Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia

Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia is a bestselling version of a series of turn-based strategy games in fantasy, referring to the one started in the 1980s. RPG series Might and Magic and the game King's Bounty from 1990, considered a precursor of popular Heroes games. The American New World Computing studio, headed by its co-founder Jon Van Canegh, is responsible for the creation of all these brands.

Fabula

Fabula Heroes of Might and Magic III is not directly connected with the two previous editions of the cycle and takes us to a completely new, fantastic land called Erathia, located on the fictional continent of Antagarich. After the murder of King Gryphonheart, the ruler of Erathiya, this land fell under pressure from the dark forces of Nighon and Eofol. On the news, Queen Catherine, Gryphonheart's daughter and Roland Ironfist's wife (hero Heroes of Might and Magic II), returns to their homeland with the intention of uniting their compatriots and leading them to fight against the evil that ravaged their country. In order to achieve this goal, Katarzyna will have to face many powerful opponents, including her own father, brought back to life by necromancers in the form of numbers.

Mechanics

In terms of mechanics, Heroes of Might and Magic III is a combination of solutions known from the two previous parts of the series, with a number of new features that make the gameplay more attractive. General assumptions have not changed, however, and the game focuses primarily on strategic exploration of the map of the world of Erathiya and tactical fight against enemies in the classic turn-based system. Like their predecessors, players take control of several heroes, leading an army of different types of mythical and fantastic creatures. An extremely important element of the game is the expansion of the existing cities; there are eight types of them: three "good". (Castle, Bastion and Fortress), three "bad" (Inferno, Necropolis and Loch) and two "neutral" ones. (Fortress and Citadel). One of the key novelties of the game is the fact that individual maps can now have two layers, i.e. surface and underground. They are also much larger and contain much more interactive elements, such as various buildings, treasures, monsters and mines, the acquisition of which provides us with access to the resources necessary for the development of our cities. Thanks to exploration and combat, along with the progress of the game, our heroes develop and learn further useful combat and magic skills.

Game modes

The basic mode of play in Heroes of Might and Magic III traditionally consists of an extensive feature campaign, consisting of seven mini-campaigns and one bonus campaign, available only after completion of the other. In addition, we can play in single scenarios, in which we compete with computer artificial intelligence or with up to seven other players - via the Internet, LAN or at one computer. There is also a functional editor at the disposal of players, as before, with the help of which they can create their own maps and related adventures.

Technical issues

Compared to earlier versions of the cycle, the PC game Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia is a significant step forward in terms of technical issues. The graphics displayed at a maximum resolution of 800x600 pixels was mostly rendered from three-dimensional models, and not drawn manually - as was the case with the previous ones. The appearance of the map itself and the animations of the units have also clearly improved. Paul Romero, Robert King and Steve Baca are once again responsible for the soundtrack of the game - associated with the series since its creation.

Additional information

Heroes of Might and Magic III There have been two official extensions since its premiere: Armageddon's Blade and The Shadow of Death, as well as a special Gold Edition, containing a basic game with both add-ons. In addition, a whole lot of unofficial add-ons have been released, the most famous of which are Heroes of Might and Magic 3 1: In the Wake of Gods (2001) and released more than 12 years after the release of the Abyss Horn of the Abyss.