Might & Magic: Heroes VI
Encyclopedia
Might & Magic Heroes VI is a turn-based strategy
video game for Microsoft Windows
, developed by Black Hole Entertainment
and published by Ubisoft
. It is the sixth installment in the Heroes of Might and Magic
series, and was released on October 13, 2011, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the Might and Magic
franchise. Heroes VI acts as a prequel to Heroes of Might and Magic V
, occurring almost five centuries earlier, and is set in the fictional world of Ashan. The story follows the five heirs to the Griffin dynasty in their quests to repel a demon invasion and assist or impede Michael, a legendary Archangel
general plotting to revive an ancient war.
As in previous Heroes of Might and Magic titles, the player can choose between single-player or multiplayer modes of play, and controls a number of heroes and towns associated with various factions, commanding armies of creatures between tactical overland exploration and a turn-based combat system to satisfy each scenario's victory conditions. Heroes VI alters some of the series' long-standing conventions, overhauling its chance-based skills system and reducing the number of resources in its economics model, and also introduces new mechanics, including a points-based reputation system
and the ability to convert one faction's towns to another.
Heroes VI has been received positively, attaining a score of 77 from the aggregate review site Metacritic
. Reviewers praised the title's replay value, visuals and improvements to the Heroes formula, but were critical of the numerous bugs and glitches in the release version and its intrusive DRM
system, which requires players to maintain a connection to the Internet
to avail of several features.
in 2006. Ashan is populated by approximately eleven factions inspired by those appearing in previous Heroes games and real-life cultures, five of which are showcased in Heroes VI. In Ashan, dragons are deified, and each faction's worship system is centralized around one or more dragon gods linked to the classical element
s; the conflict between the followers of Elrath, the Dragon of Light, and Malassa, the Dragon of Darkness, provides the background for the events of the game. Demon invaders periodically invade and terrorize Ashan during eclipses, which weaken the magical barrier trapping them in Sheogh, an otherworldly prison. Heroes VI also re-introduces passing references to the Ancients, a super-advanced society of beings which narratively connected previous worlds featured in the Might and Magic franchise.
son, leads the Stronghold faction. Anton (Ben Diskin), Slava's son and his successor as the Griffin Duke, leads Haven armies. The twins Kiril (Chris Parson
), a victim of demonic possession, and Anastasya (Julie Nathanson), the convicted murderer of Duke Slava, lead the Inferno and Necropolis factions respectively. Slava's eldest daughter Irina (Christine Lakin
), betrothed to Slava's nemesis at a young age, commands the Sanctuary faction.
Notable supporting characters include Sveltana (Tatyana Yassukovich), Slava's necromancer aunt and Anastasya's mentor; Michael (D. C. Douglas
), a legendary Archangel General revived long after his death to continue the war against his rivals, the Faceless race; and Cate (Yassukovich), Slava's wife and a long-time ally to Michael's Faceless enemies. Alternate incarnations of select heroes from New World Computing
's entries in the Might and Magic franchise also re-emerge as recruitable "legacy heroes" in Heroes VI, including Lord Kilburn (Alan Shearman), a character whose first appearance in the series dates back to the original Might and Magic Book One: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum in 1986.
Counseled by Angels in the impending war against the demons, Emperor Liam Falcon posts a decree enabling Duke Gerhart of the Wolf duchy to exterminate Orcs in the Empire. Duke Slava, Pavel's son, retaliates in solidarity with the Orcs, and the Dukes' bickering forces the Archangel Uriel - Michael's brother - to intervene. Uriel decides that Slava's eldest daughter, Irina, is to be betrothed to Gerhart to force a lasting peace. A decade passes, and Sandor learns that Irina has been imprisoned in the Wolf Duchy's jails for injuring Gerhart. He rouses an army of Orcs to free his half-sister, and the renegades flee to the Jade Ocean, where Sandor leaves Irina in Hashima and departs. Irina quickly befriends the native Naga and assists them in destroying a Wolf trading port, before discovering she is pregnant with Gerhart's child.
Gerhart accuses Slava of orchestrating Sandor's attack, and the two dukes are called before the Emperor, where Slava's daughter Anastasya - Uriel's pupil and lover - kills Slava with a concealed knife before the court. Anton is crowned Duke, but the inquisition tries to force a confession from Anastasya, fearing she is in league with the Faceless; Anton elects to euthanize his sister before she can be tortured. He learns that Jorgen - one of Slava's former advisers - is an undercover Faceless, but not Slava's killer, while Anastasya is resurrected by Sveltana as an undead. Resolving to learn who manipulated her into slaying her father, she frees Jorgen from the inquisition before traveling onward to Heresh with her aunt. Meanwhile, Kiril finds himself abandoned in Sheogh by his mentor, the Archangel Sarah, with the soul of a demon prince sharing his body. Desperate to expunge the demon, he pursues Sarah as a renewed demon invasion begins.
Sveltana is kidnapped by Anastasya's rival, Miranda. Suspecting her of Slava's murder, Anastasya kills Miranda, and she explains that Anastasya was controlled with a comb empowered by Faceless magic. Irina ransacks the Wolf duchy, slaughtering Gerhart, and both she and Sandor devote their resources to the eradication of the demons. Michael dispatches Anton to assist Gerhart against the Naga, but Anton soon learns the Duke has already been killed. Using the comb, Anastasya enters the mind of her betrayer: Uriel, who had sought to use her soul to reincarnate his mother. Enraged, Anastasya destroys Uriel's mind, and both he and Emperor Liam are slain in battle, leaving Anton to eliminate the remaining demons. Kiril finally apprehends Sarah, who reveals she sold Kiril's soul to the demons in order to cripple the Faceless by destroying their repository of knowledge; Kiril usurps the repository and frees himself of possession, while Sveltana discovers that Pavel's soul was used to resurrect Michael.
With the demons overcome, Michael appeals to the Griffin heirs to assist him in ending his war against darkness. If the alignment of the player's chosen heir is Tears, the heir rejects Michael's calls to arms and leads armies against the Angels, alongside Cate. Michael is killed in battle and Cate succeeds in sending the remaining deceased Angels' souls to Elrath, but the ritual ultimately results in her death. Alternatively, if the heir's alignment is Blood, they launch an offensive against Cate, sponsored by Michael, and succeed in slaying her to apparently prevent the impending conflict.
In both instances, the Griffins lament Cate's death and bury her with Slava, while Jorgen conspires with the Dark Elf Raelag to instigate the war against Elrath in the wake of her absence.
: Le Breton and fellow producer Romain de Waubert wore shirts sporting a Might and Magic: Heroes VI logo. In an interview with PlanetDS.de, the producers dropped further hints relating to the project's existence, with de Waubert stating "I’m such a fan of Might & Magic that I wear its future like a second skin, very close to my heart."
According to Le Breton, Nival Interactive were considered to reprise their role as series developer, but Ubisoft could not agree on a common vision with the Heroes V team, most of whom had already been transferred to work on Allods Online
; Black Hole Entertainment impressed Ubisoft as experienced, talented and passionate people, and were selected to create the sequel. Olivier Ledroit
is again collaborating with Ubisoft on the game's art direction, and community suggestions are being heavily incorporated via a private forum.
Though expected to be first unveiled at Gamescom 2010, numerous screenshots and the teaser trailer prepared for the announcement were leaked and posted early at fansite Heroes Community, several days prior to the official press release.
On May 24, 2011, it was announced that the alpha version of the game was complete and that the first public beta testing will start in June. On June 6, the date was confirmed as June 28.
and Paul Romero
, who were responsible for the sound design and music composition on all previous entries in the Heroes series and four of their sister role-playing video games
, returned to work on the game alongside new composers Jason Graves
and Rick Knight. The soundtrack consists of several new compositions and a "medley of iconic themes" from previous Might and Magic games, including Heroes of Might and Magic II
, III
and V
, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic
, Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes
and Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven
. The music of the Heroes series was featured at 2010's Video Games Live
concert series in order to help promote the game, and Romero performed a smaller concert exclusive to Hungarian fans of the series in November 2011, shortly after Heroes VIs release.
Turn-based strategy
A turn-based strategy game is a strategy game where players take turns when playing...
video game for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, developed by Black Hole Entertainment
Black Hole Entertainment
Black Hole Entertainment is a Budapest-based video game developer, founded in 2001 by seven young game enthusiasts.The company's first title was Armies of Exigo, developed with the financial backing of Andy Vajna, published by Electronic Arts and released in the end of 2004...
and published by Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
. It is the sixth installment in the Heroes of Might and Magic
Heroes of Might and Magic
Heroes of Might and Magic is a series of video games originally created and developed by Jon Van Caneghem through New World Computing. As part of the Might and Magic franchise, the series changed ownership when NWC was acquired by 3DO and again when 3DO closed down and sold the rights to Ubisoft...
series, and was released on October 13, 2011, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the Might and Magic
Might and Magic
Might and Magic is a series of role-playing video games from New World Computing, which in 1996 became a subsidiary of The 3DO Company...
franchise. Heroes VI acts as a prequel to Heroes of Might and Magic V
Heroes of Might and Magic V
Heroes of Might and Magic V is the fifth installment of the Heroes of Might and Magic turn-based strategy video game series. It was developed by Nival Interactive, under the guidance of franchise-owner Ubisoft...
, occurring almost five centuries earlier, and is set in the fictional world of Ashan. The story follows the five heirs to the Griffin dynasty in their quests to repel a demon invasion and assist or impede Michael, a legendary Archangel
Archangel
An archangel is an angel of high rank. Archangels are found in a number of religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Michael and Gabriel are recognized as archangels in Judaism and by most Christians. Michael is the only archangel specifically named in the Protestant Bible...
general plotting to revive an ancient war.
As in previous Heroes of Might and Magic titles, the player can choose between single-player or multiplayer modes of play, and controls a number of heroes and towns associated with various factions, commanding armies of creatures between tactical overland exploration and a turn-based combat system to satisfy each scenario's victory conditions. Heroes VI alters some of the series' long-standing conventions, overhauling its chance-based skills system and reducing the number of resources in its economics model, and also introduces new mechanics, including a points-based reputation system
Reputation system
A reputation system computes and publishes reputation scores for a set of objects within a community or domain, based on a collection of opinions that other entities hold about the objects...
and the ability to convert one faction's towns to another.
Heroes VI has been received positively, attaining a score of 77 from the aggregate review site Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Reviewers praised the title's replay value, visuals and improvements to the Heroes formula, but were critical of the numerous bugs and glitches in the release version and its intrusive DRM
Digital rights management
Digital rights management is a class of access control technologies that are used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals with the intent to limit the use of digital content and devices after sale. DRM is any technology that inhibits uses of digital content that...
system, which requires players to maintain a connection to the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
to avail of several features.
Gameplay
The gameplay of Heroes VI represents a step away from the five original installments. About half of initial schematics, including spells, skills, abilities, heroes, units and buildings will remain present, with the other half being innovative. For example the absence of the magic guild, mandatory building for town updates in the previous games. In Heroes VI, the magic guild leveling is replaced by the hero skill/ability wheel leveling, while new spells are learned only at particular dwellings outside the town. Finally, the game will feature only four collectable resources (instead of the classic seven): gold, wood, ore, and blood crystals. Multiplayer will be present.Factions
There are five factions in the game: Haven, Sanctuary, Stronghold, Inferno and Necropolis. The first two factions are "good-aligned", Stronghold is neutral and the last two are considered "evil".Setting
Heroes VI takes place on the continent of Thallan in the fictional world of Ashan, a setting developed by Ubisoft between 2004 and 2008 for use in all of its Might and Magic-related projects, starting with Heroes of Might and Magic VHeroes of Might and Magic V
Heroes of Might and Magic V is the fifth installment of the Heroes of Might and Magic turn-based strategy video game series. It was developed by Nival Interactive, under the guidance of franchise-owner Ubisoft...
in 2006. Ashan is populated by approximately eleven factions inspired by those appearing in previous Heroes games and real-life cultures, five of which are showcased in Heroes VI. In Ashan, dragons are deified, and each faction's worship system is centralized around one or more dragon gods linked to the classical element
Classical element
Many philosophies and worldviews have a set of classical elements believed to reflect the simplest essential parts and principles of which anything consists or upon which the constitution and fundamental powers of anything are based. Most frequently, classical elements refer to ancient beliefs...
s; the conflict between the followers of Elrath, the Dragon of Light, and Malassa, the Dragon of Darkness, provides the background for the events of the game. Demon invaders periodically invade and terrorize Ashan during eclipses, which weaken the magical barrier trapping them in Sheogh, an otherworldly prison. Heroes VI also re-introduces passing references to the Ancients, a super-advanced society of beings which narratively connected previous worlds featured in the Might and Magic franchise.
Characters
The game's story is described as a family tragedy by its developers, with a large array of main and supporting characters. The player assumes the role of each of the five children of Duke Slava of the Griffin dynasty (voiced by Mark Allan Stewart) in the main campaigns; the heirs can choose to begin as either a Might-based or Magic-based hero, and each commands a different faction. Sandor (Matt Nolan), Slava's illegitimateLegitimacy (law)
At common law, legitimacy is the status of a child who is born to parents who are legally married to one another; and of a child who is born shortly after the parents' divorce. In canon and in civil law, the offspring of putative marriages have been considered legitimate children...
son, leads the Stronghold faction. Anton (Ben Diskin), Slava's son and his successor as the Griffin Duke, leads Haven armies. The twins Kiril (Chris Parson
Chris Parson
Chris Parson is an American voiceover actor and a 2001 graduate of the USC School of Cinema Television . Parson began his career working primarily as an assistant in talent management while still a student, and worked briefly in digital artist management for Sony Pictures Imageworks.It was after...
), a victim of demonic possession, and Anastasya (Julie Nathanson), the convicted murderer of Duke Slava, lead the Inferno and Necropolis factions respectively. Slava's eldest daughter Irina (Christine Lakin
Christine Lakin
Christine Helen Lakin is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Alicia "Al" Lambert on the 1990s ABC/CBS situation comedy Step by Step and as Joan of Arc in Showtime's Reefer Madness...
), betrothed to Slava's nemesis at a young age, commands the Sanctuary faction.
Notable supporting characters include Sveltana (Tatyana Yassukovich), Slava's necromancer aunt and Anastasya's mentor; Michael (D. C. Douglas
D. C. Douglas
D.C. Douglas is an American character actor, voice actor, and director now living in Los Angeles. Douglas was born in Berkeley, California. His father was a salesman, and his mother was an artist and writer. His grandparents were vaudeville performers...
), a legendary Archangel General revived long after his death to continue the war against his rivals, the Faceless race; and Cate (Yassukovich), Slava's wife and a long-time ally to Michael's Faceless enemies. Alternate incarnations of select heroes from New World Computing
New World Computing
New World Computing, Inc. was an American computer game developer and publisher founded in 1984 by Jon Van Caneghem, his wife, Michaela Van Caneghem, and Mark Caldwell. It was best known for its work on the Might and Magic computer role-playing game series and its spin-offs, especially Heroes of...
's entries in the Might and Magic franchise also re-emerge as recruitable "legacy heroes" in Heroes VI, including Lord Kilburn (Alan Shearman), a character whose first appearance in the series dates back to the original Might and Magic Book One: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum in 1986.
Synopsis
Pavel Griffin is slain while defending his lands from a demon onslaught. His sister, Sveltana, attempts to conserve his soul and traps it in the Griffin familial sword, but an Angel steals the sword and soul away before she can reclaim it.Counseled by Angels in the impending war against the demons, Emperor Liam Falcon posts a decree enabling Duke Gerhart of the Wolf duchy to exterminate Orcs in the Empire. Duke Slava, Pavel's son, retaliates in solidarity with the Orcs, and the Dukes' bickering forces the Archangel Uriel - Michael's brother - to intervene. Uriel decides that Slava's eldest daughter, Irina, is to be betrothed to Gerhart to force a lasting peace. A decade passes, and Sandor learns that Irina has been imprisoned in the Wolf Duchy's jails for injuring Gerhart. He rouses an army of Orcs to free his half-sister, and the renegades flee to the Jade Ocean, where Sandor leaves Irina in Hashima and departs. Irina quickly befriends the native Naga and assists them in destroying a Wolf trading port, before discovering she is pregnant with Gerhart's child.
Gerhart accuses Slava of orchestrating Sandor's attack, and the two dukes are called before the Emperor, where Slava's daughter Anastasya - Uriel's pupil and lover - kills Slava with a concealed knife before the court. Anton is crowned Duke, but the inquisition tries to force a confession from Anastasya, fearing she is in league with the Faceless; Anton elects to euthanize his sister before she can be tortured. He learns that Jorgen - one of Slava's former advisers - is an undercover Faceless, but not Slava's killer, while Anastasya is resurrected by Sveltana as an undead. Resolving to learn who manipulated her into slaying her father, she frees Jorgen from the inquisition before traveling onward to Heresh with her aunt. Meanwhile, Kiril finds himself abandoned in Sheogh by his mentor, the Archangel Sarah, with the soul of a demon prince sharing his body. Desperate to expunge the demon, he pursues Sarah as a renewed demon invasion begins.
Sveltana is kidnapped by Anastasya's rival, Miranda. Suspecting her of Slava's murder, Anastasya kills Miranda, and she explains that Anastasya was controlled with a comb empowered by Faceless magic. Irina ransacks the Wolf duchy, slaughtering Gerhart, and both she and Sandor devote their resources to the eradication of the demons. Michael dispatches Anton to assist Gerhart against the Naga, but Anton soon learns the Duke has already been killed. Using the comb, Anastasya enters the mind of her betrayer: Uriel, who had sought to use her soul to reincarnate his mother. Enraged, Anastasya destroys Uriel's mind, and both he and Emperor Liam are slain in battle, leaving Anton to eliminate the remaining demons. Kiril finally apprehends Sarah, who reveals she sold Kiril's soul to the demons in order to cripple the Faceless by destroying their repository of knowledge; Kiril usurps the repository and frees himself of possession, while Sveltana discovers that Pavel's soul was used to resurrect Michael.
With the demons overcome, Michael appeals to the Griffin heirs to assist him in ending his war against darkness. If the alignment of the player's chosen heir is Tears, the heir rejects Michael's calls to arms and leads armies against the Angels, alongside Cate. Michael is killed in battle and Cate succeeds in sending the remaining deceased Angels' souls to Elrath, but the ritual ultimately results in her death. Alternatively, if the heir's alignment is Blood, they launch an offensive against Cate, sponsored by Michael, and succeed in slaying her to apparently prevent the impending conflict.
In both instances, the Griffins lament Cate's death and bury her with Slava, while Jorgen conspires with the Dark Elf Raelag to instigate the war against Elrath in the wake of her absence.
Development
Heroes VI was hinted at as early as June 2009, in video developer diaries for Might & Magic: Clash of HeroesMight & Magic: Clash of Heroes
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes is a puzzle role-playing adventure video game in the Might and Magic franchise, developed for the Nintendo DS by Capybara Games and published by Ubisoft Entertainment. It was first announced in May 2009, and released on December 1, 2009...
: Le Breton and fellow producer Romain de Waubert wore shirts sporting a Might and Magic: Heroes VI logo. In an interview with PlanetDS.de, the producers dropped further hints relating to the project's existence, with de Waubert stating "I’m such a fan of Might & Magic that I wear its future like a second skin, very close to my heart."
According to Le Breton, Nival Interactive were considered to reprise their role as series developer, but Ubisoft could not agree on a common vision with the Heroes V team, most of whom had already been transferred to work on Allods Online
Allods Online
Allods Online is a free-to-play 3D fantasy MMORPG developed by Astrum Nival and published by Astrum Nival in Russia and Turkey, Gala-Net in North America, Cayenne Tech in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau, Gala Networks Europe in Europe, and Level Up! Games in Brazil and the Philippines.The fourth in...
; Black Hole Entertainment impressed Ubisoft as experienced, talented and passionate people, and were selected to create the sequel. Olivier Ledroit
Olivier Ledroit
Olivier Ledroit is a French comic book artist, perhaps best known for his work on the Black Moon Chronicles series. He has also worked on art designs in the Might and Magic franchise....
is again collaborating with Ubisoft on the game's art direction, and community suggestions are being heavily incorporated via a private forum.
Though expected to be first unveiled at Gamescom 2010, numerous screenshots and the teaser trailer prepared for the announcement were leaked and posted early at fansite Heroes Community, several days prior to the official press release.
On May 24, 2011, it was announced that the alpha version of the game was complete and that the first public beta testing will start in June. On June 6, the date was confirmed as June 28.
Soundtrack
Rob KingRob King
Rob King has composed the music for the Heroes of Might and Magic series. He also created music and character sound effects for Everquest: Gates of Discord for Sony Online...
and Paul Romero
Paul Romero
Paul Anthony Romero is an American computer and video game music composer and classical pianist who has won awards for his work.-Background:...
, who were responsible for the sound design and music composition on all previous entries in the Heroes series and four of their sister role-playing video games
Might and Magic
Might and Magic is a series of role-playing video games from New World Computing, which in 1996 became a subsidiary of The 3DO Company...
, returned to work on the game alongside new composers Jason Graves
Jason Graves
Jason Graves is an award-winning American television, film and video game music composer. He is more recently known for his musical score for Dead Space, a survival horror-action video game.-Biography:...
and Rick Knight. The soundtrack consists of several new compositions and a "medley of iconic themes" from previous Might and Magic games, including Heroes of Might and Magic II
Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars
Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars is a turn-based strategy video game developed by Jon Van Caneghem through New World Computing and published in 1996 by the 3DO Company. The game is the second installment of the Heroes of Might and Magic series and is typically credited as the...
, III
Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia
Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia is a turn-based strategy game developed by Jon Van Caneghem through New World Computing for Microsoft Windows and released by the 3DO Company in 1999. An Apple Macintosh port was released by 3DO, and a Linux port was released by Loki...
and V
Heroes of Might and Magic
Heroes of Might and Magic is a series of video games originally created and developed by Jon Van Caneghem through New World Computing. As part of the Might and Magic franchise, the series changed ownership when NWC was acquired by 3DO and again when 3DO closed down and sold the rights to Ubisoft...
, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, additionally subtitled Elements on Xbox 360, is a first-person action game developed by Arkane Studios and Floodgate Entertainment. Kuju Entertainment developed the multiplayer mode...
, Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes is a puzzle role-playing adventure video game in the Might and Magic franchise, developed for the Nintendo DS by Capybara Games and published by Ubisoft Entertainment. It was first announced in May 2009, and released on December 1, 2009...
and Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven
Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven
Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven, commonly abbreviated to Might and Magic VI or simply MM6, is a role-playing video game developed by New World Computing and published by 3DO in 1998...
. The music of the Heroes series was featured at 2010's Video Games Live
Video Games Live
Video Games Live is a concert series created and produced by industry veterans and video game composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall. The concerts consist of segments of video game music performed by a live orchestra with video footage and synchronized lighting and effects, as well as several...
concert series in order to help promote the game, and Romero performed a smaller concert exclusive to Hungarian fans of the series in November 2011, shortly after Heroes VIs release.