. WW: January 29, 2015Mode(s),Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia (commonly referred to as Heroes of Might & Magic 3, or simply Heroes 3) is a game developed by through originally released for by in. Its to several computer and console systems followed in 1999-2000. It is the third installment of the series. The game's story is first referenced throughout and serves as a prequel to.
The player can choose to play through seven different campaigns telling the story, or play in a scenario against computer or human opponents.The gameplay is very similar to its predecessors in that the player controls a number of heroes that command an army of creatures inspired by myth and legend. The gameplay is divided into two parts, overland exploration and a turn-based combat system. The player creates an army by spending resources at one of the eight town types in the game. The hero progresses in by engaging in combat with enemy heroes and monsters.
The conditions for victory vary depending on the map, including conquest of all enemies and towns, collection of a certain amount of a resource, or finding the artifact.Heroes III was released to universal acclaim and was praised by critics. The game received the expansion packs and., a series of short introductory games based on the Heroes III engine, was also released. A special version of Heroes III titled Heroes III Complete, which included the original game and both expansion packs, was released in 2000. On December 10, 2014, announced an HD version of the game. The new version features updated graphics as well as widescreen compatibility and was released on January 29, 2015 for,.
However, the expansions have not been re-released because their is lost. Contents.Gameplay Gameplay consists of strategic exploration on the world map and tactical turn-based combat.
As with the series in general, the player controls a number of 'heroes' who act as generals and command troops comprising various types of creatures inspired by myth and legend. The player can complete or 'win' a map by completing the objectives set out by the creator of the map. Objectives may include conquering all the towns in the map, gathering a set amount of resources, or piecing together a puzzle to find the artifact.
If a player loses all of their towns they will have seven game days to capture a new town. If they fail to do so they lose and the game ends. If a player loses all their heroes and towns, they will lose the game. There are two 'layers' to the world map: the aboveground and the underground. There are typically subterranean gateways that lead to and from the underground. Maps are filled with a huge variety of buildings, treasures, monsters, mines and so forth that reward extensive exploration. At the very least, a player must locate mines and flag them (whereupon they provide constant resources), since these resources are required to develop towns.
The player must also develop his heroes' skills, both by battling creatures (and enemy heroes) and by acquiring artifacts or visiting special locations. Heroes are given a choice of skills to upgrade upon, as well as becoming better at combat or using magic. The skills must be chosen carefully, since they are permanent and only a limited number of skills can be learned. Towns. The Necropolis town is the home of Necromancers and Death KnightsThe player's towns serve many functions, but most importantly they allow recruitment of creatures to form armies. Towns also provide funds, new spells and a fortified location to make a last stand against an invading enemy hero.
To build new structures within a town requires gold and usually one or more type of resource. Wood and ore are needed for most structures, but more expensive buildings also require rarer resources (mercury, crystal, gems or sulfur). All factions require a disproportionate quantity of just one of these special resources, making the acquisition of a corresponding mine essential to victory. This same resource is also needed when hiring the most powerful creatures available to that faction. Each faction also has a handful of unique structures available only to them. If a player finds the Grail artifact, he can deliver it to a town to make that town the Grail's permanent home by creating a special structure.
The Grail bestows greatly increased creature growth and weekly income, in addition to a bonus unique to the town. The eight different castles available in Heroes III are classified as good, evil, and neutral.
Each town has seven basic creatures, each of which can be upgraded to a more powerful variant. Each town also features two associated hero types: one that leans more toward might (combat), and one that leans more toward magic.Plot The game's story unfolds primarily through a series of seven playable campaigns, all set upon the continent of Antagarich.
During the campaigns, the story is told from alternating points of view, giving players the opportunity to play as each of the town alignments.Following the disappearance of King Roland Ironfist of Enroth prior to, his wife, Queen Catherine, is left to rule the realm. In the meantime, her father, King Gryphonheart of Erathia, is assassinated. Without their beloved King, the kingdom of Erathia falls to the dark forces of Nighon and Eeofol. Queen Catherine returns home to Antagarich seeking to rally the people of her homeland and lead them against the evil that has ravaged their nation.Erathia's capital of Steadwick is sacked by the dungeon lords of Nighon and the Kreegans of Eeofol. Meanwhile, the nations of Tatalia and Krewlod skirmish at the western border, seizing the chance to expand their territory. Catherine's first task is to establish a foothold in the conquered kingdom by enlisting the aid of allies.
The of Bracada and the of AvLee answer her call, and together they push towards Steadwick and eventually retake it, quickly quelling the border war in the west. Soon after, Lucifer Kreegan, a commander in the Eeofol armies, sends an envoy to Erathia claiming that Roland Ironfist is captive within their territories. AvLee invades Eeofol, but fails to rescue Roland, who is transported to. Afterwards, Catherine invades Nighon, pushing the dungeon armies back to their island home.In the meantime, the of Deyja, having been responsible for the assassination of King Gryphonheart, plot to revive his corpse as a.
They plan to use his wisdom in leading their own armies of the undead. However, King Gryphonheart's will proves too much for the necromancers even in his corrupted state, and he becomes a rogue lich. Having little other recourse, Queen Catherine is forced to ally herself with the necromancers and together they set out to destroy the lich of King Gryphonheart before he becomes too powerful.A final bonus campaign, accessible only after the main campaigns are complete, tells the story of separatists living in the Contested Lands, a war-torn border between Erathia and AvLee. Tired of the skirmishes that bring unrest to their homelands, they join together to fight for independence from the two large kingdoms. It is later implied that this rising was orchestrated by Archibald Ironfist, the antagonist of.Release The game was originally released for PC on March 3, 1999. An port was released by 3DO, and a port was released by, both in late December that year. In, a port entitled was released, but a port was cancelled.Expansion packs.
Main articles: andTwo official were released for Heroes III. The first of these expansions, introduced a ninth town alignment, the Conflux; a random scenario generator, a variety of new creatures, heroes, and structures; and six new playable campaigns.The second expansion, was a stand-alone expansion that included Restoration of Erathia and added seven new playable campaigns and a variety of new artifacts, including Combination Artifacts. Combination Artifacts were extremely powerful items assembled by collecting a specific set of lesser artifacts.Complete edition In 2000, a bundle containing Heroes III and both expansion packs was released as Heroes III Complete. More than just bundling the original game discs, however, this release reworked the game's installation process as well as its in-game menus to reflect a unified product. Heroes of Might & Magic III – HD Edition On January 29, 2015, about 15 years after the original release of Heroes of Might & Magic III, released a new version of the game compatible with PCs as well as. The expansion packs were not included because the source code for those releases was lost.
Reception Sales Heroes of Might and Magic III entered 's weekly computer game sales charts at #3 for the February 28-March 6 period. It held the position for another two weeks, before exiting the weekly top 10 in its fourth week. It was the United States' second-best-selling computer game of March 1999. PC Data, which tracked sales in the United States, reported that Heroes III had sold 185,553 copies by September 2000. The combined global sales of the Heroes series had reached 1.5 million copies by December 1999. Critical reviews ReceptionAggregate scoreAggregatorScore87%Review scoresPublicationScore4.5 out of 59.1 out of 10.9.0 out of 105 out of 58.8/10Heroes III was praised by critics, receiving an average score of 87% in.reviewed the PC version of the game, rating it four stars out of five, and stated that 'While realtime strategy withers on the vine, with many recent releases lackluster at best, HoMM reminds us that turn-based play is alive and well. In fact, it's hard to remember why people said turn-based was dead in the first place.'
's Robert Coffey said that the game 'expands upon the insanely addictive play of the previous edition, retaining the core gameplay while enhancing almost every facet of the game'. He continued to say that the game is 'mind-boggling in its depth', but criticized its uneven campaign pacing and 'sluggish' connection speeds during online play.
He concluded: 'Ultimately, the rewards of Heroes of Might and Magic III far outweigh its few drawbacks. This is a game that strategy fans should absolutely be playing'.Heroes of Might and Magic III was a finalist for 's 1999 'Strategy Game of the Year' prize, although it lost to.
The editors wrote that Heroes of Might and Magic III 'keeps this series running on all cylinders. There’s nothing radically different here, but what would you change?' Soundtrack The soundtrack was well-received. References. Last accessed on January 28, 2006. ^. March 3, 1999.
Archived from on January 18, 2000. Retrieved October 16, 2019.3DO Sends Two Out The Door: '3DO announced today that Heroes of Might and Magic III.has shipped for the PC.' December 10, 2014. Archived from on December 18, 2014.
Retrieved December 10, 2014. December 10, 2014.
Archived from on March 11, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
January 29, 2015. Archived from on January 11, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2015. Might & Magic Heroes VII. December 9, 2014. Archived from on March 11, 2015.
Retrieved August 5, 2015. Fudge, James (March 16, 1999). Archived from on April 6, 2005. Fudge, James (March 25, 1999). Archived from on April 6, 2005.
Staff (April 5, 1999). Archived from on June 19, 2000. Fudge, James (April 16, 1999). Archived from on April 7, 2005. Jones, George (September 2000). ' Call to Power 2; The Numbers Racket'.
(194): 54, 55. (Press release).:. December 21, 1999. Archived from on April 25, 2001.
^. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
^ from. ^ from. ^ 'Finals'.
P. 92. Dykes, Alan (March 31, 1999). Archived from on October 2, 2000.
Coffey, Robert (July 1, 1999). Archived from on August 16, 2000. Retrieved April 14, 2010. Staff (March 6, 2000). Archived from on March 24, 2005.External links.
at. Heroes of Might and Magic Wiki.