14 DAY TRIAL // Heroes of Might and Magic has long been one of my favorite turn based strategy title in the world of gaming, combining a puzzle mission structure with character development, city management and a very deep tactical battle layer that included mythological creatures and spells.
The game was hard, especially in its third installment and its expansions, and required the gamer to do some sophisticated thinking when it came to both his army make up and the tactics he was using in the turn based engagements.
Now Ubisoft has taken the Might and Magic license and has built a browser based free to play game around it, called Heroes Kingdom.
I've been playing it for a few days to see if it has anything more to offer than similar offerings that do not rely on already known intellectual property.
The game seems pretty standard after a few days play, with most of the actions linked to a timer and the options for development rather sparse.
There seems to be little connection to Might and Magic in the game, but it's pretty competent when it comes to browser based strategy, with players tasked with expanding their rule while building up a town and gathering resources to recruiting new troops that can fuel further expansion.
There seem to be some interesting options linked to actual hero development, but it takes time to have the level up and gain access to new abilities.
The entire interface seems cluttered at times and fails to quickly make available the big important information and the art is generally unattractive.
The timers which show the time until an action is completed are somewhere near the left-hand corner of the play area and they can be easily missed and most windows tend to overlap and obscure each other, making actual control of the game harder than it should be.
I cannot see Might and Magic - Heroes Kingdom becoming an addiction on the scale of Neptune's Pride, but it could make a nice diversion for those who still remember the good times of the series.