This is... a very controversial game.
I've played all the Heroes games, and I, probably, wouldn't recommend this one to anyone, even though I had my fun. I played mostly out of curiosity. It was fascinating to explore this part of the series.
Played on Windows 11, with Unofficial Community Patch. No issues there.
Towns:
There are 7 different factions in the game, and every town image looks like a crappy jpg. They're completely unattractive to look at.
The building layout is also poor.
Towns of any faction are built according to the same layout, but the placement of identical buildings constantly jumps.
Units:
They're generally pleasing; they often have unique features (especially with UCP).
They almost always have interesting designs... which you can't really see!
Yes, they added an encyclopedia (great feature) in this game... but it doesn't have 3D unit models, but rather their artwork.
Battlefield:
Unlike other games, the battlefield size is constantly changing... that's all, this change has little effect.
Combat:
Luck and Morale are still in the game.
Luck is 150% damage, and Morale is now a extra HALF-turn (the unit moves halfway and deals half damage).
Flank attacks have been added (from the side +25% and from behind +50%) - and this is a bad decision.
This doesn't add any tactical options; you just always attack from behind if you can. Defending yourself from such attacks is also impossible. Battles turn into round dances, with everyone constantly running around each other.
Leveling:
Each faction has 6 hero classes (3 might, 3 magic).
In this part of the series, each hero has predetermined skills they can level up, and to what extent.
A warrior will never be able to level up magic skills high enough, and vice versa.
The skills themselves are leveled in a desired order. This system... leads to each class having its own optimal strategy, and you will always follow it. That is, 6 options per faction... overall, not bad, but very... monotonous and too straightforward.
The skills themselves are sometimes quite interesting in concept... but rather weak in effect. (For example, the Metamagic skill—reducing damage from all sources by 2-20 points—is extremely insignificant, and over time, it will become completely negligible.)
Global Map:
There's plenty of visual variety; during the campaign, I occasionally encountered some truly beautiful sights... and this is in a strategy game!
True, this happened much less frequently than I would have liked, but discomfort during gameplay was constant.
The need to constantly rotate the camera, in my opinion, doesn't do the game any favors.
Campaigns:
I completed all 7 original campaigns, as well as the Dwarf and Ivan campaigns from the DLC. Occasionally, I encountered softlocks, which forced me to use the game's built-in cheats (I didn't want to replay the mission).
The campaigns give you plenty of opportunity to play as your chosen faction.
The story in each individual campaign ranges from decent to downright silly. If you play through it, it's best to focus on the factions you're interested in and ignore the plot.
The final campaign of the original game unlocks after completing any two, but each completed campaign grants some kind of bonus for the finale.
And finally, my personal pet peeve... the game has terrible... color correction?
Because of this, I found it difficult to watch 95% of the time.
