor drawbacks. Well done developers!
* I wrote this review in the middle of the morning with a fever but that did not affect my judgement at all as all the playtime was put in before I got sick, although I am going through a major exam now, so perhaps it gets good marks as an excellent stress release method. And of course, the nostalgia gives major points too. Judge for yourself. No, I'm not a native speaker of English. Sorry for any misspellings.