First launched back in 1999, Heroes of Might and Magic III is widely regarded as a cult classic. It’s a beloved title in the community, and even years after its release, its influence and timelessness are a sight to behold. While many are unfamiliar with and have not played the game, including me, the newly announced Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake might finally be the chance to change that.
We managed to go hands-on with Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake for nearly two hours, going through a tutorial sequence that covers the prologue, as well as a campaign based on the “Arrogance” scenario from the original. For someone who has not really played a Heroes of Might and Magic game, this hands-on experience pleasantly surprised me and has put this on my radar.
Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake Hands-on Preview
As with the many remakes these days, the challenge is how to modernize the game while remaining faithful to what made the original so good in the first place. Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake does that, first of all, by bringing over all content from the original, with the base game and its two expansions – The Shadow of Death and Armageddon’s Blade. This also includes all 9 factions, from Castle to Conflux, along with all modes, making it the definitive version.
Visually, Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake looks great, with the world and its creatures being rebuilt in 3D. The look and aesthetic remain fantastical, and they really add to the game’s theme. Paired with quality-of-life additions as well, it really makes a case for an upgraded experience.
As an absolute newbie to the series, I chose the basic Tower faction. Only 4 were playable during the session, and as someone who was just getting their feet wet, it seemed like a good place to start. Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake features many subtle flourishes that enhance the experience. Little things, really, like showing a short scene when your hero enters town, and even full 3D towns and recruiting screens. This might seem like small improvements, but it is probably extremely welcomed by the community.
Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake is quite different from other strategy games in the sense that it isn’t real-time, but rather it moves in turns, and when you’ve exhausted all of the moves you can make in a day, you end your turn and repeat as the new day comes. Within your turn, you can spend resources to upgrade your structures, move your hero around to conquer more territory and capture resources, and much more.
Speaking of heroes, these are your main units on the field and will be responsible for your expansion. Troops coming out of your structures can be “equipped” on your heroes, which will serve as your manpower when engaging in fights in the field, and we’ll get to that later. You can hire as many heroes as you can manage so that you can hasten your expansion, but with the pace at which troops are produced, keeping your active hero pool to a minimum with sufficient troops per hero to take on any battles in the field seems like a good idea.
Heroes can learn and equip spells, find and equip gear to enhance their abilities, and even participate actively in battles.
In Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake, combat takes place in a hexagonal layout where troops move along tiles. Each troop will behave as in typical strategy titles, with attributes such as movement and attack range, and more. There will be a turn counter to see who moves and attacks next, allowing players to plan ahead. Combat plays out through simple attack animations, and each troop will have a life counter that dwindles as they take damage, eliminating them when it hits zero.
Troops are also quite interesting in the sense that upgrading them to their new “forms” – Genies to Master Genies, Imps to Familiars, etc – can change their properties. While we didn’t get to go in-depth with all of the available factions, a good example would be the Gremlins being a melee troop transforming to a ranged troop when upgraded to a Master Gremlin.
Troops are not produced by spending resources at a whim, but they are produced on a weekly basis, and upgrading your structures can boost the base number produced, like how an upgraded Parapet will train an additional 9 Gargoyles per week rather than its previous number. Remember how I said earlier that ending a turn brings in a new day? It’ll take 7 turns to end before troops are replenished, but sometimes, exploring the map can yield troops who will join your cause.
This is definitely something to think of since there are monsters in the field that you will encounter, and if you are trigger-happy and deplete the troops that your heroes have equipped, then you run the risk of losing a battle when you are invaded by an attacking player.
In the build we played, we were given access to proper resources and upgrades to get powerful troops such as the Tower’s Archangel. The Archangel is not a troop that’s easy to get and is considered an “endgame” troop when campaigns run the course long enough. True enough, they are extremely powerful and can move the whole length of the combat field and can kill most troops with one swipe.
Each faction will have its own troop counterparts, and it’s quite exciting to see how games play out when these troops are deployed.
Overall, the Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake was a surprisingly good time, despite only a couple of hours of gameplay. The upgraded visuals look good, and the excitement of a new player figuring out the intricacies of each faction and how the game systems work together feels amazing. Most importantly, Ubisoft has promised that this remake will support all the custom maps and campaigns from past years and can import it directly, which is great.
I can also understand that long-time players may be divided into two camps – one looking forward to this and one who feel like Ubisoft have not done justice to the original. It’s a tricky situation, to be quite honest, and I can’t say for certain, since I haven’t played or immersed myself in the original from years ago. At least, based on the limited time that I had with Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake, it felt promising and interesting to me as a newcomer, and it made me want to learn more about it.
Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake is scheduled to launch in 2027 for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC.
