this rpg/puzzle offering makes for a very complex and very original take on the standard three-of-a-kind puzzle game.
with its epic soundtrack and stylized characters, it's easy to assume that this game is your typical japanese rpg. while it does employ certain rpg elements -- such as a going through a long story mode with a main quests and several optional quests, and mastering / leveling up certain game play essentials -- at its very core might & magic: clash of heroes is a puzzle game. the story mode introduces the player to five factions (in order of play: sylvan, haven, nercopolis, inferno, and academy) that each have very different troop lineups (three types of basic troops and five types of special troops). a main character -- unique to each faction -- moves and controls the troops, and also levels up with them with each battle. for each battle, a player can customize the troops he brings in (up to 3 kinds of basic troops, and up to 2 kinds of special troops). in the turn based puzzle battles, the player has a finite number of moves (usually two or three) which he uses to move troops around the battlefield in order to place at least three units of the same kind next to each other. vertical stacks form an attack, horizontal stacks form a defense. there are some exceptions to the rule (especially when it comes to the special troops) as well as additional bonuses for special kinds of stacking -- they are all explained in the first chapter of the story mode.
honestly, i've been so obsessed with this game that i've been playing the story mode nonstop. (the game is paused and my open nintendo ds is sitting next to me as i type.) i haven't really checked the other modes, so i suppose this review will be a little skewed. as far as negative impressions go, the one thing i complain about constantly is the lack of an undo button. sometimes when you place a unit somewhere else by mistake, it really destroys the flow of that you were planning to do and it's annoying to have to work around it. it the battle is turn based anyway, how bad would it be to have an undo button, really? i'd even be content with special items of a finite number that you can use to undo wrong unit placement. another gripe is that there's no quick way to give up on a current battle and start over without penalty. sometimes halfway through a battle you just know that you're not going to win, but with might & magic: clash of heroes you're forced to either retreat (which means that you pay the game in order to start over, using resources that you might need to purchase special troops) or play until you die (in which case, the continue option provides you with a fresh new start). i feel that these two game elements wouldn't have affected the overall strategy greatly anyway, and that it would in fact have been a great addition to the already instinctive controls.
but enough whining. simply put, this game is amazing. it is a turn based rpg that you can play as little or as much as you like at any given time. you can choose to just sneak in a quick ten minute battle during your lunch break, or advance significantly in the story mode during a weekend afternoon. although it's very addictive, you can save the game anytime (unless you're in the middle of a battle, which lasts anywhere from three to ten minutes). the music and the graphics are a cut above other puzzle games, and when you add that to the good storyline, this makes for a very complex and very original take on the standard three-of-a-kind puzzle. it's challenging, too -- there are side quests that i haven't finished yet because i can't find the correct strategy to use. i honestly can't wait to try the multiplayer mode; just need to wait for my friends to get into this as much as i have.
the verdict? 9/10. obviously, just -1 for my very specific gripes. otherwise this is a very excellently crafted game; i would recommend this even to casual nintendo ds gamers.
(originally posted on my blog: http://miaowow.blogspot.com/2010/01/might-magic-clash-of-heroes-ds.html)