Might & Magic Heroes VI

Renowned Might & Magic Heroes VI, probably to stick to the renewal of identity of Might and Magic saga, the latest in the series Heroes has entered into closed beta this is a little over a week. The opportunity for us to ask our new hairy legs and impatient on bound album eagerly awaited by fans, especially after a last-minute postponement of the game's release will be postponed from June to September. A delay painful but ultimately necessary, as shown in this trial run of a promising title, however, still need a little bit of polish ...




This hack of Might & Magic

Pushed for the common good: this is how we can summarize the situation in this sixth installment in the legendary saga Heroes of Might and Magic, since as much as feared by the fans after fifth album that is sometimes controversial. In each chapter his little controversy, we must believe. The sixth component appears at least on track to bring everyone together with its focus clearly intended to reassure fans of the first hour, despite some innovations scattered here and there. We must justify the "6" title, and thus bring to the antediluvian breath new series intended to bring together former players as well as novices.

Since the launch of beta, the game also seems to have an element of modernity with the "Conflux" Unified Profile earning experience points over the games played (for fashion), integration of Skype, chat, widgets for its interface, we played Heroes VI Web 2.0 - do not miss more than social networks, and the picture will be complete. This experience provides some very welcome changes, it must be admitted, which should make it more flexible parts online, even if the multi was absent from this beta.

A map playable HotSeat will reassure us, however, not only in the presence of this mode of play, but also on non-campaign scenarios playable, one of the major flaws of Heroes V when it was launched. The availability of a level editor was more or less confirmed, hopefully on the right side longevity. If this beta reassuring on another point is that the fundamentals, which are all present. We thus find our little hero and his nag trotted very cute on cards, the game is not stingy with pretty colors and animations, which give the set a leg engaging and a real personality.

Involved, we appreciate the opportunity to create shortcuts to any window of the interface - or from his book of spells - in an action bar ideal for quick access to specific menu. Although still a little aliased, the graphics of Heroes VI benefit from a careful art direction that really brings the game of his ancestors, episodes II and III in particular. The combat animations are pretty successful, and the whole is very charming, with particular care given to sound effects. If the score is pleasant but innocuous enough - at least in what is being proposed here - a few remixes of old songs, however, will cry with joy and nostalgia.

Back to Basics?

In terms of gameplay anyway, because that's what interests us above all the veterans who have dragged their hooves on the previous games will feel at home one second out of two or three small changes. There are the holy trinity exploration / management / fighting, even if the resources are no longer collecting four: sulfur, mercury and the gems are gone. The Fort, that is to say the central city of heroes, where buildings are built producing creatures that take into battle, now has an area of ​​influence to protect the mines and production sites around. As long as the Fort is not captured by an opponent, the resources are related to the character, unless an opponent or his creatures are positioned permanently in the mine. No more campaigns asphyxiation where you slowly suffocating the opponent by cutting off resources.

Another widely put forward in previous previews, the reputation system divided into two separate (Dragon Blood and Dragon Tears) which could be crudely schematized in Good and Evil, even if there will be no such thing as "good" way to go. In fact, it is to specialize even more the hero at the mercy of a skill tree to unlock additional powers, if one sticks to one or other of these schools or classes unpublished.


There are of course the system artifacts and magic of the previous games, with a character sheet that has also expanded, even if only because all of the skills is available to all heroes, no good or wrong choice. Bonuses are the same race there. He is not sure it gains in clarity, with tooltips chouilla a small and not always obvious explanation (the magic system is pretty abstruse exmeple). To see the long term. The replay value in any case looks pretty good, despite the low number of factions available, since no official count five: humans (Le Havre), Orcs (Bastion), demons (Inferno), the essential necromancers (Necropolis), and finally new kids, the naga (Sanctuary).

The beta and the piece of single-player campaign can also try their hand at these new creatures for inspiration very Asian - male sharks, reef creatures, dragons and sea serpents ... The opportunity also to see in action the combat system, cornerstone of Heroes saw the time to see small creatures paste fill-Snitches. In addition to the traditional system of movements, attacks and reprisals, we discover a unique power that loads as and when the confrontation, a little on the model of Clash of Heroes, which complements the book lots of heroes, or special abilities of creatures.

Hope, hope ...

They are particularly well off, with healing spells, Resurrection, and various powers blockers or offensive, let alone their passive skills. A panel that comes pleasantly power battles and makes the order of action of creatures, always influenced by the moral and leadership capacity of his hero, even more important. The fights are connected without weariness, and this reassures beta on both the quality of what is already in place and the potential of the game at its output.

Remain, however, some large portions of content to explore, including the multi, and also questions. The interface is not always super clear, particularly for the management of cities and buildings, and the game is about the state enough to bugs and crashes of all kinds, sometimes at the most innocuous actions. Hopefully the team will build on both the player feedback and their remaining weeks to polish the game up, but this new contact in any case leaves us very impatient to test the final version ...