The Heroes of Might and Magic series, popular off-shoot of the Might and Magic games, has been an enduring classic in PC gamers’ libraries for many years. Many consider the third entry, HoMM 3, to be the definitive game in the series. Though I loved that game from the first time I played it, I've had a soft spot for its predecessor, (Heroes of Might and Magic 2) since being introduced to it by a friend. Maybe it’s the entrancing soundtrack, the addictive gameplay, or the nostalgia-educing graphics - but whatever its secret is, this game is truly magical, in more ways than one.
The first game in the series was first released in 1995, and told the tale of Lord Ironfist, who fled to Enroth from his home and was forced into a life-or-death battle against three opponents vying for the kingdom’s throne. Eventually he won the ensuing war - this ending is canonical, but in the game you can also lead one of his opponents to victory as well.
I have never played the original HoMM, though I have a copy on my hard drive. I’m sure that the basis for the wonderful series it would become was there, but surely Heroes 2 was the game which solidified it as the turn-based strategy series of choice.
The sequel sees Lord Ironfist’s two sons, Archibald (the dastardly villain) and Roland (the valiant hero) fighting for his throne after his death. You choose who you ally yourself with at the start of the game, becoming that successor’s general, but you can switch sides at a pivotal point in the game, which makes the ensuing scenario much easier and earns you a satisfying letter, if you choose to betray someone.
The main bulk of the game is split into three different forms of play – gathering troops and fighting battles, finding resource mines and making them yours, and building up your city to get better troops, better defenses, spells etc. All three are interconnected, and none of them can be ignored if you hope to succeed in your given mission.
Interestingly enough, the original version of Heroes 2 had several key differences from the Gold edition, chief among them the completely different soundtrack. Many people really love the original soundtrack, but for me Heroes 2 will always have the recorded operatic vocals and soaring melodies introduced in the Gold edition, some of which would go on to recur in Heroes 3.
There are three musical options – for me, the third, CD audio with operatic vocals, is always the option of choice. How could anyone not want to hear the stunning vocal performances backed by such beautiful music?
Once the game is up and running, you’ll be captivated by it. The gameplay is a mix of traditional city-building and resource-scavenging strategy, but the battles are turn-based and resemble an RPG. And along with the battles, the entire game is turn-based – you take one turn, and your opponent, either AI or human, takes another – and so on.
Furthermore, there are multiplayer options, both in the hot seat (with two or more friends taking turns on one PC) or various online options – though such an old game might not have many online opponents to challenge at this point.
In the single player campaigns, the game can get tough fast – around the 5th or 6th mission, if you’re not well-versed in the genre or the series, you’re probably in trouble. But for veteran players the challenge is welcome, and adds another dimension to the experience.
I personally don’t play the game for the challenge – I play it for the general atmosphere and ambience. The music, cutscene dialog, and graphics all add to the experience, and I guarantee you that, no matter how many times you get stuck in a particular mission or campaign, you’ll want to keep playing.
It’s a testament to the replay value of this game that I have never played the expansion, and replayed the base campaign extensively. Unfortunately, I have yet to beat it, but beating the campaign is secondary in a game like this – and indeed, there are so many additional individual maps that you can simply choose to peruse through them without touching the campaigns. Furthermore, if you get tired of that, there’s a custom map designer to fool around with.
But arguably the campaigns are the way to go if you want there to be a story to match the gameplay - and even though it’s mostly told through preliminary cutscenes before each mission, and text in-game, the writing is quite enjoyable, especially when you happen across something on the map that tells a quick tale of the resulting action.
Though the other scenarios have an introduction of sorts, for more motivation to continue each mission, the campaign provides all you need. Each cutscene prior to the following mission has detailed scenery and a voice-over from either Archibald or Roland. The backgrounds in these cutscenes and the musical theme (either evil Archibald’s or beatific Roland’s) add to the enjoyment of these brief, but well-written scenes. And of course, when you’re given the choice to stay loyal to one of the brothers or stab him in the back, the ensuing cutscene is all the more fun to watch.
The game revolves around a number of factions, one of which will always be your own for the given scenario or mission. The factions from HoMM 1, Knight, Barbarian, Soldier and Warlock, return, with two new factions introduced for the first time (which go on to endure throughout the series): Wizards and Necromancers, which are both potent spellcasters.
The Necromancers have the added advantage of resurrecting fallen enemy troops post-battle as skeletons, which is always of use if you encounter hordes of peasants, who are the weakest troops in the game. A percentage of the resurrected enemies are then transformed into much stronger troops, which can quickly build up a dwindling army, if your Necromancy skill has been mastered.
For this reason Necromancers are quite useful, and their towns have very useful spells such as Chain Lightning in the Mage Guild. But the drawback in the Necromancer’s castles is expensive troops and building upgrades – upgrades which are critical if you hoped to defeat your opponents, human or otherwise.
Often, due to the random skill choices you're given upon leveling up your heroes, the AIs are more than your match in a number of ways. Their attack, defense and magic skills are generally superior, and though they waste time on extraneous details on the maps, if they smell blood, you're all but done for.
If you're near a powerful enemy hero and are low on forces yourself, or haven't leveled up vital skills, you're done for. If you reach a castle in time, your chances are better, but it still may be too late.
In the castle, the opposing hero will likely attack if you can't build up your army first – though if you have enough fortifications, automated archers can deal heavy damage, and non-flying forces can’t breach the walls before the enemy catapult has done enough damage.
One chief strategy one of my friends (a HoMM veteran) introduced me to, was to build up one character only, and ferry troops from castle to main hero with less powerful heroes. This can be a good strategy, but leaves castles and your other heroes open to attack.
If weaker heroes have a half-decent army, they can usually escape from battle, and be re-purchased sans army, but with level intact and still retaining the artifacts they have collected (which add to skills, etc). This is a useful tactic, but if you’re low on funds, it may be costly, and those heroes will disappear from your towns the following week.
Furthermore, in some campaign missions, stronger high-level heroes will be available right off the bat if you meet certain requirements, and sometimes free troops will be hidden among the maps.
Speaking of levels, there are plentiful treasure chests hidden on the map and sometimes guarded by enemies, which will give you the choice of either experience or gold. The general rule is to decide what is more useful at the given point in the scenario, but if you have the opportunity to get a lot of experience, it is usually the best choice – leveling up your heroes is arguably more important than getting gold, even for troops and building up your castles.
Full of many diverse, intriguing facets, strategic planning, and enjoyment, HoMM 2 can’t, by any stretch of the imagination, be deemed anything less than a classic and an enduring experience.
If you have played the game, give it another spin for old time’s sake. If you are new to the game and even the series in general, I highly recommend it for the hours of fun it will provide. But whatever your experience with strategy games, if you’re hoping to enjoy a solid PC gaming experience for an affordable price, this is the way to go (if you can find a used copy online or somewhere else). I hope you love this game as much as I have, and remember – keep on playing.
VinnyThunder
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