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. Giero
    Jan 4, 2023
    6
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  2. LMarci
    Jun 7, 2022
    4
    I feel like the developers either did not understand what makes the classic HOMM games so great, or they just did not care at all. This is not a terrible game at core, but it just feels incomplete and soulless. In comparison the the older HOMM games, it just doesn't hold a candle to them. A few design decisions make me quite disappointed too. I wholeheartedly wished that they would learnI feel like the developers either did not understand what makes the classic HOMM games so great, or they just did not care at all. This is not a terrible game at core, but it just feels incomplete and soulless. In comparison the the older HOMM games, it just doesn't hold a candle to them. A few design decisions make me quite disappointed too. I wholeheartedly wished that they would learn from their mistakes after VI flopped, but I suppose not.… Expand
  3. PavelH
    Apr 21, 2022
    3
    Poor balancing of magic in the early game and it scales inversely, your best skills are the lowest tier and your worst skills are the highest tier. Magic beats Might the first 20 levels of the game. To give you a perspective, you have spells that do 400dmg a turn at lvl 2/3. Imagine that much damage in any of the other games! I am shocked how poorly a game can be balanced. In addition toPoor balancing of magic in the early game and it scales inversely, your best skills are the lowest tier and your worst skills are the highest tier. Magic beats Might the first 20 levels of the game. To give you a perspective, you have spells that do 400dmg a turn at lvl 2/3. Imagine that much damage in any of the other games! I am shocked how poorly a game can be balanced. In addition to this, you lose many of the goodies from Heroes 5/6, no blood/tier system, no legacy weapons or creature upgrades from H5. No 3d town centres and boring town upgrades. Poor.… Expand
  4. Woolee
    Sep 26, 2021
    7
    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…
  5. Estro
    May 29, 2021
    9
    I actually liked it! the town screens were really pleasant on the eyes with their somewhat cartoonish style, and playing it with my dad it was pretty fun! and yeah we ran into some bugs but overall I wouldn't say it was a bad experience
  6. Corwin
    Sep 11, 2020
    5
    It's alright mechanically and has a decent storyline. My main gripe was several bugs serious enough to force me to restart the campaign, such as a bug that permanently decreased the hero's Spellpower every day after equipping an item that was supposed to boost it. And I played a LONG time after launch, when such issues should've been long fixed! I can only assume Ubisoft used Might & MagicIt's alright mechanically and has a decent storyline. My main gripe was several bugs serious enough to force me to restart the campaign, such as a bug that permanently decreased the hero's Spellpower every day after equipping an item that was supposed to boost it. And I played a LONG time after launch, when such issues should've been long fixed! I can only assume Ubisoft used Might & Magic franchise as a cash grab and is abandoning it.… Expand
  7. azrael121
    Jun 3, 2020
    7
    Графически игра просто шикарна, новые нововведения также располагают к себе. Всю картину портят лаги, также есть заклинание снижающее инициативу врага, так вот- не используйте его враги визуально становятся тормозами и приходится ждать по 15-20!! секунд. Жалко что отсутствует фракция демонов. Игра в принципе понравиласьГрафически игра просто шикарна, новые нововведения также располагают к себе. Всю картину портят лаги, также есть заклинание снижающее инициативу врага, так вот- не используйте его враги визуально становятся тормозами и приходится ждать по 15-20!! секунд. Жалко что отсутствует фракция демонов. Игра в принципе понравилась
  8. Benehime
    Mar 18, 2020
    7
    Might and Magic Heroes VII: lack of magic.

    Might and Magic Heroes VII is continuation for legendary Heroes of Might and Magic turn-based strategy series based upon Might and Magic series of fantasy (secretly fantastic) first person RPGs. The game was released on September 29, 2015, four years after the previous Might and Magic Heroes VI. By the developer Limbic Entertainment, which    Might and Magic Heroes VII: lack of magic.

    Might and Magic Heroes VII is continuation for legendary Heroes of Might and Magic turn-based strategy series based upon Might and Magic series of fantasy (secretly fantastic) first person RPGs.

    The game was released on September 29, 2015, four years after the previous Might and Magic Heroes VI. By the developer Limbic Entertainment, which executed the series for first time. Using good old Unreal engine.

    Might and Magic Heroes VII has classic fantasy in it, beautiful, aesthetic based, which actually 100% defines the point of the whole series. And two of those main pillars it is stated upon is the music and graphical execution. Less valuable but still defining is suitable to main pillars: gameplay and story. It mostly reflects in community of fans reaction. But really by mass of players series is famous for its aesthetic. And MaMH7 executes it pretty pretty. Chillful but epic soundtrack maybe a little inferior to the previous OSTs, yet still plunges you unprecedentedly compared to any other fantasy series music. Textures and assets are series-level enjoyable as well. Even gameplay execution can get exciting, especially if you haven't played since the last game. But fans wanted more, and it is reasonable. Because for the game been 4 years in development, MaMH7 lacks too much compared to legendary series. And to lack that much in loving community of old fans is clearly inappropriate. Lord, game is even buggy.

    First of all, it's just worsened version of the previous game, even graphically sometimes. Interface graphically is the worst part of the game, for the game relayed on aesthetics it's very bad mistake to do. Fonts are poor like from some tab, icons are compressed like it's 2005 game, and 2D arts are too ordinary kitsch. That to say minions, animations in the game and 3D-graphic overall are enjoyable and references to one of the best in series Heroes of Might and Magic V. RPG part is okay, it lacks the races and differences from the previous game, but it is easier to learn than ever which satisfies. And after all, it for some reason lagging sometimes no matter the graphic settings.

    Besides all the disadvantages, they are mostly so in terms of legendary series. But most importantly game does its job to enjoyably learn it, chill, kill plenty of time, feel nostalgia, experience the Heroes once again throughout the years. There are no fantasy turn-based strategy competitors in the market and it's doing the game no good. But also doing it very special as well.    … Expand
  9. laertan
    Feb 6, 2020
    1
    That's the worst of heroes chapters. I dearly hope developers/copyright holders will stop by now, tendency to degradation is too obvious: HoMM5 was good, HoMM6 was average, almost bad, but somehow they managed to fall only partially. And then we had this: tons of bugs, too hard gameplay, boring battles with no balance. Total disgrace.
  10. Genek13
    Nov 19, 2019
    6
    Somoehow this installment is a step down comparing to the previous HoM&M VI.
    Feels like Heroes but in same time it doesnt.
    Hard to stay with this game for long time. I had same problem with Heroes V, which I dont like becouse of overall visuals. Here the problem is that the game does not have a Heroes soul...
  11. SilverOrlov
    Oct 7, 2019
    5
    Despite the weakness of the previous game in the eyes of gamers and the fact that from that moment the franchise began to degrade, to some extent I liked that game as a separate and not part of the legendary 1-2-3 parts. But in the case of this last part - this is not so. Everything is broken here, except for the authors' attempt to make an interesting story. Partly it turned out, but allDespite the weakness of the previous game in the eyes of gamers and the fact that from that moment the franchise began to degrade, to some extent I liked that game as a separate and not part of the legendary 1-2-3 parts. But in the case of this last part - this is not so. Everything is broken here, except for the authors' attempt to make an interesting story. Partly it turned out, but all of this together does not deserve a good rating. I gave 5 only because didn't want to through the game in the "red zone" because of the story, but nothing more.… Expand
  12. PolishGamer
    Mar 14, 2019
    7
    Well i think this game was good. Yea it has bugs but i can get over it. I think its a good heroes game but not very good or fantastic.
  13. 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
  14. rychu_elektryk
    Jul 29, 2018
    8
    The biggest problem is technical issues and bugs. Besides that game is fun to play and I enjoyed it
  15. animir
    Feb 28, 2017
    7
    The game is neither good nor bad. It could be good if they remove bugs and improve the ai in higher difficulty modes. I am a long therm fan of heroes and I was looking forward to this game. I usually play just single scenarios. In heroes 7 I like caravan feature, ability wheel and especially new maps... Sometimes bugs appear, usually on the battlefield, where your troops cannot move or theThe game is neither good nor bad. It could be good if they remove bugs and improve the ai in higher difficulty modes. I am a long therm fan of heroes and I was looking forward to this game. I usually play just single scenarios. In heroes 7 I like caravan feature, ability wheel and especially new maps... Sometimes bugs appear, usually on the battlefield, where your troops cannot move or the enemy doesn't attack despite he intends to do so. However, for me the biggest problem is the very stupid ai even for computer players in heroic mode. The game is very easy and you cannot make it more difficult by setting the map difficulty to heroic. If you do so, then the first two weeks are difficult but then it is even easier, because some computer players don't develop or just stay behind the gates protected by a strong neutral army. The biggest problem of the ai is that if you attack other computer players(heroic) don't protect their castle. They just try to run away and so stupidly that you can beat them near their castle. The part of this bad ai is, that despite 2-3 heroes are near their castle and near each other, the computer player let his army divided. Even small child would put his all available troops into castle and protect it, so I really don't understand this ai. For normal mode it is ok, but for heroic it is very disappointing. If you have good hero you can easily beat everybody even with very small army and there is no challenge or some real fights. Maybe the shield ability of legionnaires is too strong. Also, computer turns take too much time and some garrison fights are just boring. I would welcome some rating for the hero according to his fight results and based on it some suggestions for loss less quick combat against trivial neutral army. I am not sure how it is in other scenarios but in impossible mountain I was able to get my hero over level 30, despite seeing occasional text that there is level 30 limit. I like the possibility to develop heroes over level 30 especially in larger scenarios.… Expand
  16. SquishyEye
    Jan 13, 2017
    8
    There is an insane amount of unreasonable and unfair haters of this game. Most of them do not understand the genre, some loved Heroes 3 so much that they refuse to accept any sequel (or prequel! and in my opinion Heroes 2 was a much more enticing game than 3), and others simply hate Ubisoft and just want to rate down everything related to them.
    I personally think it's an improvement over    There is an insane amount of unreasonable and unfair haters of this game. Most of them do not understand the genre, some loved Heroes 3 so much that they refuse to accept any sequel (or prequel! and in my opinion Heroes 2 was a much more enticing game than 3), and others simply hate Ubisoft and just want to rate down everything related to them.
    I personally think it's an improvement over Heroes VI.
    I hated how they dumbed it down "for the masses" in VI - by combining all special resources into one type, and by letting you convert any town to your faction, and be able to teleport around all over.
    Heroes VII brought back the 4 special resources, (although they are not the original 4), you can't convert towns (yay), and you can only teleport once to the nearest town.
    There were a few stupidly hard moments in the campaign but after restarting the level once or twice, and after adjusting my strategy, i was able to get past them. And that's a good thing for this game - it forces you to rethink what you're doing.
    Everything else is standard Heroes fare. Yes, the campaign story is silly, but that's not really why you play these types of games now is it.
    I don't know why there are so many negative reviews - it holds up true to its name, and at worst this game is "meh" but not a *bad* game at all. I've been there for every single one of the Heroes games from the very beginning - and i can't say i was in any way disappointed with this one.
    Also I did not encounter any horrible bugs, and the graphics were perfectly fine.    … Expand
  17. canapi
    Dec 21, 2016
    5
    After months, months, of debugging now the game is finally almost playable, still remains bugs somewhere but now you can enjoy it, Ubisoft had many problems with this title.

    Some changes in the classical HOMM system are good, other really a bad decision btw overall the game is quite nice, to be played you need a good hardware, mainly for the GPU, mine is for example an i5 skylake, 16Gb,    After months, months, of debugging now the game is finally almost playable, still remains bugs somewhere but now you can enjoy it, Ubisoft had many problems with this title.

    Some changes in the classical HOMM system are good, other really a bad decision btw overall the game is quite nice, to be played you need a good hardware, mainly for the GPU, mine is for example an i5 skylake, 16Gb, nvme m.2 HD and a gtx770 with 2Gb, with a lesser system I had many problems running decently.

    What I really miss is the experience system for heroes like in HOMM 6, this made the game not so great in my opinion, you can't use your preferred heroes skill in other games and you lost everything every time, the AI is really not good to play a decent game.

    This is mainly a way Ubisoft attempted to grab some money, game project management was one of the worst I ever seen in my life and developing team, well, let's say nothing, maybe they just work to carry money at home, I'm not against them but for sure this is one of the buggiest game in History.    … Expand
  18. Cleglaw
    Nov 14, 2016
    0
    updated review: ubisoft dropped support for this game even if it still has serious issues and bugs. as a loyal fan, i feel scammed and milked. previously i gave 7/10 because i thought it will eventually get patches it needs, even if takes years to wait.

    well, turns out this game will stay mediocre forever. im no longer a fan, and i reccomend everyone to stay away fromany kind of might    updated review: ubisoft dropped support for this game even if it still has serious issues and bugs. as a loyal fan, i feel scammed and milked. previously i gave 7/10 because i thought it will eventually get patches it needs, even if takes years to wait.

    well, turns out this game will stay mediocre forever. im no longer a fan, and i reccomend everyone to stay away fromany kind of might and magic product as long as they came from ubisoft.

    it doesnt even worth your time if you somehow get it free to try... its that much bad.

    this is very sad indeed. RIP might and magic.    … Expand
  19. dylem77
    Oct 15, 2016
    7
    A little year ago I gave the game 4/10, it was almost unplayable to me. Now after the patches the game looks much, much better and i'm enjoying it now ! After similar experiences with other games, i'm never going to buy a game short after release again, better to wait a year and several patche and buy it on sale
  20. 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
  21. 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
  22. Wo0olfgang
    Aug 7, 2016
    4
    How can it be possible that even after long waited patch 2.0 and one year from launch the multiplayer is still broken ?! There are still issues with combat vs human player and even other old Out of Sync error message. Either opponent sees different stacks of army or different number of creatures, either combat simply refuses to continue , both players ending waiting for the other to move.How can it be possible that even after long waited patch 2.0 and one year from launch the multiplayer is still broken ?! There are still issues with combat vs human player and even other old Out of Sync error message. Either opponent sees different stacks of army or different number of creatures, either combat simply refuses to continue , both players ending waiting for the other to move.

    It.s clear that at some point game brakes and things go differently for each player .

    It is also clear that these guys are simply NOT capable of making this game work. Too bad that is an interesting approach regarding simturns now. But all the play it.s like a game of luck, you.re either lucky to finish a small map, or extremely lucky to finish a bigger one. This is why we cannot waste hours of play to find out that the game brakes.

    Besides all the multiplayer issues, game is poorly designed, poorly optimized, it gets glitchy and laggy the longer you play and only ruins the fun in playing heroes.

    Shame on Ubisoft and Limbic for taking us money and giving us hope.    … Expand
  23. 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
  24. hg74
    Jul 23, 2016
    10
    no bug from 1.8 version
    beautiful graphics
    excellent monsters for the races
    good balance
    for me the best from the heroes of might and magic series, better than heroes 3
  25. Shoshone
    Jul 7, 2016
    1
    Buggy mess, this game is even much worse(!!!) than Heroes VI in case of bugs! Many assets and models are copied from Heroes VI, terrible animations, terrible AI, terrible UI, abysmal optimization, this game is just bad soulless piece of crap.
  26. Sirik_Matak
    Apr 20, 2016
    5
    The game flopped due to technical problems and sub-par graphic's quality (it objectively looks worse than the previous one). Maybe the backleash wouldn't be so serious IF IT WASN'T A FULL PRICED release. It should have 20€ price tag at best.
    The game runs badly, animations lack frames and have strange delay to them, sound effects are poor and the UI functionality is not consistent. Still    The game flopped due to technical problems and sub-par graphic's quality (it objectively looks worse than the previous one). Maybe the backleash wouldn't be so serious IF IT WASN'T A FULL PRICED release. It should have 20€ price tag at best.
    The game runs badly, animations lack frames and have strange delay to them, sound effects are poor and the UI functionality is not consistent. Still manages to have quicker AI turns than Heroes 5, though.

    But, the actual gameplay is a great step into right direction. Finally they ditched an awful strategic map's trumpery where you couldn't even plan your movement right and they went back to the small environment pieces from pre-HoMM4. Cities are once again a small utility on a strategic map and don't cover the half of your screen, every utility is greatly stipulated for the sake of strategic layer of the game. Unfortunately the town's screens are a step back from the Heroes 6 and they're just an incoherent mess. I'm still to be provided with the classic functional town screens from Heroes 1/2/3/4. Eventually the developer will hire someone who knows what made Heroes 3 towns so great.
    The combat is great, heroes' development is way much better than in the previous game, although they need to bring back the random factor of Heroes 3. Every unit can find its use and once again you can merge various towns' units (the convert mechanic from Heroes 6 was just awful in the long run). The flanking mechanic is of little novelty - it would have much more impact if they decided to implement hex fields back.
    The in-game Conflux and metaprogression are gone. Good riddance.
    The game grants a solid dose of Heroes gameplay, that in theory is way better than two previous installments. Unfortunately it's an absolute mas from the technical standpoint.

    Can't be disappointed if I bought it for 10€. I would be pissed of if I had to pay 60€ for it, and rightfully so.    … Expand
  27. 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
  28. 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
  29. night4
    Apr 4, 2016
    0
    Horrible, bug-filled mess. Seriously, I encountered MULTIPLE game-breaking bugs without even trying to do anything out of the ordinary. Did they not test this at all?

    Also, the campaign is terrible. You generally don't get to keep a character for more than one map, so spending time on learning spells, visiting map objects, or leveling up doesn't hardly make sense. For me anyway, in    Horrible, bug-filled mess. Seriously, I encountered MULTIPLE game-breaking bugs without even trying to do anything out of the ordinary. Did they not test this at all?

    Also, the campaign is terrible. You generally don't get to keep a character for more than one map, so spending time on learning spells, visiting map objects, or leveling up doesn't hardly make sense. For me anyway, in previous HoMM games, improving the main character is the main driving force behind the campaign.    … Expand
  30. 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
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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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.
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  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.
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