E3 2001: Heroes of Might and Magic IV this fall

The long-running Heroes of Might and Magic series combines fantasy-themed role-playing with strategic turn-based gameplay and tactical combat, resulting in a distinct, enjoyable, and addictive formula. The next installment in the series, scheduled for release this fall, will once again revisit the same successful formula--only with all-new content, including a new cast of characters and seven new campaigns. Heroes of Might and Magic IV will also feature a brand-new graphics engine, supporting resolutions up to 1280x1024.

As in previous installments, the action in Heroes of Might and Magic IV will focus on heroes--mighty warlords on horseback who travel across the land, seeking riches and conquest in the name of their land. The heroes will hail from six different types of towns: academy, asylum, heaven, necropolis, preserve, and stronghold. You'll need to use the various resources your heroes collect to build up these towns, so that they can train mighty creatures with which to defend themselves. In all, more than 60 different creatures will be available. Your heroes will also be able to lead these creatures into battle against enemy towns and enemy heroes, as well as against roving bands of monsters.

Heroes of Might and Magic IV promises to give you much more control over your individual heroes than before. For one thing, heroes can have one of 11 different starting professions: archer, barbarian, enchanter, fighter, lord, necromancer, priest, rogue, shaman, sorcerer, and warrior. These different classes will determine the hero's basic proficiencies, and will influence what sorts of skills he learns as he earns experience levels. Meanwhile, the game's all-new skill system will force you to make meaningful decisions as you focus your hero's specialties. Apparently, 37 different advanced hero classes are available later on, when your hero gains in power. Another significant new feature in Heroes IV is that, for the first time in the series, heroes will actually be able to fight on the front lines of battle--they won't just hang back and cast spells, as in previous installments.

As for spells, the newly revised magic system in Heroes of Might and Magic IV will include spells from different opposing schools: chaos, death, life, might, nature, and order. More often than not, spells are used in combat either to injure groups of enemy creatures or to boost the strength of one's own forces. However, some spells can be useful outside of battle--for instance, to instantly transport you back to town from across the countryside. Town portal spells won't be the only way to do this, however: Caravans will now be available to provide efficient transport for your forces as well.

Heroes of Might and Magic IV takes place after a cataclysm destroys the country of Erathia--the country central to recent Heroes of Might and Magic games, as well as the recent installments of the Might and Magic role-playing games. One of the survivors of this destruction is a woman named Emilia Nighthaven--a woman determined to help restore some semblance of peace and order to the world. In attempting to do so, she'll have to face the Immortal King Magnus, who commands deadly creatures called dragon golems, and also possesses an artifact capable of controlling the minds of others. Clearly, the king will make a daunting foe. The clash between Emilia and Magnus will be chronicled through seven different single-player campaigns. Heroes IV will also feature dozens of standalone single-player scenarios. For good measure, the game will even come packaged with a campaign editor that lets you create individual scenarios and link them together.

Heroes of Might and Magic IV has a tough act to follow--it'll be the next chapter in an extremely successful and popular series. Fortunately, it sounds as if Heroes IV has what it takes to appease the hard-core fans of the previous Heroes games. Its new graphics engine as well as its significant gameplay changes should make the game play differently from its predecessors while still retaining the same core elements that make the Heroes series so enjoyable. 3DO will publicly unveil Heroes of Might and Magic IV for the first time this week at E3 2001. We'll be sure to bring you first-hand impressions from the show floor.