Heroes of Might and Magic® 4: Complete

HOMM III brough the classic formula to perfection, so the only way to make a worthy successor was to rethink the whole game. HOMM IV was a bold attempt to evolve the series and, despite all its shortcomings, for the most a succesful one. It features the best campaigns of the whole franchise, and offers the most strategic options among all the Heroes titles (which are usually quite shallow under this regard, the strategic layer being just a sort of pretext for the engaging tactical battles; unfortunately this makes also more apparent the traditional weakness of HOMM's strategic AI). Having the hero in the field makes the tactical encounters more interesting, even if there are issues with the later campaign maps as the heroes themselves becomes by then killing machines of Doom (to be honest this is a long-standing issue with HOMM, never really addressed. The possibility given by HOMM IV to go after the hero in the tactical map is probably the closest attempt to fix this "honestly"). As a long-term fan of the series, I believe that HOMM IV is a turning point and a missed opportunity (HoMM V and VI are just inferior versions of HoMMIII, even if the V is not a bad game by itself)

Back when this game was brand-new, people liked to criticize it for not being like 3. Nowadays it is much easier to judge it as its own game - slightly janky and without a good budget, especially for its expansions, simpler yet still with an incredible potential due to how the heroes themselves are designed as units rather than leaders. If you want something familiar yet different that offers a new experience and perspective to the other games in the series, give it a shot.

Awesome old school game still looks great and it has a good soundtrack

Most people dislike 4 because your Heroes can die in battle...which is the stupidest reason ever. This was the best HOMM hands down. It was very innovative while keeping true to the franchise. The art style, combat, soundtrack were all excellent.

I know that fanboys and fangirls may frown upon a title like this but yeah it's my favlorite and I played them all. I loved the possibilities and flexibility brought by the new game mechanics and how the hero was made more important. My cousin and I used to beat entire armies with just our heroes. It gave me a sense of adventure such as no HOMM did before. And the music.. So beautiful. I loved HOMM3 which remains a masterpiece but HOMM4 holds a special place in my heart.