14 DAY TRIAL // 
I believe a review of Heroes of Might & Magic III doesn’t need a fancy intro because the game speaks for itself, and 16 years after its release, many still consider it the best turn-based strategy game.
However, since Ubisoft decided to wipe the dust off the best game in the franchise, I’ve decided to give it a go myself and see if it’s worth getting the new version even though many of us already own the old one which is DRM free.
First of all, I feel obligated to emphasize on the DRM aspect of the game. Heroes of Might & Magic III HD Edition does not require Uplay account in order to play. Also, you can play offline if you want even if you purchase it through Steam.
I’m saying that because this was one of the most important aspects for Heroes of Might & Magic fans, the ability to play offline, and sadly, that’s not an option for the last installment in the series.
Since it’s “remakes” season for lots of publishers and developers, it’s important to find those games that have been improved for real, not just polished a bit and put on sale for not so low prices.
Heroes of Might & Magic III HD Edition has been in development at DotEmu, a studio known for other remakes and mobile games. I was very curious to see what improvements DotEmu implemented and whether or not it might be worth the price.
“It turns out that the updated graphics Ubisoft bragged about when the HD Edition was announced are very real in the game.”
Heroes of Might & Magic III HD Edition supports 1920x1080p (full HD) resolution in full screen, but there are a dozen other resolutions supported (in full screen), including 1768x992p, 1650x1050p, 1600x1024p, 1600x900p and many more.
When you launch the game, you're presented with a small window where you can select the desired resolution, but you can also access the Map Editor that comes with HOMM III, as well as the manual (PDF).
As Ubisoft confirmed in the initial announcement, Heroes of Might & Magic III HD Edition does not contain the two expansions available for the original game: Armageddon's Blade and The Shadow of Death.
According to the French publisher, the source code for these two expansions was lost by New World Computing, so that's the reason they haven't been able to include them in the HD version as well.
This means that you'll basically be playing just The Restoration of Erathia, which contains 7 campaign scenarios and approximately 50 skirmish maps. On top of that, the game features hotseat and online multiplayer, which is a big plus.
Now I'm not sure, but Heroes of Might & Magic III HD Edition will be launched on tablets as well, and I wouldn't be surprised if Ubisoft added cross-platform multiplayer.
But the PC version features full Steamworks support, which is something that Ubisoft rarely does with one of its games (I only know of Call of Juarez: Gunslinger).
Apart from the improved in-game graphics, DotEmu updated the cutscene as well. There's quite a big difference between the ones in the HD edition and those in the original game.
Gameplay-wise, there's absolutely no difference between the two games and I personally prefer it that way. I believe Ubisoft was smart enough not to touch an already winning formula, so those who have played the game before should expect the same from the HD Edition, only with better graphics.
I'm pretty sure that we can all agree that Heroes of Might & Magic III HD Edition is a very, very good game with huge replayability. I myself own the DRM free version, which includes both expansions as well, and many fans of the strategy genre probably have it, too.
So why should you buy this HD Edition? Unfortunately, there are many answers to this question. You should definitely not buy the new version of the game if you don't care about graphics, unless you really want to support Ubisoft and DotEmu.
On the other hand, if you’ve dreamed all your life to be able to run Heroes of Might & Magic III on full HD without scaling the graphics, then you might want to take the HD Edition into consideration.
I agree that you can install mods to make HOMM III look better and add widescreen support, but I'm not sure the results will be the same. Ultimately, it's your choice whether or not you think it's worth spending €14.99 on the HD Edition.
My opinion is that Heroes of Might & Magic III HD is worth the money if you don't already own the complete version. It's also totally worth it for those who want the game to look nicer without having to install any mods.
The Good
- Addictive gameplay formula
- Cult game
- Solid AI
- Steamworks support
- Online multiplayer
- Updated HD graphics with widescreen support
The Bad
- Lack of expansions
- Expensive for Complete Edition owners
Conclusion
I'm aware that some of the latest HOMM games are nowhere near what the third game in the series is, and I absolutely agree that that is Ubisoft's fault.
But reviving one of the best games launched more than 15 years ago will never be a bad move, in my opinion, if the improvements are visible and worth the money.
Heroes of Might & Magic III has aged unexpectedly well, and the release of the HD Edition should breathe new life into a franchise that hasn't received favorable reviews in quite a long time.
I do like Heroes of Might & Magic III HD Edition because I like the original as well. However, I like the HD Edition more because it looks better. The only thing I'm sad about is the lack of the other two expansions included in the Complete version.
