Having completed MM6+7+8 it seemed natural to turn to the last game in the series as well: MM9. This game has received some heavy criticism. In fact, I almost did not want to play it due to all the negative reviews I read. So, is MM9 a worthy follow up to previous instalments? Or merely a broken link, longing to be forgotten? Read on to find out...
First things first, MM9 had been the subject of rather harsh criticism for its game design, noticeably its graphics engine and (lack of story). The game certainly gets off to a *bad* start: the game starts with your party crashing their ship into a small island with no explanation as to who you are or why you are here. Luckily, some old tart you will soon meet tells you that you must "unite the six clans to counter some evil man who is plotting to invade the lands". Well. Ok. Sounds like a good a plan as any, right? Having talked to the witch, you soon meet your first NPC companion with whom you will be spending most of your adventure. You are given little reason to care about this man, but he helps kill monsters, so what's to loose?
Following this introduction is a trod from kingdom to kingdom, taking on quests for the respective jarls in order to win their favour. Not exactly a set-up which sucks you in. What's more, the game does nothing to explain what is essentially a highly revamped character generation system, in which you start only by choosing paths (might or magic) which can later be upgraded into proper classes (gladiator, ranger, paladin or mage, lich, druid or priest for mages).
Moreover, people cant seem to get over the fact that the Lithtech 3D was not the most technically advanced graphics engine for its time. True, character models are blocky and the environment sometimes lack detail. But so what? Did you ever play a M&M game for its graphics? (Didn't think so). I actually enjoy the graphics. Suffice it to say that MM9 carries the series into full 3D with alot of grace. It feels really cool navigating the world in full 3D, especially combat has been greatly improved. Enemies will actually run around you, revive their friends or fire projectiles at you from high points. Also, winged creatures will come at you from several angles. This makes combat much more alive than in the older games, where enemies would just get in your grill and bash away until they died or you did.
Other great improvements includes the character creation/development. Admitted: I did not really know what to do with it in the beginning, having no idea what the differences between the classes were or how to get them. Coming from an experienced MM player, this must be a hassle for newcomers. However, I really enjoyed levelling up my characters. The fact that you do not choose an actual class until several hours into the game allows you to experiment, and get a feel for the game before locking down on any specific character. This is good for people who might not know if they want a mage, lich or maybe a priest?
This leads me to another great change - magic. At first sight, it has become more convoluted. All scholar-classes can learn ALL magic skills. Yes, liches can learn light and spirit magic, priest can learn dark magic etc. But only certain classes will excel in any given school. So while mages are adept in elemental and light magic, liches are best in dark magic. Basically they can learn (almost) the same spells, but damage will vary according to their skill levels in any school. Confused yet?
Dont worry, the magic system also simplifies things. First off, there are way less spells than before. In fact, you will be surprised that the whole catalog of spells (covering all schools) to be rather limited. This is mostly a welcome change, however. E.g. priests can learn "purify" which heals ALL adverse conditions your character suffers from. Gone are the days where you needed to learn "cure paralysis" (spirit magic) + "cure disease" (body) + cure poison + etc. etc.
My point here is that MM9 actually manages to tweak and improve many of the aspects of series. Loot has also become way more interesting (MM8 was already a huge improvement). You will be finding tons of stuff throughout your adventures, with certain locked (and trapped!) chests containing rare items.
MM9 captures everything that makes Might and Magic great - i.e. the addictive levelling up system. From a group of weaklings, your characters will soon be slicing up sea monsters and sorcerers with powerful spells and weapons.
True, the game-world does lack polish (basically because the 3DO went bankrupt during production). This shows in a sometimes incoherent story-line and lack of polish. But with the 1.3 patch installed, all the quests work and I did not really experience any game-breaking bugs. That is why I recommend MM9 to any fan of the series. Not to be missed!
Bottom line
Certain elements of MM9 makes it vastly superior to other games in the series. It makes a successful transition to a 3D engines, with dynamic battles and engaging gameplay. Also, the new tweaks to character development makes this game at least as addicting and time-consuming as older games. However, the game is significantly marred by its lack of proper documentation and a well-told story plus the general lack of polish throughout the game. Had New World Computing had more time to finish the game, MM9 could easily have been eligible for a 8.0 score or even higher. Despite these issues, it nevertheless makes a noteworthy entry into the series. One which is just as praiseworthy as the other titles were...