Love the game, the artstyle(!) and the campaign, im recently having alot of fun w the PvP again, this game is intricate and very fun.
Star deductions for being built in Unity (devs should have known better) and for the lack of a campaign in the new DLC
This game definitely scratches the same itch as HoMM 3 for me. Unit size limits made the combat more interesting for me, tbh.
I was not a die-hard HoMM3 fan though, i just enjoyed the occasional match. So take this with a grain of salt, y'all die-hard fans.
Played through the first Campaign (There are 2, currently, with 4 missions each. Not very long) and the story was OK. Surely, there will be more added later.
Played some skirmishes and the differences in units felt very good. The new spell system is compelling and makes you look at party composition much more intensely (Units generate different kinds of 'mana' to spend).
Spellcasters seems way overpowered later in the game because of 'mana' bonuses, maybe there are some tweaks/balance needed. Just my opinion.
The graphics are absolutely GORGEOUS if you're into pixel art. I love it. Very detailed and reminds me of Octopath Traveler. Every hero gets their own overworld miniature. It's adorable.
Economics and unit creation is very nice and progression feels good. Unit 'promotion' feels really good and has big impact.
Overall:
Campaign: 3.5/5 (Please revise the songs in between missions, cringy af)
Gameplay: 5/5
Graphics: 5/5 (For pixel graphics)
If you liked HoMM3, it's definitely worth checking out for the standard price tag.
Loved it so far, even though I've played it for only 10+ hours. The game did sort of lag for me a few times but I rebooted it and it got fixed. Hopefully, they'll clear all the hiccups when it's fully done.
Overall as my initial first impression, I would rate it as follows:
Story: Quite immersive - Good
Graphics: Really well-done pixel style. Even if you don't like pixels I would give it a go.
Sound/Music: Good and very good at times.
Gameplay: Not easy, but good, I feel like they added their own spin on the strategic placement of your troops.
For this price - Just get it even if you'll end up playing it for only 10 or so hours. It's worth it.
I played HoMM 1-5 a lot. In my opinion this game is easier to get into than for example HoMM 3. The unit stacks solve issues and encourage to have more interesting armies. One of my campaign armies had 6 stacks of Milita and rocked, at the same time my other hero got all the got melee creatures.
You have to get used to the spell system, but it works and it is less of a gamble, because you know which spells are when accessible for you.
So far I played through the first campaing on normal. Wasn't difficult, but also not too easy. I am looking forward to the next campaign.
I bought the game after simultanous turns where announced - that is a must have feature for multiplayer.
Incredible sound design, detailed pixel-art visuals, unique feel to each of the factions, and enough variation from the HOMM3 formula to feel new without breaking anything in a negative way. A fantastic piece of work from these devs that I hope continues to thrive in the coming years.