Might and Magic® 8: Day of the Destroyer™

Ok, I will have to confess... I played this M&M before I played any others, but I enjoyed it. This is definitely a game that I replay quite a bit, and I have played it quite a bit since I got this game on a disc format. this game is definitely one for RPG players and definitely one to add to the wishlist. The gameplay is relatively simple, run around, kill creatures, level up, get stronger armor/equipment, save the world. Simple, yet not as easy as it seems. Getting off Dagger wound island is a task in itself. And then there are all the other sidequests, main quest portions, promotional quests, the list goes on. The artifacts that you can get in a game may not always be the same ones (although quest items will always be where you find it the first time), so there is replayability. The graphics in this game are good, and still holds today. Animations can get a little strange, but most of the time, people do some funny things with the creature/NPC animations. There is a bit of a letdown, however. There is no final boss that you must defeat, who is insanely difficult. However, there is a dungeon that does that for you anyway (you have to figure out how, it's optional, and I have never been bothered to find it.) But the game itself is (generally) very smooth and progressional. Also, it has consequential quests. For example, 2 quests are riding on 1 item, and depending on what you do with the item will result in very different results and consequences (I'm trying hard not to spoil the game, so that you can figure it out yourself). Another part of this game is the in-game Acromage, which is quite peculiar. It is strange, and while this is not the first iteration of the game, it melds into a sidequest. Oh, and yes, you do win money (only once!) if you win the game, and yes, it's reeeeeeeeally addictive. Overall, the game is a great game for the franchise. A game that every RPG fan should pick up.

Possible fix for the Crash at Escaton Palace. I searched for solutions to see what was available before purchase; at $1.50 on sale, I think it's worth it. I found this solution: Go to the game's music folder and add a 16.mp3. If it still crashes, add a 1.mp3. I assume you would add any mp3, just change the name. I hope this helps... Here is where I found the info, if anyone's interested. I don't know if I can post likes, so you'll have to add the two dots... https://forum.speeddemosarchivecom/post/might_and_magic_8_day_of_the_destroyer_76html

If you know nothing of the might and magic series, but love old dungeon crawlers and RPGs, give a chance to might and magic 7. I think that is the best introduction to the world and the gameplay. These games are extremely chill to play, I found myself installing one of them every year in the past 20 years. Notable mention that these were basically one of the first open-world games: not entirely true since the global map was cut up to smaller segments so the hw can handle it, but you could roam freely on the world map right from the start, and they even had a fly spell Might and magic 8 was the weakest of the MM6-7-8 (the three last pre-Ubisoft might and magic games, not mentioning the infamous MM9), shallower locations, npcs, quests, but still somehow entertaining. Why I still urge you to buy it is because of the MM678 merge mod. It only needs MM8, but as the name suggest merges all the three games with an added minor storyline. It also contains every visual upgrades other mods provide =resolution mods, better controls, unofficial patches), and you can freely move between Jadame, Enroth and Antagarich. It also fixes and balances things, for example you can reach level 140, but the enemies gets bolstered above 50, so the challenge remains (opposed to the vanilla games where you can easily get overpowered after a few hours if you have experience with the games). Also if you do this please buy the other 2 games too. You don't need to, but it is only fair. This is the best way to experience these games, even if you just want to play one story.

I held off on downloading this because of so many bad reviews but am pleasantly surprised. Though not finished, I can't stop playing. It seems like there's always some greater challenge to face, some point to learning new skills and hunting down special equipment. The changes to the character system are interesting, allowing you to swap out characters and meet new allies as you progress but otherwise character creation is largely unchanged.

Might & Magic VIII is a verery good game, most bad reviews of the time came from its totally outdated graphics, but in fact I think it's combination of 3D & Sprites nowadays makes it age slower than other pure 3D games. It's a bit of a departure to previous installements, as you only create your main character, all the others must be recrouted en route. What makes M&M VIII so unique is the fact that most of the Hero Classes in this game are generally used as villains or at least ennemies in other games, only the Cleric & the Knight are retourning Hero Figures. The others are the Necromancer, Vampire, Minotaur, Troll, Dark Elf & ultimately the Dragon (!), wich is also the only Class you can't create right from the start. As always in the series created by NWC you'll also need to play the other games of the series to fully comprehend the backstory since it has tie-ins with its 2 predecessors as well as HoMM 3& 4 Pros: Very unusual Heroes Nice story which crosses over with the other M&M titles for newbies: easier at the beginning than the other installements Cons: Busted hero Classes: The dark Elf and the Dragon are Way to strong while the Mintaur and especially the Vampire are way to weak Might be too easy for experienced M&M players Recycled Arcomage Quest (although the Arcomage game itself is quite fun to play)