The title of my review says the most important things already; I did enjoy wandering through the areas quite alot, it had something cozy to it and the jokes regularly made me chuckle. I also appreciate that the game has a bit less grind than previous M&M titles. Sadly, the story is thin as ice and the dialogues are not really worth playing the game; which could have been so much more.
A really lovely combination of Survival, RPG and Strategy! I think the moment my village had a marriage and the people there partied so hard, that a demon showed up the next day and simply wnated to stay, and with that became a playable character was the moment I fell in love with this gem. I admit, I had to get used to the wacky humor of the writing at first, but it quickly grew on me. I also appreciate how progressive the game is and the underlying views on how to live together and all are pretty good imo
I enjoyed the gameplay, music, artstyle and overall fairy-tale fantasy atmosphere of it all; the diversity of characters/heroes is fantastic and I also enjoy how it absolutely embraces all sorts of fantasy flavours, be it the violent, horrible demons, the pure evil necromancers on the one side, but angels in shining armour and unicorns with golden manes on the other side. The develöpers back then really didn't shy away from many things which would have been decried as "cringe" or "edgy" nowadays. My only grief with the game is, that the stories are all bare bones and not really transported in an interesting way (That starts with the Heroes Chronicles). Which is doubly a shame, because I enjoyed the ideas of the storylines very much, be it the fire witch, be it Mutares journey to become a dragon or Sandros plots. I'd totally read a novel series based on these ideas, since in the game, they're just a barebones set-dressing.
Heroes Chronicles is really good, I enjoyed the writing and Tarnums journey across the lands and the ages, his inner workings and the figures he met on the way. I kind of wish the HoMM3 base game and addons would have been more like that. It seems to be the bridge between HoMM3 and HoMM4 and I'm probably one of the very few people who prefer HoMM4 over HoMM3; the reason is, that I generally prefer games with a focus on narrative than games which lack one.
As a big fan of Amnesia and Layers of Fear, I quickly fell in love with this game; it is a typical first person horror adventure with chase scenes, (easy) puzzles and a more or less mysterious plot which needs to be uncovered step by step. I personally really enjoy such games and Ad Infinitum even comes with a very thorough, and understanding, even empathetic, look at World War 1 and the years around it. A central theme, I'd say, is the infinitely ongoing generational trauma both leading to the war and stemming from it; and it's up to the player to decide to continue it or break it. I think the writers really understood the sociology and psychology behind all that. I also liked the artistic decisions; from level and monster design to the useage of lighting and anything else. Beyond that, I think the puzzles were a tad too easy and in some cases I had a few bugs which need polish; nothing was game breaking though and more on a cosmetic level annoying. (Like doors which slightly open, but are meant to be closed and locked. With hovering signs where they actually should be)
This game reminded me of gaming back in the late 1990s and early 2000s; which is a very good thing. Particularly as a fan of Jagged Alliance 2, I was incredibly happy how JA3 turned out, it delivered on everything I want from this game series, from gameplay, over the plot to the humour! The devs did a fantastic job. Additionally, it has mod support which is also always a plus point in my book.
My main motivator to look into the Might & Magic RPGs was twofold; 1. I generally like CRPGs and 2. I like the HoMM series However, I admit, so far I found the M&M RPGs to be mostly mediocre, they do have charme and really interesting ideas, but the goofy humour, the paper thin stories and the focus on grind as well as 90% combat turned me off mostly. I do think, if someone wants an indepth, tactical and story rich experience, this series is not for them. Atleast until VII, I don't know VIII upwards yet.
Not my most favourite kind of RPGs, too much grind and combat, too little story, but for what they want to be, they do an excellent job. If they're your kind of game. Something which I think is fascinating, is the importance of mapping out the worlds by yourself, and how this was even used for puzzles.
A really challenging and also charming game.
