Heroes of Might and Magic 3, the iconic and arguably never-bettered strategic fantasy role-playing game, is being remade by Ubisoft for release on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X at some point next year. Related: the Complete Edition of Heroes of Might and Magic 3 is now available on Steam for the first time.
Heroes of Might & Magic 3 Remake was announced during Gamescom Opening Night Live yesterday. The game has been rebuilt in Ubisoft’s Snowdrop engine and the results are plain to see: a 3D world instead of a 2D one, filled with detail, shifting seasons and weather effects, and all-new animations. There are also “a range” of quality of life improvements and new features coming, Ubisoft said in a press release.
Importantly, this is as much about preserving the original experience as updating it. To that end, improved editor tools and a new in-game user-generated content hub are being developed, and existing maps and campaigns created by players already are apparently compatible with this version of the game. This package also includes the two expansions, Armageddon’s Blade and The Shadow of Death.
IGN already has a preview of the Heroes of Might and Magic 3 Remake, and mentions a user interface revamp that’s especially helpful in the build-your-base part of the game, and describes the game as “a true top-to-bottom remake of the game in terms of visuals while leaving the gameplay relatively untouched”.
Screenshots from the Heroes of Might and Magic 3 Remake.
RPG Site has a preview as well and reiterates that in terms of gameplay, this is “almost one-for-one” with the original Heroes of Might and Magic 3 game – everything you remember from the original is here. RPG Site also heard this remake was put into development at the same time as Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era – a retro-styled prequel game that’s in early access and published by Hooded Horse – which seems a little cannibalistic to me.
Nevertheless, it’s an exciting return for the ‘ride around a fantasy land collecting an army, building a base, and then fighting in chess-like turn-based battles’ game, which has cast a long shadow since it was first released in 1999. Ubisoft has continued the Heroes of Might and Magic series itself to varying degrees of success, but there have also been new contenders emerge in the King’s Bounty series and, more recently, Songs of Conquest. Witcher spin-off Thronebreaker was more than a little inspired by the series as well.
