Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest
| Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest | |
|---|---|
 PC box cover | |
| Developer(s) | New World Computing |
| Publisher(s) | New World Computing |
| Designer(s) | Jon Van Caneghem |
| Composer(s) | Paul Romero Rob King (sound design) |
| Series | Heroes of Might and Magic |
| Platform(s) | DOS, Windows, Mac OS |
| Release date(s) | August 31, 1995 (DOS) February 1996 (Windows) |
| Genre(s) | Turn-based strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, Hotseat, Network |
| Distribution | 1 CD-ROM |
Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest is a turn-based strategy game developed and published by New World Computing in 1995 for DOS. A spin-off of New World Computing's Might and Magic series of role-playing video games, the success of Heroes of Might and Magic led to a number of sequels.
In 1996, NWC released an updated version of the game, ported to Windows 95. This new version included a map editor, random map generator, CD audio, and new scenarios. As a bonus, King's Bounty was also included on the CD.[1]
Story
Heroes of Might and Magic tells the story of Lord Morglin Ironfist, who is forced to flee his homeland through a magical portal, because his cousin, Ragnar, had usurped the throne after his uncle, Ragnar's father, killed Ironfist's father, the legitimate owner of the throne.
He finds himself along with his few followers in a strange and uncharted land, called Enroth. The land is unruled but contested by Ironfist and three other warlords: the barbarian Lord Slayer, the sorceress Queen Lamanda, and the warlock Lord Alamar.
In the canonical storyline, Lord Ironfist defeats his three opponents and founds a new kingdom in Enroth. It is possible for the player to lead the other factions to victory, however this is not reflected in the following games of the Heroes of Might and Magic series
Gameplay
Heroes of Might and Magic takes place in a medieval fantasy world, filled with creatures frequently associated with myth and legend. These creatures make up the military forces (troops) with which the player attempts to conquer opponents. The player leads generals through the game world at the head of armies of troops. These generals, called "heroes," provide a means to explore, attack, defeat, and acquire, the four basic principles in the game.
The ultimate goal of the game is usually to capture all enemy castles and defeat all enemy heroes. However, the game comes with many different play scenarios, and some of these scenarios have unique victory conditions, such as accumulating a certain amount of gold, or finding a particular artifact.
Alignments
There are four different classes of heroes and castles, each with their own units and strengths/weaknesses.
- Knight – This alignment is one of two "might" alignments. "Might" aligned heroes gain skill points in attack or defense more often than in spell power or knowledge as they gain experience. Their troops, listed in ascending order of strength are as follows: Peasants, Archers, Pikemen, Swordsmen, Cavalry, and Paladins.
- Barbarian – This is the second "might" alignment. Barbarian troops in ascending order of strength are as follows: Goblins, Orcs, Wolves, Ogres, Trolls, and Cyclopses.
- Sorceress – This is one of the two "magic" alignments. "Magic" aligned heroes gain skill points in spell power or knowledge more often than in attack or defense as they gain experience. Sorceress troops, listed in ascending order of strength are as follows: Sprites, Dwarves, Elves, Druids, Unicorns, and Phoenix.
- Warlock – This is the second "magic" alignment. Warlock units are as follows in ascending order of strength: Centaurs, Gargoyles, Griffins, Minotaurs, Hydras, and Dragons.
There is also a neutral, "wandering" class of troops, including Rogues, Nomads, Ghosts (the only one that can not be hired) and Genies.
Reception
GameSpot rated the game's production values as somewhat below par, and regarded the story as being thin. Nonetheless, the game was complimented for its gameplay, and received a 7.5 out of 10 overall.[2]
References
- ↑ George Ruof, programmer (1996-02-20). "Heroes of Might & Magic for Win 95 - When?". Retrieved 2008-06-16.
- ↑ Trent C. Ward (1996-05-01). "Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest for PC review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2008-06-16.
Heroes of Might and Magic isn't spectacular, but it sure is fun.
External links
- Age of Heroes
- fheroes Open source, SDL implementation of the Heroes engine, currently under development.
- Heroes of Might and Magic at MobyGames - Game credits
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