Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era Is a True Return to Form – Review

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The Heroes of Might & Magic series is a true classic, and for many, including myself, Heroes of Might & Magic III remains one of the greatest strategy games ever made. The series hasn’t quite reached that peak since, but Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era might change that. Though not a remake, developer Unfrozen and publisher Ubisoft have created a prequel that tells an entirely new story within the Heroes universe.

I hadn’t expected to enjoy another game as much as Heroes of Might & Magic III, but Olden Era has really impressed me. Even in its early access state, it feels fantastic to play – better than anything since 1997! The game’s blend of exploring the world, building up your towns, and engaging in tactical battles is a solid and rewarding experience, and gives the developers a great base to build on. Because it’s being developed with early access, they have the time to refine things like the user interface and controls, and also add more content, such as new factions and interactive elements on the world map.

Rating: 4.5/5

Pros Cons
Deeply satisfying gameplay loop. Clunky UI and controls.
Combat is strategic with many layered elements. Limited faction diversity and missing classics.
Nostalgic but offers something new.
Highly replayable thanks to its variety.

The Perfect Blend of Strategy

Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era truly captures the essence of what made the original series so successful. The core gameplay – exploring the world, developing your towns, and fighting turn-based battles – feels fantastic, better than it has in years. The game consistently presents you with meaningful choices, like which areas to investigate or when to attack. Do you focus on building a stronger army, improving your economy, or upgrading your laws? Every move feels important, which is exactly what I look for in a strategy game, especially one aiming to recreate the magic of Heroes of Might & Magic III.

The battles in Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era are a major highlight. They’re quick and exciting, but still require strategic thinking about unit placement, special abilities, how your units work together, and spellcasting. The ‘Focus’ system is a great feature, making heroes more powerful and your army composition more important. I especially enjoyed how useful heroes were in combat – their stats, spells, and skills often turned the tide of battle and led me to victory.

Discovering new things is just as crucial and satisfying as achieving victory. In the early stages of the game, building a strong army is key, and you’ll need to collect resources near your castle to do so. This usually involves fighting neutral forces or attacking protected buildings. I often found myself weighing the risk of losing soldiers in battle against the long-term benefit of a larger army. This pressure, combined with the constant threat of enemy heroes attacking unexpectedly, created a really exciting and engaging experience that kept me playing for hours.

All the planning and choices you make really matter when you’re building and improving your city. The game series has changed how this works over time, but this latest version feels just right. It takes the best parts from older games, and I especially like the new Law system. It lets you get both short-term and long-term benefits – like boosting your hero, creating more troops, or getting extra resources. The Law system often gave me exactly what I needed to defend against opponents and their armies.

A Clear Love Letter to Heroes of Might & Magic III

As a huge fan of Heroes of Might & Magic III, I couldn’t help but notice how much Olden Era reminded me of it! The inspiration is clear in everything from how you explore the world to how battles play out. They even included a really cool nod to Heroes in the single-player campaign, letting you play as Gunnar, a Minotaur Overlord! But it’s not just a rehash. Olden Era manages to capture what made Heroes so great while still feeling fresh and original. They’ve taken those familiar gameplay elements, added some exciting new features and a completely new look, and the result is fantastic.

As a long-time fan, this game feels really good. It’s built on the town management, unit recruitment, and hero development that I loved in the older games, so it’s super easy to pick up. But it doesn’t feel like a rehash; it feels like a natural step forward, a return to the core of what made Heroes of Might & Magic III great without straying too far like some other attempts. It really feels like they took everything that was awesome about Heroes of Might & Magic III and updated it for today. Honestly, it’s like a massive, incredible mod for the classic game. Every time I start it up, I’m flooded with nostalgia – it takes me right back to being a kid, playing Heroes of Might & Magic III with my brother on my grandfather’s old computer.

The game’s factions are designed to support diverse gameplay. There are six factions in Olden Era, each with its own unique units and strategies. While some, like Temple and Grove, will be familiar to returning players, the new Hive faction stands out as the story’s primary enemy. I really enjoyed experimenting with different approaches, building both fast-paced, close-combat armies and more strategic forces focused on magic and ranged attacks. This variety is key, and the game delivers it well. What’s particularly impressive is the depth within each faction – hero customization and different unit upgrade options mean you can play a faction in many different ways.

Olden Era Has Room to Grow With Some Noticeable Issues

While Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era is built on a solid base, it does have a few small issues. The biggest problem right now is the user interface and how you control things. Sometimes, it feels awkward to move through menus or manage your troops. Simple tasks can take longer than they should, which breaks up the gameplay. I also ran into situations where I tried to do things the way I’m used to from Heroes of Might & Magic III, but they didn’t work quite the same.

The game could benefit from more varied factions. While the current ones are well-made, some feel too alike in how they play. For example, both Dungeon and Schism use Dark Elves, though they do so in different ways. I’d like to see each faction have more unique abilities and characteristics to make them stand out. Also, it’s a bit disappointing to not see some older, popular factions like Stronghold and Tower, though hopefully they’ll be added in future updates.

Overall, releasing the game in early access is a good thing. There’s plenty of potential to add more content – like new groups, a better user interface, and more ways to interact with the game world. I’m genuinely hopeful about where this series is headed, which hasn’t been the case for a while. The game’s basic structure is already strong, so future updates can improve it without having to fix major flaws, a common problem with many games these days.

Even though I was initially unsure, Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era feels fantastic. It perfectly captures the spirit of the original games while also offering room for improvement. If the developers keep working on it, this could be the game that restores the franchise to its former glory. Everything I hoped for in a new Heroes of Might & Magic game is here – the battles, exploring the world, building armies, and the story – and I’m thrilled that the current problems are relatively small. Fans of the series definitely shouldn’t miss this one. While it might not surpass Heroes of Might & Magic III, it’s clearly aiming to do just that.

The PC game Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era comes out on April 30th. We received a Steam code from the publisher to review the game.

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2026-04-28 17:26