Official Trailer

Take a look at the E3 trailer of Heroes of Might and Magic V.
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When it appeared 10 years ago, Heroes of Might and Magic quickly established a loyal and fervent fan base, thanks in large part to its addictive and deep strategic gameplay. Heroes of Might and Magic was a turn-based strategy game that let you control a fantasy race, build up a fortress city, and then raise armies in an attempt to conquer a magical realm. It was so good that it led to four sequels, including the upcoming Heroes of Might and Magic V, due out in 2006. Heroes of Might and Magic V is a step in a whole new direction in a number of ways. First, it's being developed by Russia's Nival Interactive, as opposed to longtime series creator and developer New World Computing. Second, it's being set in a whole new environment. To get the latest details, we caught up with Ubisoft producer Fabrice Cambounet and assistant producer Thomas Le Grand.

It's got a new look and setting, but the goal is still to set out and conquer.

GameSpot: How do you feel Heroes V was received at the Electronic Entertainment Expo by the press and the fans?

Fabrice Cambounet and Thomas Le Grand: We received great feedback and incredible buzz from fans, retailers, press, in the official forums and communities, and even other developers and publishers. Everybody wanted to know more about the game, and it seems we managed to deliver what they were expecting. Fans are always eager for one more bit of information or one more screenshot, and many journalists seem to be fans themselves. The Heroes franchise is still very strong and very popular. According to the feedback we received during the show and in the forums, it seems we are on the right track to make a great game that any Heroes fan will be proud of.

GS: Are the new factions starting to take shape at this point? Is it safe to compare the strengths and weaknesses of returning factions, like the humans and the inferno town (which seem to strongly resemble the castle and inferno towns of Heroes III), to previous versions of them in previous games? Or are the factions being changed significantly to add more variety, since there are fewer than there were in Heroes III or IV?

FC & TLG: Indeed, the factions are really starting to take shape at this point of the development. Most of them are already playable, and they look and behave very nicely.

From the outset, Ubisoft decided to revamp the whole Might and Magic universe into a revolutionary modern fantasy. So, we have created a brand-new world, with a new mythology and, of course, new factions. As a result, the current factions are not directly similar to the ones available in previous games. Since we have a new cosmogony, a new philosophy, a new world, and a new magic system, it is really hard to compare them. Nonetheless, as you pointed out, we decided to respect the franchise legacy. We have kept some of the most emblematic features, like, as you mentioned, the haven faction partially resembles the previous castle faction. We believe that subtle familiarity is great for the game and its fans. We wanted to remain consistent with the legacy and respect the heritage. We also have some surprises for you, such as a never-been-seen-before faction.

In addition to this new world and the new factions' composition, we also worked on an improved gameplay. This means you will find a new balance and new strengths and weaknesses, as well as specific abilities in order to let the players set up several tactics and strategies in Heroes of Might and Magic V.

It's not all sunshine and daisies, as there are plenty of dark places to explore.

GS: We've seen from the E3 version of the game that much of the classic overland exploration remains, such as finding treasure chests that can be converted to gold or experience, resource nodes like lumber mills and gold mines, and monsters guarding artifacts and gateways. Can we also expect to see underground, or perhaps, multiple layers of underground exploration? Will there be overseas navigation, as in the previous Heroes games? What other enhancements or additions are being made to the exploration aspect of the game?

FC & TLG: To keep some things a surprise to fans like yourself, we can't reveal a lot of the content of the game. We can say, however, that the exploration part of the game will be as detailed as it was in previous games, and better. Thanks to the detailed 3D world that is being built, you can spend a lot of time simply exploring and discovering regions of the map. Hopefully this will not distract players from actually conquering enemy towns, but, in any case, this will greatly improve the experience of playing the game.