It's been a trial by fire for Ubisoft and Russian developer Nival Interactive as they have attempted to revitalize the Heroes of Might and Magic franchise. The re-launch of one of the longest running strategy series has suffered delays, beta tester petitions, and negative previews, but Heroes V has finally made its way to store shelves.The game includes a slick new 3D engine, lengthy campaigns, and six colorful factions that fans will instantly recognize. In addition, most of the critics agree that Nival nailed the fundamentals of the traditional Heroes of Might and Magic combat formula. However, a major criticism of Heroes V is its small number of maps, as well as the initial absence of a map editor (due this summer, according to Nival).
- GameSpot (82/100) was impressed with the enhancements to online multiplayer: "Heroes V makes a few efforts to speed up online play by offering options for quick stat-based combat resolution, timed turns, straight hero-versus-hero duels, and the new 'ghost mode'."
- GameSpy (70/100) did a lot of camera spinning: "The switch to 3D, while a successful one, has its drawbacks. The camera is a tad finicky when moving on the underground map. It can be hard to place the camera where you need it and it's also too easy to miss objects that are hiding behind a tree or a mountain."
- Yahoo! Games (70/100) cautions new players unfamiliar with the sometimes complex attack orders and unit stats: "The biggest failing of Heroes V, which you can almost anticipate from its emphasis on looking so good, is that it's stingy with information. And the bad documentation here kills a lot of what makes the series great."
