This game is a big let-down in comparison to other games in the series and its time of release. Many innovations were presented, and I can't name even one that pleased me. Basically this looks like other Heroes of Might & Magic games. You control cities and heroes, each hero take an army along with which you wage war against opposing players and neutral denizens spread on the map. Whoever fills all requirements (conquers all towns, finds a given artifact, slays a given monster) wins the game. I'd like to add that the graphics feel dated for a 2004 game. The choice for 3D rendered sprites wasn't great to begin with in 1999 (Heroes 3), in 2004 it was just wrong. Armies look like Killer Instinct characters, with glossy light reflecting skins. This is a serious flaw. Much older games have much better graphics. Innovations you'll find in comparison to other installments: - Battle maps are larger and come in more diverse forms. Other installments present a hexgrid very similar in all battles. This doesn't feel like an improvement though, it's just different. - Long range attackers will hit whoever is front of them, not just their intended targets. That adds confusion to the old strategy used in Heroes games, and actually decreases the usefulness of long range attacks, because you can't protect them adequately with a line of brawlers. - The Heroes fight along with their armies. This is hardly an improvement, although it apparently makes sense. - Neutral monsters will chase Heroes over the map. This is hardly an improvement, it's just a change from older installments that makes harder and less predictable to explore the map. - You'll have to choose paths for your town improvements. This is another confusing factor in your Heroes 4 strategy. All these "innovations" were dropped in Heroes 5 for a reason (except for the Heroes participating in the battle, which functions differently anyway). So, if you want a great Heroes fix, I suggest you try any other installment.
