Heroes of Might & Magic
Might & Magic Heroes (formerly Heroes of Might and Magic) is a series of video games originally created and developed by Jon Van Caneghem through New World Computing. As part of the Might and Magic franchise, the series changed ownership when NWC was acquired by 3DO and again when 3DO closed down and sold the rights to Ubisoft. The games feature turn-based, fantasy-themed conflicts in which players control armies of mythical creatures. The series began in 1995 with the release of the first title. A seventh installment, Might & Magic Heroes VII, was released on September 29, 2015.
| Heroes of Might and Magic | |
|---|---|
| Logo for the Heroes of Might and Magic series | |
| Genre(s) | Turn-based strategy |
| Developer(s) | New World Computing(1995-2003)
Nival Interactive (for Heroes V) Black Hole Entertainment (for Heroes VI) Limbic Entertainment(for Heroes VI and VII) Virtuos (for Shades of Darkness) |
| Publisher(s) | New World Computing (1995-1996)
The 3DO Company(1996-2003) Ubisoft (2003-) |
| Creator(s) | Jon Van Caneghem |
| Platform(s) | DOS, Linux, Game Boy Color, Mac OS, Windows, RISC OS |
| First release | Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest1995 |
| Latest release | Might & Magic Heroes VII2015 |
| Spin-offs | Heroes ChroniclesKingdomsClash of HeroesDark Messiah of Might and Magic |
New World Computing closed after the production of Heroes of Might and Magic IV, and since then the rights to the franchise have been owned by Ubisoft. Nival Interactivedeveloped the first game in the series since the changeover, Heroes of Might and Magic V. Black Hole Entertainment developed its sequel Might & Magic Heroes VI, but Limbic Entertainment developed later patches and the DLC, as well as Might & Magic Heroes VII. Virtuos developed the Shades of Darknessstandalone expansion for Heroes VI.
The series is directed primarily at the DOS and Windows platforms, with sporadic support for Mac OS over the years. In addition to Windows and Mac platforms, Heroes II was ported to RISC OS and Heroes III was ported to Linux. GameTap has carried the first four games in the series since 2006. Remakeshave also appeared on the Game Boy Color.
Games
| 1990 | King's Bounty |
| 1991 | |
| 1992 | |
| 1993 | |
| 1994 | |
| 1995 | Heroes of Might and Magic I |
| 1996 | Heroes of Might and Magic II |
| 1997 | |
| 1998 | |
| 1999 | Heroes of Might and Magic III |
| 2000 | |
| 2001 | |
| 2002 | Heroes of Might and Magic IV |
| 2003 | |
| 2004 | |
| 2005 | |
| 2006 | Heroes of Might and Magic V |
| 2007 | |
| 2008 | |
| 2009 | |
| 2010 | |
| 2011 | Heroes of Might and Magic VI |
| 2012 | |
| 2013 | |
| 2014 | |
| 2015 | Heroes of Might and Magic VII |
Screenshot from Heroes of Might and Magic II
Screenshot from Heroes of Might and Magic V
King's Bounty (1990), an earlier game from New World Computing, largely precipitated the design of Heroes and is included in some Heroes anthologies. It was later remade and branded as a Heroes title for the PlayStation 2game, Quest for the Dragon Bone Staff. A sequel to King's Bounty was released in 2008 as King's Bounty: The Legend.
Main titles, expansions and adventure packs
- Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest (1995)
- Heroes of Might and Magic II (1996)
- The Price of Loyalty (1997)
- Heroes of Might and Magic III (1999)
- Armageddon's Blade (1999)
- The Shadow of Death (2000)
- Heroes of Might and Magic IV (2002)
- The Gathering Storm (2002)
- Winds of War (2003)
- Heroes of Might and Magic V (2006)
- Hammers of Fate (2006)
- Tribes of the East (2007)
- Heroes of Might & Magic VI (2011)
- Pirates of the Savage Sea Adventure(2012)
- Danse Macabre (2012)
- Shades of Darkness (2013)
- Might & Magic Heroes VII (2015)Might & Magic Heroes
- Trial by Fire (2016)
Spin-offs
- Heroes of Might and Magic (Game Boy Color, 2000)
- Heroes of Might and Magic II (Game Boy Color, 2000)
- Heroes Chronicles (2000)
- Heroes of Might and Magic: Quest for the Dragon Bone Staff (PlayStation 2, 2001)
- Heroes of Might and Magic Online (2008)
- Might and Magic: Heroes Kingdoms (2009)
- Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes (Nintendo DS, 2009; Xbox Live Arcade, 2011; PlayStation Network, 2011; PC, 2011)
- Might & Magic Clash of Heroes: DLC I Am the Boss (2011)
- Might & Magic Heroes: Era of Chaos (2017)
Anthologies and special editions
- Heroes of Might and Magic Compendium(1997), includes King's Bounty and first two Heroes games including expansion pack. Released by 3DO.
- Heroes of Might and Magic II Gold (1998), includes Heroes II and its expansion. Released by 3DO.
- Heroes of Might and Magic Millennium(1999), includes King's Bounty, Heroes I, Heroes II Gold and Heroes III, but no expansions to Heroes III. Released by 3DO, in a 3 CD-ROM disc set.
- Heroes of Might and Magic III: Complete(2000), a special edition that includes Heroes III and its expansions packs (all updated to latest versions) and a custom title screen. Released by 3DO.
- Heroes of Might and Magic Trilogy (2000), Heroes I, Heroes II and Heroes III, but no expansions to Heroes II nor Heroes III. Released in a joint venture by 3DO and Ubisoft, in a 3 CD-ROM disc set.
- Heroes of Might and Magic: Platinum Edition(2002), includes Heroes I, Heroes II Gold and Heroes III Complete. Released by 3DO, in a 4 CD-ROM disc set.
- Heroes of Might and Magic III+IV Complete(2002), includes Heroes III Complete and Heroes IV Complete. Released by Ubisoft, in a 1 DVD-ROM disc set.
- Heroes of Might and Magic IV Complete(2004), includes Heroes IV and all of its expansions. Released by Ubisoft.
- Heroes of Might and Magic V: Silver Edition(2006), includes Heroes V and the expansion pack Hammers of Fate.
- Heroes of Might and Magic V: Collector's Edition (2007), includes Heroes V and all of its expansion packs. It also includes three bonus DVDs including Storyline Trailers for the main game and its expansions, Developer Diaries, Heroes V Universe Album, Exclusive Monsters Test Videos, Fan-Made Heroes Game Encyclopedia and more. Released by Ubisoft.
- Might and Magic Heroes V: Epic Collection(2009), includes Heroes V and both of its expansion packs. Released by Encore Games.
- Heroes Pack (2009), includes Dark Messiahand Heroes V and its expansion packs. Available on Steam.
- Heroes of Might and Magic: Complete Edition (2008), includes the first five Heroesgames and their expansions. The included games are accompanied by extras and goodies, such as soundtracks DVDs, a faction booklet, a Heroes of Might and Magic V T-shirt or The Art of Might and Magic artbook. Released by Ubisoft.
- Might & Magic Heroes Collection (2011), includes all five Heroes games and their expansions. It was released by Mastertronic Games in a 4 disc set.
- Might & Magic Heroes VI: Limited Edition(2011), includes Heroes VI and Heroes IIIalong with one extra item (Staff of Asha) and hero (Kraal) for Heroes VI. Released by Ubisoft.
- Might & Magic Heroes VI: Deluxe Digital Edition (2011), includes a digital copy of Heroes VI, two .pdf documents (164-page concept art book and an A2 format double sided poster), the game's soundtrack and one month subscription on Heroes Kingdoms. Released by Ubisoft.
- Might and Magic Franchise Pack, (2012), includes Dark Messiah, Heroes V and its expansion packs, Clash of Heroes and its DLC, Heroes VI and its two adventure packs. Available on Steam.
- Might & Magic Heroes VI: Gold Edition(2012), includes Heroes VI and its two adventure packs. Released by Ubisoft.Might & Magic Heroes
- Might & Magic: Heroes VI: Complete Edition(2013), includes Heroes VI (version 1.5.1) and its standalone expansion pack and two adventure packs.