Heroes of Might & Magic III – HD Edition Reviews

We have rounded up a number of reviews for the recent HD Edition of Heroes of Might and Magic III, in the hope that they might provide a clearer picture of the enhancements it brings to the table, and whether they could possibly make up for the fact that the expansions aren’t included. Overall, impressions are mixed.

PC Gamer, 71/100.

HOMM’s mechanics have since been used to create more complex and modern games, most notably the recent King’s Bounty games (Heroes of Might and Magic is itself a successor to the originals) which push the RPG side, and Age of Wonders more heavily weighted to the strategic. There’s still a definite charm to this chapter of the Might and Magic series that makes it worth checking out today though, if not necessarily in this specific overpriced and underwhelming release that’s nowhere near modernised enough to compensate.

Attack of the Fanboy, 2.5/5.

It is hard to recommend this game. If you played Heroes of Might and Magic III, and you liked it, 15 years ago when it first came out, you might get a bit of nostalgia from this release. The iOS version is certainly worth a look, especially if you have the disk space, cash, and enthusiasm for it. However, in regards to the Steam version, without the expansions bundled in and practically no changes, there exist better alternatives on the market for you to spend your time and/or money on.

Softpedia, 9/10.

Heroes of Might & Magic III has aged unexpectedly well, and the release of the HD Edition should breathe new life into a franchise that hasn’t received favorable reviews in quite a long time.

I do like Heroes of Might & Magic III HD Edition because I like the original as well. However, I like the HD Edition more because it looks better. The only thing I’m sad about is the lack of the other two expansions included in the Complete version.

Pocket Gamer, 7/10.

It’s unlikely that Heroes of Might and Magic III HD will snag itself a new audience. It’s a bit too fiddly, a bit too clunky, and a bit too cruel to appeal to your average mobile player.

But if you’re a fan of the series this is a neatly realised, reasonably well polished port that should scratch an itch or two.

GameReactor, 5/10.

There’s no denying that Heroes of Might & Magic III – HD Edition was a disappointment to me. The price and content doesn’t match, and paying 12 quid for the vanilla version is simply too much. Especially as there is a certain website selling old games that works with new versions of Windows, who happen to have the full edition on sale for much less. But, the ability to play and share your creations online could be the thing to keep this new version relevant. It just requires a vibrant community to keep it afloat. But right now I’d still recommend getting the old version with both the add-ons and to leave this “remastered” version well alone.

Digitally Downloaded, 4/5.

Heroes of Might & Magic III is a genuine classic game, and there is no denying that it is a supremely well-balanced, challenging and deeply engaging example of turn-based strategy. For all the promise of being a “HD” version, it’s not exactly what I would call an update, and seems to be filler so that Ubisoft can release something in January rather than a serious effort to update the game, but given it means I have Heroes of Might & Magic in my bag at all times, regardless of where I am, I’m not really complaining.

Finally, Kotaku Australia recommends to stick with the original title and its HD mod:

The high-definition remaster of Heroes of Might & Magic III was released a few days ago, updating the much beloved classic for modern systems. Unfortunately, it’s an average product and has copped a lambasting from fans, with a little over half of the Steam reviews being positive. There’s another option though, one that’s been available for a while, if you want to enjoy HoMM III in impressive detail: grab the original and apply the HD mod.