14 DAY TRIAL // I used to like the Heroes of Might & Magic series when I was younger but lately I have had mixed feelings about what the developers at Black Hole Entertainment have chosen to do with it, so Heroes VI might just be the game to bring me back to the franchise.
After spending about two hours of the demo that was released by publisher Ubisoft I have to say that there's a good chance that, on October 13, I might be one of the people who pick up Might & Magic Heroes VI and then spent a couple of dozen hours playing it.
The feel of the game is close to what I remembered from the series, although the cities are still organized in a manner that is as divisive now as it was when the switch to Heroes IV was made.
The turn based battles are also pretty much built in a classic manner, with the hero withdrawn to the back of the line but still able to unleash particular attacks from time to time, and with an Artificial Intelligence that seemed pretty smart about going after unprotected units.
It must also be said that, at 1080p and using full antialiasing, Heroes VI looks very, very good, and the animations for the various creatures really seem to bring the game world to life.
The sounds design is also pretty good and I found myself stiffen up every time my gold haired maidens were hit by the weapons of some enemy and delighted to see my marksmen load a bolt and let rip from range.
Of course, a demo is not enough to see how the full game will perform and much depends on the narrative of the campaign and on how high level hero play is shaped.
Here's a look at Might & Magic Heroes VI in action in a skirmish battle:
