Dark Messiah of Might and Magic

 PC
User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1235 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,048 out of 1235
  2. Mixed: 118 out of 1235
  3. Negative: 69 out of 1235
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  1. The_D4RknesS
    Apr 26, 2023
    8
    I only give this game an 8 because of the loading that takes a long time If it wasn't 10, other than that the game has great combat and physics of the environments, and for nothing it was produced in the same engine as half life 2
  2. greenbeard
    Apr 1, 2023
    10
    Please remake. Play this game in 2006 and again 2 more times. 10/10 for 2006 standards.
  3. Nick7000
    Mar 9, 2023
    9
    Это прям секс, а не игра. Великолепная работа, проделанная в те времена, когда Юбисофт еще понимали, что делают. Не перестану ей восхищаться.
  4. DarkRebo
    Feb 6, 2023
    9
    It's 2023, I played this game for the first time, it's just great, I couldn't tear myself away from the screen. It's way better than those new games.
  5. farrrullll
    Jan 27, 2023
    8
    Dark Messiah Dark Messiah Dark Messiah Dark Messiah Dark Messiah Dark Messiah
  6. LT_Gruber
    Jan 10, 2023
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Very hard but amazing game with a lot of realism.

    Dark Messiah of Might and Magic is a unique experience. It shares story and characters from the Heroes of Might and Magic series but is a completely standalone game with a surprisingly good story, solid mechanics and an unforgiving difficulty.

    In Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, you are an apprentice called Sarteh, trained by a master magician named Phenrig, trained in the arts of combat and magic. You complete your training and need to go to an expedition to the city of Stonehelm. Your master plants a spirit inside your head named Xana, who guides you on your travels.

    You need to search for the Skull of Shadows, an artifact that your master Phenrig and his buddy Menelag, lord of Stonhelm want you find. You eventually meet Leanna, a chick that helps you on your journey.

    You learn that Xana is actually a demon that possesses you and besides finding and destroying Arantir, you need to banish her from your system, what you eventually do. Then you take the fight to Arantir, getting hindered by Orcs, Goblins and a Pao Kai in the process. You dispose of the Orc war chief and start your battle with Arantir. After defeating him, you decide the final fate of the Skull of Shadows, spawning one of the four different endings the game offers.

    You can earn skill points in combat to improve your skill tree. There is no bound class for you to master so you are free to spend your points however you want. However, you need to think about the feats and skills you want to master because “a little bit of everything” is not going to work out for this game.

    For the time, I thought (and still think) that Dark Messiah of Might and Magic is one of the best-looking games out there. I was stunned by its realistic graphics, its animations, the view bobbing of the main characters, the fact that you could see your own feet and limbs and the incredible detail of the environments. Even today, this game looks like it is just four years old or something, but it is actually almost thirteen years. The enemies look horrifying and very detailed, and the overall tint is colorful but very grim at the same time. A unique combination.

    The music has that typical Heroes of Might and Magic vibe and never fails to impress when in combat, running away from hordes of zombies or when fighting epic bosses. The sound effects are solid, and this is one of the games in my personal top ten when it comes to sound. The *kling* sound of the swords, the impact of your kicks, the footsteps, the magic attacks, the sounds and speech of enemies, it is all just perfect.

    The controls work fine but because of the realism this game offers in movement and platforming, it can be a little stiff and clunky sometimes. Jumps need to be perfect, and your range is limited. It takes some time to master but when you do, it could just as well be a VR game.

    The combat mechanics and style of fighting in Dark Messiah of Might and Magic is also really unique and still one of the most realistic feeling out there. You can block, dodge, kick and really need to get control of the situation. Mainly because of the outstanding AI that enemies use, in which they can outsmart you easily, drive you into a corner or simply land a hit on you before you got time to figure out what they are going to do. You can also interact with the environment, kicking enemies in spikes for example or smashing them off ledges. It feels so epic and satisfying when you nail an Orc to the spike wall behind him and overall, I think it is perfection. The enemies are almost human players in their actions and behavior and to this day, I believe it is one of the best and most realistic combat experiences I have ever played.

    The realism in combat, movement and platforming makes this game also really, really hard. The whole game has a vibe of danger, helplessness and caution over it. You cannot rush towards your goal and hope for the best, every step can be a trap, an enemy lurking around the corner or a jump that you need to plan carefully. I also thought this game had a very grim atmosphere. Your character Sareth is really cautious and overall, not that positive about the events around him and because this is one of the few games that let you bond automatically with the fate of the main character, you can feel his questions and cautious behavior too. It is a little hard to explain.

    In conclusion, I thought Dark Messiah of Might and Magic was an amazing game that came out of the blue and it still a unique specimen in the Might and Magic series and games in general. It is hard as the seventh layer of hell but well worth it in the end.

    Definitely recommend this awesome game.    … Expand
  7. hileger
    Dec 3, 2022
    8
    блять обожаю эту игру ,Arkane Studios столько лет классно делает игры а вы пидоры не цените дальше аебашьте в соевую фифу и колду
  8. KolesAdlerov
    Dec 3, 2022
    9
    A Thief-inspired M&M sandbox with legs and kicks! Must play!

    Gameplay:
    combat mechanics 10/10
    stealth (with powers) 8/10
    atmosphere (House of Ashes and some of crypts only) 7/10
    Gameplay as RPG & im.sim: 8/10

    Story 6/10

    Graphics [best first-person ever made] 9/10

    Sounds & music 7/10
    [good RU localization]

    .
    The second best gameplay on Source after Black-Mesa.
  9. Oshiri_Maeda
    Nov 13, 2022
    9
    Good old game, replayed in 2022 and it still kicks azz! It's not perfect, but luckily the game is only 10 hours long, so you don't get bored of kicks and frozen floor :D
  10. wintermute010
    Feb 20, 2022
    10
    Играл в детстве, недавно перепрошел, одна из лучших игр в истории. Очень нравится изучать этот мир, много интересных механик. Очень хочу ремейк данной игры
  11. marcinek74
    Feb 8, 2022
    10
    Nie wiem ile razy oglądałem filmiki z eliminacji przeciwników przed premierą i nie wiem ile razy przechodziłem tę grę. Dużo, dużo razy. Walka bardzo satysfakcjonująca i przez mozłiwość rozwoju postaci na wiele sposobów można przy niej spedzić wiele godzin.
    Rewelacyjny klimat i wielka szkoda, ze valve (source engine) odmówił wydania gry i ta trafiła w końcu do Ubisoft gdzie została    Nie wiem ile razy oglądałem filmiki z eliminacji przeciwników przed premierą i nie wiem ile razy przechodziłem tę grę. Dużo, dużo razy. Walka bardzo satysfakcjonująca i przez mozłiwość rozwoju postaci na wiele sposobów można przy niej spedzić wiele godzin.
    Rewelacyjny klimat i wielka szkoda, ze valve (source engine) odmówił wydania gry i ta trafiła w końcu do Ubisoft gdzie została zamordowana i zapomniana.
    Ze Steamem gra mogłąby uzyskac wiele świetnych modyfikacji i w końcu kontyuację lub inne historie stworzone na podobieństwo.
    To ciagle moja ulubiona gra.    … Expand
  12. gotterpotter56
    Feb 4, 2022
    8
    Всю игру вытягивает офигенный геймплей, в игре тонны способов убивать противников. А сама игра, даже сейчас играется приятно.
  13. FRIST_008
    Jan 2, 2022
    9
    Неожиданно это очень крутая игра, в которую надо играть вам даже прямо сейчас. Это что-то крове скайрима, но линейного. А физика тут в разы лучше. Комбинации заклинаний и ближнего боя поражает. Вы геймплейно и сюжетно будете рекомендовать эту игру всем, если попробуете. Не проходите мимо если вы помните крутые физическо логические головоломки второго халфлайфа и вам хочется больше всегоНеожиданно это очень крутая игра, в которую надо играть вам даже прямо сейчас. Это что-то крове скайрима, но линейного. А физика тут в разы лучше. Комбинации заклинаний и ближнего боя поражает. Вы геймплейно и сюжетно будете рекомендовать эту игру всем, если попробуете. Не проходите мимо если вы помните крутые физическо логические головоломки второго халфлайфа и вам хочется больше всего такого с таким же духом, но в жанре фентези.… Expand
  14. MEXTER
    Jun 6, 2021
    9
    This game was the best of its kind single Player was great but then multi took me more hundreds of hours. IMO this game had better potential than Cs to become worldwide e-sport gamę but developers didnt catch the ammount of interest in this game and stopped supporting it
  15. Barry180
    Apr 17, 2021
    10
    Sareth, Xana, Arantir, Leanna, ~Leanna's uncle~, teacher Phenrig of course and flying orcs (almost like Pao kai) – thank you all for my happy childhood! Love y’all so much already 14+ years❣
  16. maXXXon4ikoff
    Dec 29, 2020
    10
    Да возможно иногда локации супер душные, но сама игра офигенна, сюжет интригующий до самого конца
  17. Wave0Cloud
    Dec 16, 2020
    10
    Incredibly funny game which involves diffrent playstyles and simple mechanics which make the ragdolls and absolute joy to use and play with. Including a decent stroyline which sets you across diffrent levels out of which most levels include enough to play around with and secrets and other smaller things which make moving around the area also show you interesting things besides the awesome combat
  18. kruci
    Dec 12, 2020
    10
    Za swoich czasów motyw fizyki i pułapek dawał ogrom frajdy. Przechodziłem na wiele sposobów i pamiętam jaką radość mi sprawiała.
  19. MatikTheSeventh
    Oct 10, 2020
    8
    The game is essentially a medieval Half Life 2. There's a ton of physics experiments, and the combat feels great for a PC game. Graphics may be a little dated now, but it's still a great gaming experience.
  20. a_void
    Jul 29, 2020
    9
    Immersive first person fantasy game that I can't get enough of. Somehow modern fantasy games feel inferior compared to Dark Messiah.
  21. ANAN31
    Jan 4, 2020
    10
    It Is literally better than skyrim, it has a good story, and the combat is just OMG awesome. Play it
  22. Franccastell
    Oct 28, 2019
    10
    A mecânica das cordas realmente conseguiu ser algo inovador, te instiga a explorar e da uma sensação muito boa quando você consegue chegar a onde quer chegar, e acredite, você consegue chegar a quase todo lugar que você imaginar.

    Combate é simplificado (não muito, ainda é necessário estratégia) mas muito satisfatório. A história é interessante e te motiva a não parar de jogar. É cheio    A mecânica das cordas realmente conseguiu ser algo inovador, te instiga a explorar e da uma sensação muito boa quando você consegue chegar a onde quer chegar, e acredite, você consegue chegar a quase todo lugar que você imaginar.

    Combate é simplificado (não muito, ainda é necessário estratégia) mas muito satisfatório.

    A história é interessante e te motiva a não parar de jogar.

    É cheio de surpresas e BossBattle grandiosas, mas ainda é um dungeoncrawler, não é mundo aberto e não senti falta disso.

    Recomendo.    … Expand
  23. BulgarianCritic
    Aug 10, 2019
    10
    Probably one of the best games of its time created by one of the greatest studios ever.The gameplay is really fun the story is amazing and the sword fighting was one of its kind back then.Definetely a must play to everyone
  24. JaydenPickens
    Feb 20, 2019
    8
    Replayed this game after 10 years in january 2019 and it was just as I remembered it. Fun and funny. The combat system is great, magic is great, story is ok, I guess anyone can figure out what will happen even at the beginning. The only thing that sucks in this game is archery. Don't use it. It's completely worthless, they could at least make it stronger, so it'd be useful, but nope.Replayed this game after 10 years in january 2019 and it was just as I remembered it. Fun and funny. The combat system is great, magic is great, story is ok, I guess anyone can figure out what will happen even at the beginning. The only thing that sucks in this game is archery. Don't use it. It's completely worthless, they could at least make it stronger, so it'd be useful, but nope. Better stick with magic and swords. Great game, that I'll replay again in the next 10 years. Pickens approves!… Expand
  25. ElCucuy
    Jan 9, 2019
    10
    Best 3d fighting to the swords of all time. Since then this company has unfortunately never released anything like it
  26. mtom78632
    May 22, 2018
    9
    Have you ever thought about publishing an e-book or guest authoring on other websites? I have a blog based on the same subjects you discuss and would really like to have you share some stories/information. I know my viewers would value your work. If you are even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an e mail. facebook
  27. night4
    Feb 18, 2018
    8
    This game is a little short, but dayumn is it FUN. Which is what really matters, right?

    Considering you can get it for a very reasonable price now, I'd say "why not give it a shot?"
  28. iddqd4
    Jan 22, 2018
    8
    Качественно реализованное сражение и каст магии от первого лица, в жанре экшен. Тысяча способов убийства орков и не только. Отличная задумка, и хорошее исполнение.
  29. RagingPoet
    Nov 2, 2017
    9
    Amazing first person slasher(which is already a very rare gem) set in the darker version of Might and Magic universe. I finished Dark Messiah once for each character class and regret nothing.
  30. TheN7pilot
    Mar 26, 2017
    10
    It´s predecessor of Dishonored, very good game with stealth, archery, swords, magic and other useful and not so useful stuff. Buy it you won´t regret it.
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Awards & Rankings

91
#91 Best PC Game of 2006
4
#4 Most Discussed PC Game of 2006
17
#17 Most Shared PC Game of 2006

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 44 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 44
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 44
  3. Negative: 2 out of 44
  1. PC Gamer UK
    88
    There's really nothing that can match Dark Messiah's combat. The mixture of weaponry and convincingly cause-and-effect physics really does take first-person fighting to new places. [Nov 2006, p.62]
  2. PC Zone UK
    84
    If the game suffers, it's from over-explanation, the occasional lapse in the combat, and the repetitive nature of the environmental weaponry. But I was kept entertained all the way through, and I've never felt so directy responsible for chopping off a goblin's arm. [Dec 2006, p.70]
    Read full review
  3. PC Format
    88
    An outstanding experience. It manages to create a constant sense of threat, includes some stunning set-pieces, and introduces a cast of breathtaking beasts, all within a combat system that is one of the most versatile and violent we have ever seen. [Dec 2006, p.98]
See all critic reviews »