Might & Magic: Heroes VII

 PC
  • Publisher: Ubisoft
  • Release Date: Sep 29, 2015
User Score
4.9

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 455 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 150 out of 455
  2. Mixed: 92 out of 455
  3. Negative: 213 out of 455
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  1. sefrabu
    Apr 13, 2016
    3
    Note: This is an update to my review of Sep 30, 2015, when I gave this game a 5.

    I find it hard to rate a game so low. Even in the worst games you will find something that saves it from a total disgrace, say some music tracks, maybe graphics, maybe even one little thing, like a loading screen which you find particurarly artsy, or this one voice actor, who saves a day. Anything. In    Note: This is an update to my review of Sep 30, 2015, when I gave this game a 5.

    I find it hard to rate a game so low. Even in the worst games you will find something that saves it from a total disgrace, say some music tracks, maybe graphics, maybe even one little thing, like a loading screen which you find particurarly artsy, or this one voice actor, who saves a day. Anything.

    In case of HOMM7, I've never been so close to being a troll hater and give a game a zero.

    As an avid enthusiast of Heroes, I bought VII on the day of its release. And for the last few months I was trying to find in this game something, anything, that would earn it a few points above total nothing. So after some strenuous exercise I found it: let's say that the new skills wheel is quite neat, that some of the creature design is fine, and that pattern for the campaign - the stories told by some heroes - is interesting. And this is all.

    Now, I had a few gos at VII and I've never managed to make myself play for more than a week or two in the game's terms. It's boring, as there's nothing you haven't seen in the previous entries. It's ugly - there's no art direction, there's no balance in the presentation, your eyes literally hurt after 15 minutes of playing. It's largely unplayable - the number of minor and game-braking bugs is astounding! And even if you plow through all of this, as a heroes-loving person you are, you will soon realize that the story is dumbed down to the level of PG7, the already mediocre music and graphics is recycled so much you don't even know which game you're actually playing, and the trademark of the series - the castle screens - look like a cheap browser game.

    The broken "cinematic" cutscenes of ugly rendered people always frozen mid-sentence only confirms it: this game needed at least half a year in development to be decent, and a year to be actually interesting. Someone decided otherwise. But even now, after so many months after the launch, not much has changed.

    I only hope this little monster has not finished off the franchise.

    (Note: if you loved Heroes 3 or 5 - feel free to substract 3 points off my score)    … Expand
  2. stenergut
    Oct 1, 2015
    2
    I have played this game since the first release, so I was really looking forward to this release.

    I bought the game, played it for 20 minutes and I havent touched it since. The graphics are substandard and poorly optimised, the gameplay is sluggish and not engaging. The combat mechanics is poor. A major stepdown from Heroes VI in every regard. I cannot empathize enough: Do not    I have played this game since the first release, so I was really looking forward to this release.

    I bought the game, played it for 20 minutes and I havent touched it since.

    The graphics are substandard and poorly optimised, the gameplay is sluggish and not engaging. The combat mechanics is poor. A major stepdown from Heroes VI in every regard.

    I cannot empathize enough: Do not spend your money on this.    … Expand
  3. JoeTheShow
    Sep 30, 2015
    1
    Played 2 more hours of the game after my initial review and tried to give the game another chance, the final verdict is "Save your money and stay away from this game!":

    Graphics: a huge step down from 6, lacking animation, effects, sluggish Sound: no sound effects for half of combat actions. reused sound tracks everywhere. Bugs: amateur and silly bugs that if a team of developers    Played 2 more hours of the game after my initial review and tried to give the game another chance, the final verdict is "Save your money and stay away from this game!":

    Graphics: a huge step down from 6, lacking animation, effects, sluggish
    Sound: no sound effects for half of combat actions. reused sound tracks everywhere.
    Bugs: amateur and silly bugs that if a team of developers took time to do QA testing at all, they would have caught these bugs.

    Without reiterating all the -ve about this game, I must say that as a long term fan, my heart has been crushed by how poor of a release this game has had. It is clear that no one put any heart into developing this game. All they're looking for is a quick cash grab. After this 7th try, I will never purchase another heroes game, though I highly doubt they will get a chance to make another one after this sorry development.

    Anyone who says this is the best in the serious ever are either employees/paid ads or they're saints who tolerates a studio releasing a game in its alpha version stage.    … Expand
  4. sugarzs
    Sep 30, 2015
    0
    I have received the preordered copy, which I have bought to be in beta testing. Wasted money. All positive reviews are surely payed ads here, do not be fooled (the key reason, why I have registered here). Heroes 6 was nice but easy for a HOMM fan. This one? There is not a single positive characteristic of the game I can bring up. Simply put: it looks ugly, plays slow and boring. Instead ofI have received the preordered copy, which I have bought to be in beta testing. Wasted money. All positive reviews are surely payed ads here, do not be fooled (the key reason, why I have registered here). Heroes 6 was nice but easy for a HOMM fan. This one? There is not a single positive characteristic of the game I can bring up. Simply put: it looks ugly, plays slow and boring. Instead of playing this game, I have restarted Heroes 5 with my son. "Epic failure" - is the right phrase. I hope the sales will be low and Ubisoft will sell the franchise to someone decent, so it could get back to its former level.… Expand
  5. rodericrinehart
    Sep 30, 2015
    2
    Disgraceful release full of bugs, poor graphic glitches, port-forwarding, uPlay DRM, and classic Ubisoft greed of not delaying a broken, unfinished game. If you're still sold, you can get it for $60 right now!
  6. pazmacats
    Sep 30, 2015
    0
    Copywriters are pushing the game. Interesting:

    Apparently this game is such a heap of **** that nobody will buy it after the truth becomes obvious 3 weeks from now. You enjoy some of the marketing slogans, pardon me, reviews of course, below: General Gonzo: "The best of Heroes III and Heroes V combined to a thrilling turn-based strategy-rpg highlight, Heroes VII brings back the    Copywriters are pushing the game. Interesting:

    Apparently this game is such a heap of **** that nobody will buy it after the truth becomes obvious 3 weeks from now.

    You enjoy some of the marketing slogans, pardon me, reviews of course, below:

    General Gonzo: "The best of Heroes III and Heroes V combined to a thrilling turn-based strategy-rpg highlight, Heroes VII brings back the great feeling of just one more turn! "

    Lance Upperkill: " There are some bugs in game at the moment but give it time and they will be patched. If your a fan of HOMM3 than you are really going to want to give the game a crack"

    Mothebo: "Heroes VII has become best game on the franchise. After Part 6 I was skeptical, but they have learned from their mistakes. It has good quests, graphics, gameplay and fractions. It is strongly reminiscent of Heroes III"

    JJ Doe: "Heroes 7 really manages create again this awesome feeling of “just-one-more-turn” to collect, build, fight and explore. ... To sum up, I can say that it definitely is one of the best Heroes games I played (started at H3) and a must buy for people interested in the strategy genre."

    Nerots: "Heroes VII manages to get back to the roots of the franchise. Simple mechanics, nice synergies for the factions, a strong magic system and a beautiful and smart level design.
    I'm glad to say that Heroes VII has finally beaten Heroes III, which since yesterday I thought it will be unbeatable EVER."    … Expand
  7. Svarczi
    Sep 30, 2015
    4
    For me, it feels like, that they shipped a pre-beta version. So many gameplay bugs for example:
    - AoE magic placement is bugged
    - left click, right click, sometimes game see no difference between them. - battle animation bugs - no music change, and no battle sounds in battle - city build tree: random reallocation of "building buttons " - after game restart config reset to default -    For me, it feels like, that they shipped a pre-beta version. So many gameplay bugs for example:
    - AoE magic placement is bugged
    - left click, right click, sometimes game see no difference between them.
    - battle animation bugs
    - no music change, and no battle sounds in battle
    - city build tree: random reallocation of "building buttons "
    - after game restart config reset to default
    - after finishing mission 1 and exit(seen "video", back to campaign map), the game forgets, that i finished that map, so i had to load from last turn

    Sad facts:
    - no "video" intros, just static pictures (back to 90`s)
    - Heroes 6 looks better, more colorful
    - Hero leveling: after 20 min game-play, both heroes reached max lvl or the map. The mission took me 2-3 hour to finish.....
    - the battles are boring, good thing we have a "fast battle" button
    - OP skills and useless skills in skill tree
    - units are unbalanced: core units very-very weak compared to elite units; pointless ranged units(so low dmg)
    - SLOW and boring
    - etc.

    This game is bad. Do not buy it. I`m sad that i pre-purchased it.
    I played with all HoMM games. I liked all of them. Even the 4th one.
    This game, its current state is bad. Buy HoMM 6 or 5, they are cheaper, nicer and better.    … Expand
  8. FitzCheavel
    Sep 30, 2015
    0
    Cheap, unfinished game with a bunch of bugs, made only to cut the dough with fans of the series. Stop buying games from Ubisoft, the company has long proved his consumer attitude to the players.
  9. fomoz
    Sep 30, 2015
    0
    Who writes these positive reviews? Have you people actually played the game?

    Stay away, this game is terrible! Huge step back from HoMM VI. It looks like a low-budget indie title that would be selling on Steam for $10 full price, with mixed reviews.

    If you do want to give it a try, buy it only where you can get a refund. Don't waste your money.
  10. Noir9090
    Sep 29, 2015
    4
    To put it shortly, if you've played previous parts of the series you got no real reason to play H7. The game shines in absolutely nothing. The game-play feels very mechanical and tiring. Already in my first map I started to use quick battles because I found myself bored and hating the battles which I used to love in past games. The AI is horrendous in this game, offering no challenge atTo put it shortly, if you've played previous parts of the series you got no real reason to play H7. The game shines in absolutely nothing. The game-play feels very mechanical and tiring. Already in my first map I started to use quick battles because I found myself bored and hating the battles which I used to love in past games. The AI is horrendous in this game, offering no challenge at all even on heroic(hardest difficulty). The battles in general will get harder, but only because they got more enemies which means more EXP so you level faster and after the start it actually becomes easier than easy games.

    H7 skill-system is heavily based on H6 and I personally hate the optimization it brings. Every game you end up building your hero the exact same way(which you know since start of the match). Because how some classes are much superior compared to others it doesn't help to diversify game either as you will want to pick the good classes and heroes which are clear minority in the game. I loved in pre h6-games how you were forced to analyze and evaluate what skills you should pick for the situation. H7 has none of that because it's just general build, the game lacks situational abilities completely. The system also doesn't require you to think what to get because there are no requirements for abilities nor is there limit how many you can take per skill.

    Magic system is yet another h6 feature. You are back to more classic approach on getting spells from magic guilds. Problem is that all schools have little bit of everything and at basic level most spells are just copies of each other. To make them any different you have to specialize in them via abilities. And to get more power to spells you have to learn other spell-schools which you have to do anyway because you can't master your school because of the new arcane system(learning high level spells requires 8 points and mastering single school only gets you 6). Even in general it doesn't feel like schools specialize in anything particular which is just sad, not to mention many iconic spells are also dearly missed.

    Hero specializations are currently worst in the series. They are generic boring start bonuses that make you feel like you're playing nobody/anybody instead of being the mighty Kragh or whatever. The same bonuses are also copy-pasted all over and some copied from other places like buildings. They just simply leave you disappointed..

    Unit abilities don't really do much better either. There is so much copy-paste mentality there it's not even funny. That doesn't get helped by the fact that units have pretty much 1-3 abilities so there being same abilities over and over makes units feel too similar. Which is even further hurting the game because units stats are kept with too small margin. All units cross the battle-field for example at turn two, the unit powers are roughly the same given their growth. Even in h6 units felt more distinctive and that by the way is not a compliment. This is partly because h7 decided to use the hated 3-tier system from h6(core/elite/champion). They did edit it adding powerful version to core and elite, but it's still a far cry from old 7-tier system which had a lot of variety.

    The battle-system they copied from h6 which wasn't that good. They also lost many of the good parts like map objects and creature-placing to tower. They added flanking mechanic from Heroes Online to system which was a bad decision. In essence it means you get extra boost to damage when attacking from back/side. The result is that player either plays turtle so you can back-stab them(at least till you get near and then he does that to you first) OR it makes units waltz around each other going for back-stabs which looks absolutely idiotic. The flanking system would have been great addition as ability for some units like assasin, but when every unit just runs past enemy to go for their back it really breaks immersion.

    The graphics of the game are also not top quality. H6 has better graphics, not to mention it had colors that made the game feel like it was placed in fantasy world. H7 uses completely grey washed out colors that make concrete wall look just about interesting. The games styles don't really mesh together either. There is the general graphics which is rather minimal, then unit designs which are completely over the top with all the extra spikes and decorations that shouldn't be there. And then there are the 2d town screens which are more like cartoony paintings. The graphics are just a real mish-mash of things(and a lot of the models are copied from h6 btw).

    Overall the game just doesn't excel in anything. Having played h6 this doesn't really feel even new game with so much cannibalized from h6. It's really more like stand alone expansion to h6 kinda like colonization was to Civilization 4. It feels extremely simplified much like h6 and offers very little replayability. Frankly speaking the game just feels cheap and lacking for 2015 game.    … Expand
  11. Hell-Nico
    Sep 30, 2015
    0
    I don't know who wrote these positive reviews but they are all full of lies.

    First of all, Heroes 7 is extremely cheaply produced. They reused a lot of asset from the previous one, it's buggy as hell, they didn't bother animated the characters in the cutsceens (seriously go check them out it's pathetic) and the game just exude a general feeling of cheapness. The campaign is bugged in    I don't know who wrote these positive reviews but they are all full of lies.

    First of all, Heroes 7 is extremely cheaply produced. They reused a lot of asset from the previous one, it's buggy as hell, they didn't bother animated the characters in the cutsceens (seriously go check them out it's pathetic) and the game just exude a general feeling of cheapness.

    The campaign is bugged in a lot of way with some missions that can't be finished.
    The multiplayer is currently not working.
    The window 10 support is not here.

    Cherry on the top ?
    They cut off the Inferno to sell them as DLC later.
    They have no shame.

    These game deserve a big 3, but I'll give it a big 0 to face the lot of fake 10.    … Expand
  12. Waclaw
    Sep 29, 2015
    4
    To make it as short as possible:

    - RAM consumption is ridiculous and makes the machine lagging so badly, it's a shame to watch - I can run Witcher 3 with everything except hair crap on HD and never go below 55 fps - the camera angle does everything it can to prevent you from doing whatever you want to do, period - for some reason, the cut-scenes have non animated shots of ingame    To make it as short as possible:

    - RAM consumption is ridiculous and makes the machine lagging so badly, it's a shame to watch - I can run Witcher 3 with everything except hair crap on HD and never go below 55 fps
    - the camera angle does everything it can to prevent you from doing whatever you want to do, period
    - for some reason, the cut-scenes have non animated shots of ingame graphics - look at the first issue and you kinda get whet the problem is (cough*badcoding*cough)
    - everything is simplified despite promises it wouldn't be...
    - AI turns can take ages... seriously!
    - spent an hour trying to activate my code... Uplay again And before anyone says I should invest in a better rig, check my drivers and whatever... My crappy PC can handle everything new on high at 60 fps+ so it's the game, not my pc.

    I don't really understand why some people give this game a 10 even when issues from the Beta (like long AI turns) are still there despite MONTHS of work and still end up in the final release. This game still can be good, but the launch it's (as typical for recent Ubisoft games) a flop.    … Expand
  13. Kinjour
    Sep 29, 2015
    3
    Just submitted for a refund on Steam. It's that bad. There is a real trend in the reviews posted so far that its "The best of Heroes 3". Look, I love Heroes 3. It was great. At the time. I still go back and play it every now and then. However, that is not what modern gaming should be compared to. The nostalgia glasses are very thick on this one, and it shows. The interface is very busy andJust submitted for a refund on Steam. It's that bad. There is a real trend in the reviews posted so far that its "The best of Heroes 3". Look, I love Heroes 3. It was great. At the time. I still go back and play it every now and then. However, that is not what modern gaming should be compared to. The nostalgia glasses are very thick on this one, and it shows. The interface is very busy and clunky. The animations are clunky. It feels like they ran out of time or something because the opening scenes are mostly static images. The intro to each mission is drawn stills, and that's fine. The problem is the intro to the campaigns and such clearly were meant to be animated.
    The whole thing just feels so stiff. I think a good comparison would be the controls of X-com the original, VS the new X-com Enemy Unknown. While the controls on the original were fine for the time, they feel clumsy and difficult (to a modern audience), compared to the new one which are smooth and economical. Again, I love the old games, but lets have some progress!
    I'm a 30-something gamer, and have been playing my whole life. I actually enjoyed Heroes 6. Maybe I'm not the right audience for this new one, as I'm not stuck in the past. I hope to revist this entry a year down the road to see if they perhaps patch out some of these issues, but until then I just hope my refund comes in.    … Expand
  14. mackenzie129
    Aug 17, 2016
    3
    Read reviews "this wont be terrible I love the franchise"
    Saw it at EB for $10.00 CAD "this wont be terrible I love the franchise"
    Started installing and downloaded Uplay "this wont be terrible I love the franchise" Started playing "Well it's true the franchise is dead" Seriously though. This has to be the worst most buggy heroes of might and magic game I've played and that says a lot    Read reviews "this wont be terrible I love the franchise"
    Saw it at EB for $10.00 CAD "this wont be terrible I love the franchise"
    Started installing and downloaded Uplay "this wont be terrible I love the franchise"
    Started playing "Well it's true the franchise is dead"
    Seriously though. This has to be the worst most buggy heroes of might and magic game I've played and that says a lot coming from someone who has been playing since the very first one. This was Ubisoft pretty much saying F you to the fans of the franchise.    … Expand
  15. BlueBangkok
    Jan 9, 2019
    4
    I really wanted to love this game. I really did. Somewhere, deep down, there is a solid, fun gameplay here. But it is buried under tons of bugs, lack of polish, and straight-out amateurish development.

    Where do I start? Well, let's start with the good. Campaigns, for what is probably the first time in history since Heroes III, are actually enjoyable and well thought-out. The RPG    I really wanted to love this game. I really did. Somewhere, deep down, there is a solid, fun gameplay here. But it is buried under tons of bugs, lack of polish, and straight-out amateurish development.

    Where do I start? Well, let's start with the good. Campaigns, for what is probably the first time in history since Heroes III, are actually enjoyable and well thought-out. The RPG elements are possibly the best ever - the skill wheel and general lack of skill points ensures that: a) each hero is unique in his/her own right, and b) hero development is not based on random chance this time - you decide how to build your hero. That is what you call good game design and that is why I tried to much to spend worthwhile time in this game.

    Sadly, no matter how good some core concepts are, the fact of the matter is that the game is unplayable because even 3 years after release it just does *not* work. One of the most important thing, the AI, is not even broken, it's basically non-existent. The AI, no matter the difficulty, will always behave in the same idiotic way: it builds its army, then it throws itself against you. So far so good. However, when you defeat it, it will continue to waste its gold on buying heroes in the tavern and do nothing for the rest of the game. Yes, that's it. That's literally it. Difficulty only changes the magnitude of cheats the AI uses and thus the strength of its initial attack.
    Any intern with basic programming knowledge could gobble up a network of if-statements and it would work better than Heroes VII's AI.

    So, at this point, I said to myself: well, maybe the game is enjoyable in multiplayer. My mistake. Since nobody is playing this crap online, I had to persuade my friend to try both network and hot seat. Network multi player doesn't work because of constant time outs. Trust me, we tried. It's beyond ridiculous.
    OK, so hotseat it is, then. At least in hotseat, the game actually works, since there is no Internet connection to time out.. However, it blatantly uncovers the second fatal flaw of Heroes VII and the last nail in its coffin - there is no game balance at all. While in Heroes III, V, and even VI to an extent, you can pick any town in multi player and win, unless you pick specific towns or do a specific strategy in VII you are simply screwed. There are hero builds that are simply stronger than others. There are towns that are simply superior to others. Since units now get substantial flanking bonuses that are basically unavoidable, superior attack is always better than superior defense and everybody is literally a back-stabbing bastard now. And so on, and so on...
    Nothing screams "rushed launch" more than total unbalance Heroes VII is. And it's a shame because the new skill wheel is simply superb concept.

    Lack of polish (weird or missing sounds, bad animations, recycled assets, inconsistent art style) is just an "icing" on the cake of problems mentioned above. Since ubisoft, of course, pulled the plug and discontinued its collaboration with the developer, the only thing that could save this game is modding but since nobody plays it, there is no hope left. Nothing has changed in years. RIP Heroes VII, you had a chance.    … Expand
  16. Kolirio
    Oct 9, 2016
    3
    a. Sound & Music: 8/10
    b. Graphics & Lore Art: 6/10
    c. Game Design & Mechanics: 1 d. Game Programming & AI: 0/10 Ponderation: 0.20a + 0.25b + 0.25c + 0.30d = 3.35 One year after its release it still have the same GAMEBREAKING bugs that users reported in the beta test. Out of synch won't let you finnish a single game with your friends, however you may not even get to join a lobby    a. Sound & Music: 8/10
    b. Graphics & Lore Art: 6/10
    c. Game Design & Mechanics: 1
    d. Game Programming & AI: 0/10

    Ponderation: 0.20a + 0.25b + 0.25c + 0.30d = 3.35

    One year after its release it still have the same GAMEBREAKING bugs that users reported in the beta test. Out of synch won't let you finnish a single game with your friends, however you may not even get to join a lobby because of its **** connectivity, which still relay strongly on methods from the heroes III or even worse. The single player its also broken and there are several missions which gets **** up and glitched. The content doesn't seem bad tho, however i can't really tell xD the game design, mechanics and balance is still very bad.
    The sound and music is probably one of its strenght points.
    The AI is not, which is something important for TBS games. Some of it has been patched, but its still very dumb in too many aspects (hero management, path findings, economy plans, map control strats, combat...)    … Expand
  17. JohnnyGambler
    Apr 11, 2016
    1
    I am so incredibly disgusted with HOMM7. I have been a loyal player and purchaser of the game (sometimes multiple copies of a single edition so I can easily play on different computers, etc) since HOMM2 and HOMM3 being far and away the best. Nevermind the game, still an awesome idea, but this one kills it all:
    - Cannot do multiplayer. Period. Never made it past 2 months without    I am so incredibly disgusted with HOMM7. I have been a loyal player and purchaser of the game (sometimes multiple copies of a single edition so I can easily play on different computers, etc) since HOMM2 and HOMM3 being far and away the best. Nevermind the game, still an awesome idea, but this one kills it all:
    - Cannot do multiplayer. Period. Never made it past 2 months without crashing utterly
    - Cannot do multiplayer on LAN? Really? In 2016 this is a challenge?
    - Crashes during simple artifact swaps and obviously can't handle when the world is mature and armies more complex.

    The whole amazing thing about this game is multiplayer...and it just doesn't work!!! Uplay also a gigantic bag of crap.

    So ridiculously buggy and slow, for a game that is glorified chess, in 2016 this is so unacceptable as to be pathetic. I am done for good...after 7 hours on a weekend trying to get multiplayer to work for more than a couple turns at a time. Totally pissed off.    … Expand
  18. weatherseed
    Aug 4, 2016
    4
    Ah... Heroes of Might & Magic, and I refuse to call you anything else, my old friend. We've shared some good times these past 21 years. From the dawn of the new style of game and the continuation of the Might & Magic series, we've had a few tumbles. A handful of falls. This being the third offering from Ubisoft and the second from Limbic Entertainment, I'd hoped for something more. PerhapsAh... Heroes of Might & Magic, and I refuse to call you anything else, my old friend. We've shared some good times these past 21 years. From the dawn of the new style of game and the continuation of the Might & Magic series, we've had a few tumbles. A handful of falls. This being the third offering from Ubisoft and the second from Limbic Entertainment, I'd hoped for something more. Perhaps nothing great, but at least passing for good.

    Let's start with what I enjoyed from this installment. The core of the gameplay, and the heart of the series, is intact and fun as ever. The new skill system is intriguing and seems to be an evolution from the system used in HoM&M6. While it seems to have become simplified and providing no real variety, I at least liked that something new was attempted.

    I'm rather on the fence concerning spells and combat magic as a whole. While it is impossible to mess with the might portion of "Might & Magic", the same cannot be said of the other. Magic, under 3DO was always a bit overpowered. HoM&M3 was probably the worst offender of this. Now, magic is too weak to even be bothered with sometimes. "Mass" spells are completely gone, replaced with a 4x4 grid to cast within. That, right there, is wrong. Another thing to note are the classic shrines. A way to easily learn new spells in the older games. This is no longer the case. You must have learned the skill necessary to use the spells offered. World magic is an area that has actually improved. New spells giving interesting bonuses and effects are added.

    The change to the towns is something out of HoM&M4. You are provided with the choice between one monster or another. Alternatively, you are allowed to choose which monster's growth you want to increase each week. This is a welcome addition that I sorely missed from the series, even if it was introduced in what was once the worst game of the franchise.

    The series has never been renowned for it's top tier graphics, but this game feels dated even by the standards of 2006 when HoM&M5 was released. Lighting has been improved, but the models are almost identical to those found in HoM&M6. The cutscenes are not animated, which was a terrible choice, and the monster animations are best ignored.

    Lastly, the bugs. Oh lord, the bugs. They are everywhere and range from completely game breaking to simply annoying. The screen will flicker randomly as you scroll around the map. The game will crash on certain campaign maps if you attempt to go into battle. The build screen on the map will decided to either let you choose what to build, choose for you, or not allow you to get your cursor near enough to select "build."

    All in all, this has to be the worst game offered and that actually makes me less sad for the future of the series and more towards Limbic Entertainment. Might & Magic X and Heroes of Might & Magic 6 were both good games in their own right, despite having issues. Playable, entertaining, and HoM&M6 was innovative and refreshing while M&M10 was a return to the basics of it's own series. Limbic Entertainment hamstrung themselves by bowing to the wishes of the more conservative fans of the genre who yearn for another HoM&M3. These same fans will be the death of the franchise. I urge Ubisoft to allow Limbic Entertainment to give us a new game in the future and demand that Limbic Entertainment ignore those who would hold back this series.    … Expand
  19. dohh_
    Oct 6, 2015
    1
    A disaster! Luckily Steam offers refund at very reasonable conditions. I leave aside errors with graphics and poor performance, as these are probably well fixable with patches.

    Game experience itself is a crime against HOMM fans. AI combat behavior is foolish beyond imagination. AI does absolutely nothing to win battles, he just runs towards my strong melees like berserked, without    A disaster! Luckily Steam offers refund at very reasonable conditions. I leave aside errors with graphics and poor performance, as these are probably well fixable with patches.

    Game experience itself is a crime against HOMM fans. AI combat behavior is foolish beyond imagination. AI does absolutely nothing to win battles, he just runs towards my strong melees like berserked, without using initiative or waiting. Hero casts pointless crap and even mages avoid casting any damage based spells even if they face 100% loss.

    Playing heroic level is like walking in the park. You waste time (mostly to see around and discover what else is wrong with game) and when you finally reach AI, it has nothing onboard. Various idiotic "improvements" of game-ruining spells have been done with HOMM7. Just one sample: frenzy was imba spell even in previous versions, allowing player to abuse AI mega armies that were not supposed to be winnable on certain maps and making multiplayer a spell-hunting race. Now frenzy affects target IMMEDIATELY removes even theoretical chance to counter that spell. It means, human player casts frenzy on your stack, stack acts straight away. In previous versions you had at least theoretical chance to improve your initiative, run away or dispel from that game-ruining stuff.

    Many many many things of this type make HOMM7 a total timewaster for any experienced player. Having played homm series of 15 years I can tell: only novice may find some challange in Homm 7. Its not possible for a fan to write good review towards it:(

    AVOID AT ANY COST.    … Expand
  20. Sjalka
    Oct 6, 2015
    4
    This game is embarrassing - quite literally. Now i understand the reasoning about the very conservative fanbase and the tight limitations of innovation - but even so... the product "feels" very much like a beta - an early beta.

    There is a technical level on which a game can be rated - but also a meta level (like instant immersion, likability of characters or story etc. ) - it is hard to    This game is embarrassing - quite literally. Now i understand the reasoning about the very conservative fanbase and the tight limitations of innovation - but even so... the product "feels" very much like a beta - an early beta.

    There is a technical level on which a game can be rated - but also a meta level (like instant immersion, likability of characters or story etc. ) - it is hard to measure the meta level ... but it is much easier to do it for the technical level.

    on a technical level - this game is poorly optimized and poorly designed. Along with fairly long loading times comes a seemingly innate instability with occasional but rather frequent crashes. The game seems to eat memory as if there was an unlimited supply and the overall design is ... surprisingly WORSE than HoMM 6 (in terms of animation quality, meshworks, texture and all that).

    Even the world feels much more lifeless and on some maps - shoddy and empty. And this is a 2015 game.

    The AI is poor - but the AI has never been too clever ... in fact i do not quite know what a really good AI is capable of these days in such turn based games... cause i do not consider any AI a great challenge (unless the AI cheats)

    The UI is in one word - terrible. The sound assets are uninspired.

    And most of all - the tactical combat is dull. Yes - there is flaking and backstabbing now - but what is the point of positioning when it comes down to simply running around the enemy without peril (as in strikes of Opportunity or ... maybe MORE ENVIRONMENT on the combat maps?!)

    Speaking of combat maps - i am a bit at a loss why hardly ANY game makes use of 3D there. Neither HoMM, nor Age of Wonders, Kings Bounty or similar games have elevation or real foliage or objects with actual tactical value (at least at a level similar to X-Com)

    And so - every combat is kind of the same old same old - the only thing that may change is the blurry texture on the ground.

    edit:

    Also - no Inferno faction!! - a sacrilege - but no point deduction for that - i am sure it ll come as a DLC    … Expand
  21. Nandi
    Oct 20, 2015
    0
    Story says years ago Black Hole Entertainment got bankrupted for dealing with Ubisoft, during of making of previous title. They did a great job from visual side. Ubisoft then hired a small mobile developer to make a new game - Might & Magic Heroes VII.
    All assets from previous game are reused BUT in a bad way, re-texturing and adding of small changes to original models made them worse,    Story says years ago Black Hole Entertainment got bankrupted for dealing with Ubisoft, during of making of previous title. They did a great job from visual side. Ubisoft then hired a small mobile developer to make a new game - Might & Magic Heroes VII.
    All assets from previous game are reused BUT in a bad way, re-texturing and adding of small changes to original models made them worse, not only that but this small company couldn't reach what previous game achieved in visual fidelity. This game looks like it had NO ART DIRECTOR, ITS A VISUAL MESS.
    LUCKILY BUGS WILL STOP YOU FROM PLAYING SO YOU WONT EVEN SEE HOW BAD THIS GAME IS!    … Expand
  22. Hideyoshi123
    Oct 13, 2015
    2
    3 Words - Subpar / buggy / mess... Also enjoy paying 29.99$ in three easy installments for the other factions that should be in the game already!

    Tried playing campaign only to find out that not only the first but also the second choices of factions I tried both had game breaking (as in can't continue the storyline) bugs. Gave up and just tried some skirmish / scenarios - quite a few    3 Words - Subpar / buggy / mess... Also enjoy paying 29.99$ in three easy installments for the other factions that should be in the game already!

    Tried playing campaign only to find out that not only the first but also the second choices of factions I tried both had game breaking (as in can't continue the storyline) bugs.

    Gave up and just tried some skirmish / scenarios - quite a few of the faction specific (and or char / class) abilities either don't work at all, or just "sometimes", I can forgive a lot and I'm a fan of the series but this needed A LOT more polish to be up to snuff.

    To top it all off there are actually pretty decent performance problems, certain battle scenes specifically and I'm positive theres a good ram leak after extended play times, I mean FFS the main menu has a texture pop in (and load times on an SSD's? come the fk on...).    … Expand
  23. PhamTrinli
    Oct 3, 2015
    3
    Many skills and abilities are bugged or don't work at all

    Sound effects and Music are tied to game speeds, so depending on what speed you set combat, or movement at, they may not play at all. Some sound effects are completely missing regardless of speed settings, and many sound effects in combat are lack-luster to say the least. Music is nothing special (especially compared to H5    Many skills and abilities are bugged or don't work at all

    Sound effects and Music are tied to game speeds, so depending on what speed you set combat, or movement at, they may not play at all.

    Some sound effects are completely missing regardless of speed settings, and many sound effects in combat are lack-luster to say the least.

    Music is nothing special (especially compared to H5 and H4, H7's music sucks)

    Many people are unable to even start the game

    The game crashes quite often for many people

    Many are getting savegames corrupted, seemingly at random

    Many of the campaign missions are bugged to varying degrees - some of them cannot even be completed by most people

    The "cut scenes" are a joke - just static models staring at eachother with voiceover in the background

    The voice acting varies from OK, to atrocious

    The story is lazy and boring

    The game's graphics look like something that belongs in 2010, not 2015/2016.

    The aesthetic is mismatched and uneven because of lack of development time and resources

    About 80% of the people cannot even start a multiplayer game because of "time out". Those who can, often experience disconnects due to "desync" issues.

    In short, the game was rushed out the door in an unfinished, buggy and incomplete state.    … Expand
  24. Andrei83
    Oct 2, 2015
    0
    This game shouldn't been released in this state! And they are asking 50$ for it? I hope they don't expect us to buy 1-2 expansions just to get a working game! Everything is wrong with this game, from bugs that don't allow u to finish campaign missions, very poor optimization (i play most 2015 games with 60 FPS but here i only get 30), even the graphics are not very good (very washed upThis game shouldn't been released in this state! And they are asking 50$ for it? I hope they don't expect us to buy 1-2 expansions just to get a working game! Everything is wrong with this game, from bugs that don't allow u to finish campaign missions, very poor optimization (i play most 2015 games with 60 FPS but here i only get 30), even the graphics are not very good (very washed up color, nothing impressive). DO NOT BUY THIS GAME!… Expand
  25. drakkmo
    Oct 2, 2015
    0
    TL:DR DO NOT BUY STAY AWAY.
    Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-4460 CPU @ 3.20GHz (4 CPUs), ~3.2GHz
    Memory: 4096MB RAM DirectX Version: 12 AMD Radeon R9 200 Series Display Memory: 4025 MB So, naturally I was very hyped for this game what followed was, what I can call at best, a buggy mess. Barring the minor annoyances with ubisofts DRM uplay, the multiplayer was virtually unplayable,    TL:DR DO NOT BUY STAY AWAY.
    Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-4460 CPU @ 3.20GHz (4 CPUs), ~3.2GHz
    Memory: 4096MB RAM
    DirectX Version: 12
    AMD Radeon R9 200 Series
    Display Memory: 4025 MB

    So, naturally I was very hyped for this game what followed was, what I can call at best, a buggy mess. Barring the minor annoyances with ubisofts DRM uplay, the multiplayer was virtually unplayable, desync after desync. None of the suggested fixes worked: port forwarding, turning off AV and Firewall, running in win8 compatibility. The load times are forever and honestly the game looks like crap for the resources it demands.

    The gameplay is solid and I did not venture much into the campaign. Made the mistake of preordering and now I'm requesting a refund. Would suggest only buying this when it's 50% off or more, this is not worth the trouble. Unpolished piece of garbage    … Expand
  26. JackPaladin
    Oct 3, 2015
    4
    Given at least 6 more months of work, this game might have been decent, but it was released in a bug filled, graphically void, alpha state. With many sounds, songs, animations and icons copied directly from 6. Obviously another cash grab in hopes dedicated fans would buy before reading about it. And the 10s on the reviews are absolutely shills! Don't fall for it. Wait for the bargainGiven at least 6 more months of work, this game might have been decent, but it was released in a bug filled, graphically void, alpha state. With many sounds, songs, animations and icons copied directly from 6. Obviously another cash grab in hopes dedicated fans would buy before reading about it. And the 10s on the reviews are absolutely shills! Don't fall for it. Wait for the bargain bin and then, and only then, give it a try.… Expand
  27. ZZtop
    Oct 6, 2015
    0
    Thousands of bugs, poor graphics, slow turns, unbalanced combat, unfinished game, feels like a EA games release. I would wait for the price to drop cause its not worth paying for an unfinished product.
  28. Cavox
    Oct 6, 2015
    3
    As expected Ubisoft went in the entirely WRONG direction with the series AGAIN.
    I thought that the massive failure MMH 6 was gave im something to think about, but I should've known better.
    Here's a pro-tip: HoMM 3 and 5 were the best. Do them over with better graphics, new campaign and there you go. As for the MMH 7 itself: A buggy, crashing, slow and ugly MESS. I don't even    As expected Ubisoft went in the entirely WRONG direction with the series AGAIN.
    I thought that the massive failure MMH 6 was gave im something to think about, but I should've known better.

    Here's a pro-tip:
    HoMM 3 and 5 were the best.
    Do them over with better graphics, new campaign and there you go.

    As for the MMH 7 itself:
    A buggy, crashing, slow and ugly MESS. I don't even blame the devs, as the game shows symptoms of your usual "we didn't have enough time to finish the game, but the suits above didn't care" syndrome.
    Boring, non-engaging, copy-paste from MMH6. Avoid at all costs.

    It baffles me how can Ubisoft screw up so many times a game with such a simple premise.
    I would refund it if I could, but as I bought it from a 3rd party seller, I can't.
    My mistake. I can only assure Ubisoft it was the last time I gave them a chance with this franchise.

    Notice how the people who gave it a 10/10 here have only one review. That's not suspicious at all.

    (this is also the last time I listen to CD-Action who praised the game as something taking the very best from HoMM3 and 5 and being entirely different from 6 which turned out to be complete and utter lie)    … Expand
  29. FogCityRoller
    Feb 24, 2016
    0
    I'm changing my rating from 2 to 0, as someone who is a lifelong fan of the HOMM series and realizes what a turd this is. I've been playing this series for over 20 years now and consider myself as much of an authority as anyone.

    Let's quickly get the few improvements out of the way. They stopped grouping all the tertiary resources into one (blood crystal) and diversified them back    I'm changing my rating from 2 to 0, as someone who is a lifelong fan of the HOMM series and realizes what a turd this is. I've been playing this series for over 20 years now and consider myself as much of an authority as anyone.

    Let's quickly get the few improvements out of the way. They stopped grouping all the tertiary resources into one (blood crystal) and diversified them back again. Thank you for acknowledging we have resource management skills above that of a toddler. Yippee. Letting us pick kingdoms and creatures during the beta was nice, but it was this false sense of we the community thinking we could have a noticeable impact on this game. In reality, this impact is minimal at best. Ubisoft insisted on leaving all the horrendously messed up decisions to themselves.

    The development flaws are just inexcusable for a game released in this era. Why Ubisoft was allowed to sully this great franchise with their touch of death is beyond me. I've only played through a few campaigns so far, but the problems are readily visible. Yes many bugs were fixed, but new bugs have taken their place. Some spells still don't work as their tooltips claim and when a game revolves entirely around battle strategy, this is inexcusable.

    My biggest disappointment is the recycled content and complete and utter laziness from the story writing and animation teams. The character's do not move in cutscenes at all, and their mouths are stuck open like they're trying to catch flies. What in the hell is this all about? It looks so lazy and stupid. This is executed so poorly that I am simply at a loss for words.

    The storylines are derivative and obscenely boring. I've skipped almost every conversation and cutscene because after 2 full campaigns it showed no signs of improvement. They also completely ripped off characters from George R.R. Martin's fictional universe and Warcraft. An orc named Thrall? Tell me you're joking.

    Now, those of you who played HOMM II might say "but wait, they had a map in the second game back in 1996 that was based off A Game of Thrones, what's the big deal?" Well, that was one customized map not connected to a campaign at all. It was clearly a homage to a great book, put into the game by one of 3DO's developers who was geeking out about a book he read that year, since none of the other books were written yet. They clearly weren't trying to gain any favor by leeching off a successful series. In Heroes 7, these are recurring characters in the CAMPAIGN STORYLINE aka the lore. You know, the part of the game that is supposed to be written exclusively for this game.

    In Heroes VII there is a character used in the first set of cutscenes for the Haven campaign that is a blatant ripoff of Tywin Lannister. It might as well be an actual photo of him with an Instagram filter. Then later in the first segment of the Sylvan campaign there is an elven princess named "Danan" and guess who she is coincidentally a carbon copy of? Yep, a certain Targaryen lady perhaps? Everything from the silvery hair with pinned back braids, side curls, and her backstory of being far from home. But Daenarys Targaryen was a dragon lady, oh wait Sylvan's do get dragons. Nah, I guess it's just another "coincidence."

    The utter lack of originality and insipid storyline themes make this one for the preschool nursery. Ubisoft is one sad group of idiots. I can't wait for the campaign story involving a prince with a physical deformity, shunned by his family for the mother's death birthing him, and who later is blamed for the assassination of his reigning nephew.

    Why are so many assets recycled? Why can't you guys write original characters and stories? What the hell did you spend your money on Ubisoft!!!!

    Please sell this to someone like Paradox who can actually do something really good with the game.    … Expand
  30. esteban9
    Oct 30, 2015
    0
    A lot of people complained about H6 so developers created a special site to "create the best Heroes with fans". Unfortunately it quickly turned out to be a PR trick only. With high price comes the trash. They ignored tons of advices made by fans and tons of features expected to be in the game. Literally. I've observed and took a part in the site from the beginning. The game is definitelyA lot of people complained about H6 so developers created a special site to "create the best Heroes with fans". Unfortunately it quickly turned out to be a PR trick only. With high price comes the trash. They ignored tons of advices made by fans and tons of features expected to be in the game. Literally. I've observed and took a part in the site from the beginning. The game is definitely the weakest part of the whole series and has terrible graphics for 2015 standards. It is full of bugs which makes it unplayable at the moment even after patch 1.3.1. In my opinion it's a broken product. Product released on lies and a big desires for money without quality. DON'T BE A FOOL. DO NOT BUY IT.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

31
#31 Most Discussed PC Game of 2015
4
#4 Most Shared PC Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
67

Mixed or average reviews - based on 39 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 39
  3. Negative: 3 out of 39
  1. New York Daily News
    Dec 18, 2015
    60
    Thankfully, the game is largely bug-free, and it runs on a wide variety of computers with little problem.
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    Dec 16, 2015
    65
    I liked many new features and I think going back to the roots of the series was a the right decision. Unfortunately it seems the game was published half a year too soon, as it’s underdeveloped, full of bugs (some of which are very serious) and has performance issues. To put it simply – Heroes VII was botched. [12/2015, p.34]
  3. Eurogamer Italy
    Nov 25, 2015
    50
    Might & Magic Heroes VII tries to appeal to the passionate audience of the series, but fails due to issues with the AI, several bugs and a general lack of elegance. We can only hope in a future patch that fixes the many technical problems, still unsolved after 1.2 version.
    Read full review
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