Heroes of Might and Magic V

 PC
  • Publisher: Ubisoft
  • Release Date: May 23, 2006
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 583 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 435 out of 583
  2. Mixed: 111 out of 583
  3. Negative: 37 out of 583
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  1. GolovA
    May 14, 2015
    7
    My finger itches to give this one a "6", but considering that i played many hours, and actually enjoyed the game - i am giving it a "7". So why am i being bad toward Heroes V if i played it and enjoyed it? Here is why:
    Heroes has now become a dead franchise which is not moving anywhere. With each reiteration, they either take something out, or return something old to the game, which    My finger itches to give this one a "6", but considering that i played many hours, and actually enjoyed the game - i am giving it a "7". So why am i being bad toward Heroes V if i played it and enjoyed it? Here is why:
    Heroes has now become a dead franchise which is not moving anywhere. With each reiteration, they either take something out, or return something old to the game, which they have taken out previously. The designers do not even try to improve the game, make it better, alter the story line, reinvent ancient approach to gaming.
    No innovation whatsoever. Instead, as fans of the series we are being fed the dying game in a new, visually altered package - same story, same leveling up mechanisms, same strategy, etc. Well, guess what, dev's, the old fans of the series are slowly turning away from this lack of commitment on your part to us - your target group, and the new fanship isn't flocking over to play a stagnated game.    … Expand
  2. Shaitan87
    Mar 2, 2013
    5
    There has been almost no innovation since 3, seems like 90% of the units are identical, even though this is 2 games farther on in the series. I don't think the developers actually understand their own game, it's extremely unbalanced and trivially easy. Stick to King's Bounty.
  3. Crowbarfetish
    Jan 26, 2012
    6
    The six is all sorts of hard SEXY points for gameplay. By "hard" and "sexy" I mean if you could not stop playing heroes 3, you will probably not stop playing this game. It is heroes 3 in 3d for the most part. The game play takes a step back from Heroes 4, gives you that good ol' heroes of might and magic army crawlin' resource gathering nonsense that we all love. The points it loses isThe six is all sorts of hard SEXY points for gameplay. By "hard" and "sexy" I mean if you could not stop playing heroes 3, you will probably not stop playing this game. It is heroes 3 in 3d for the most part. The game play takes a step back from Heroes 4, gives you that good ol' heroes of might and magic army crawlin' resource gathering nonsense that we all love. The points it loses is for style. Almost always I care more about game play but this time around everything heroes V has in substance it lacks in style. One of the things I loved about the earlier heroes games IV not excluded was the stupid little crap they threw in to flesh the world out. Remember collecting a campfire and having to click out of that annoying box that told the little story about you ransacking a bandit camp? Or how about going to the witches hut and hearing that she taught you a skill for her own inscrutable purpose? All of it gone. You collect an item, or walk across what is for all intents and purposes an in game event leaves you with a floating popup around your character telling you that you have +5 ore or +1 luck or -2 moral. No story, no reason, just a floaty fading number. I'm not eloquent or descriptive enough to give enough justice to how much this kills the atmosphere of a game. Watch a you tube video. The charm is gone, the art style looks like a turn based WoW. The music is still pretty and the game play is solid as hell. No heart though. I have no skills to make a game of any kind but I'll still bash ubisoft for sucking the life out of it. To be fare i have 106 hours logged on steam.… Expand
  4. Omegamon
    Jan 4, 2011
    7
    The good: Good graphics, good music, good gameplay. The bad: combat is a bit flat, it's easy to tell which side will win just by looking at the armies on both sides.
  5. juricasaravanja
    Oct 30, 2013
    7
    I am a huge fun of HoMM series. From the first one to the six. This one is very good, but after 4. campaign I gut stuck on the lust one. This was a something new for me. Too difficult to go through.
    I did not restart the last mission, I guess I got tired of it, and it is getting boring after a few days.
    So I never finish the game. :( It does not happens to me never before. So I guess it    I am a huge fun of HoMM series. From the first one to the six. This one is very good, but after 4. campaign I gut stuck on the lust one. This was a something new for me. Too difficult to go through.
    I did not restart the last mission, I guess I got tired of it, and it is getting boring after a few days.
    So I never finish the game. :(
    It does not happens to me never before. So I guess it has something in it that makes the game repulsive to me. But I can not say it is disappointing to me. On the contrary.    … Expand
  6. Colin_M
    Dec 19, 2011
    7
    A resounding "Meh". I started on hard difficulty and found everything to be pretty damn easy until the last mission of the first (Haven) campaign which was damn near impossible. The strategic elements end up being a little too repetitive, the combat doesn't have enough flexibility for any real strategy, it's just a "throw all my guys at your guys" war of attrition and there are perhaps tooA resounding "Meh". I started on hard difficulty and found everything to be pretty damn easy until the last mission of the first (Haven) campaign which was damn near impossible. The strategic elements end up being a little too repetitive, the combat doesn't have enough flexibility for any real strategy, it's just a "throw all my guys at your guys" war of attrition and there are perhaps too many little interactable elements on the map whose bonuses are not particularly helpful. I't worth the five bucks I paid for it on Impulse, but I don't know if I'm even going to finish the single-player campaigns.… Expand
  7. DonCanardo
    Feb 17, 2012
    5
    I tried to play this game but I can't. I don't know what's wrong really, but I just don't enjoy playing it. Maybe because Im a big fan of HOMM 2 & 3. I don't like the graphics. It's really messy, not harmonious, and broke the gameplay because it mess with your visibility. The game feels really "heavy". Even with a gaming computer, its not fluid. Musics aren't great. Races aren't have greatI tried to play this game but I can't. I don't know what's wrong really, but I just don't enjoy playing it. Maybe because Im a big fan of HOMM 2 & 3. I don't like the graphics. It's really messy, not harmonious, and broke the gameplay because it mess with your visibility. The game feels really "heavy". Even with a gaming computer, its not fluid. Musics aren't great. Races aren't have great identity. Castles are messy, there is too many useless buildings. 5 or 6 maps at the release and no editor, that was a pure joke!! (Thank god there is a map generator now). On the good side, there is a lot of content (skills, spells, artifacts, etc). The combat system is an improvement (initiative). Overall a big disappointment, the franchise just lost its magic and fantasy...… Expand
  8. D.Wills
    Jun 25, 2006
    5
    biggest problem no editor, needs a switch to turn off 3d after a half hour. the game is all right.
  9. RNagle
    Jun 25, 2006
    5
    So So describes Heroes 5 For starers the heroes don't look as good as their did in heroes 3, the fight sequences don't suit the game and to tell the truth after a week I'm bored with it. The campaign ideas are well thought out and thats the real thing only going for hreoes 5. So come on Ubisoft lift your game, if you can't maybe the 3DO should do heroes 6.
  10. HamboneM.
    Jun 5, 2006
    7
    A lot of promise, but even more rough edges. Could be worth an 8 or 9 after some patching to the AI, the GUI, and upon release of the toolset.
  11. KDep
    Jun 6, 2006
    5
    "Perfectly average" is my rating for this game. I've played all the other Heroes games, and I'm still undecided whether I like Heroes 3 or 4 better. That being said, Heroes 5 is a lot like 3, with virtually the same gameplay and mechanics, and very little new material. Just more of the same stuff I've seen before, but now in 3D. It feels more like Heroes 3: The Next "Perfectly average" is my rating for this game. I've played all the other Heroes games, and I'm still undecided whether I like Heroes 3 or 4 better. That being said, Heroes 5 is a lot like 3, with virtually the same gameplay and mechanics, and very little new material. Just more of the same stuff I've seen before, but now in 3D. It feels more like Heroes 3: The Next Generation, and has no level editor and fewer towns. Once I see a couple expansions and tools come my way, I'll upgrade my rating. But as it is, I can't like this game as much as I want to, I've simply seen it all before.… Expand
  12. Cz3rw0ny
    Apr 5, 2021
    7
    Lot's of fun, when playing this game in 2006 with friends in hot-seats mode.
  13. ZXSth
    Apr 9, 2023
    7
    An excellent game buried beneath some of the most disruptive technical issues I have ever experienced while playing a video game. While the technical issues could arguably be attributed to the hardware I was using (I played using an M1 Mac running Wineskin), I researched these issues before posting this review, and found that most of the following were relatively universal issues: AIAn excellent game buried beneath some of the most disruptive technical issues I have ever experienced while playing a video game. While the technical issues could arguably be attributed to the hardware I was using (I played using an M1 Mac running Wineskin), I researched these issues before posting this review, and found that most of the following were relatively universal issues: AI players take well over 1 minute to take their turn on larger maps; save files can become corrupted, resulting in entire games becoming unplayable; and the music will randomly switch quite abruptly for what seems like no reason at all.

    Heroes 5 is an excellent game - it has so much of what was great about Heroes 3, and truly is a lot of fun. However, you have to push through a lot of what seems like poor optimization by the developers in order to get to the enjoyable parts, and not everyone will be able to stomach the kinds of issues that were almost completely absent from prior games in the series.    … Expand
  14. Genek13
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    It's a HoM&M III in 3D graphics, but its a biggest flaw of this game for me. I hate candy looking games... It's so stupid to make game in that kind of universe with so silly visuals.
    All others apsects are great, as every HoM&M
  15. dr-kenobi
    Sep 7, 2022
    7
    Деякі непогані ідеї, але оверол 5-ка лишається в тіні 3-ї, як і всі решта майбутніх спроб.
  16. Giero
    Jan 4, 2023
    7
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  17. wojtulace1
    Jan 30, 2023
    5
    Graphic has aged very badly. Map is still unclear and annoying unlike map in Heroes III where everything is perfectly visible.
  18. Magical_Viktor
    Apr 30, 2023
    7
    Существуют просто Зло и Большое Зло, а за ними обоими в тени прячется Очень Большое Зло. Очень Большое Зло, Геральт, это такое, которого ты и представить себе не можешь, даже если думаешь, будто уже ничто не в состоянии тебя удивить. И знаешь, Геральт, порой бывает так, что Очень Большое Зло схватит тебя за горло и скажет: «Выбирай, братец, либо я, либо то, которое чуточку поменьше»Существуют просто Зло и Большое Зло, а за ними обоими в тени прячется Очень Большое Зло. Очень Большое Зло, Геральт, это такое, которого ты и представить себе не можешь, даже если думаешь, будто уже ничто не в состоянии тебя удивить. И знаешь, Геральт, порой бывает так, что Очень Большое Зло схватит тебя за горло и скажет: «Выбирай, братец, либо я, либо то, которое чуточку поменьше»

Awards & Rankings

63
#63 Best PC Game of 2006
17
#17 Most Discussed PC Game of 2006
19
#19 Most Shared PC Game of 2006

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 41 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 41
  3. Negative: 0 out of 41
  1. ActionTrip
    85
    You simply have to have the willingness to learn and give this game a chance. If you do this, you will be rewarded with an amazing strategy experience.
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  2. Yahoo!
    70
    The biggest failing of Heroes V, which you can almost anticipate from its emphasis on looking so good, is that it's stingy with information.
    Read full review
  3. GameSpot
    82
    Skeptical Heroes fans, as well as anyone looking for a fun, long-lasting turn-based strategy game, will likely be pleasantly surprised by this one.
    Read full review
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