Heroes of Might and Magic V
A 3D reboot of the turn-based strategy series in the Ashan setting.
Heroes of Might and Magic V is the fifth installment of the Heroes of Might and Magic fantasy turn-based strategy video game series. Released by Ubisoft in 2006, it was the first game in the series to use fully 3D computer graphics, and introduced a brand-new setting called Ashan with no continuity to previous titles. The game was developed by Russian studio Nival Interactive under Ubisoft's guidance.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Heroes of Might and Magic V
- Developer
- Nival InteractiveFreeverse Software developed the Mac OS X version.
- Publisher
- Ubisoft
- Designer
- Alexander Mishulin
- Programmer
- Oleg Ovechkin
- Artist
- Andrey Supryaga · Kirill Naumov · Victor Surkov
- Composer
- Rob King · Paul Romero
- Writer
- Jeff Spock
- Series
- Heroes of Might and Magic
- Engine
- Silent Storm Engine
- Released
- Windows / EU · May 19, 2006 · NA · May 23, 2006OS X / February 28, 2007
- Genre
- Turn-based strategy, role-playing
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Heroes of Might and Magic V takes place in the new fantasy world of Ashan, created after Ubisoft acquired the Might and Magic franchise from the bankrupt 3DO Company. The game features six factions: Haven (humans of the Holy Griffin Empire), Inferno (demons of Sheogh), Necropolis (undead worshippers of a twisted spider dragon), Dungeon (dark elves of Ygg-Chall), Sylvan (elves of Irollan), and Academy (wizards of the Silver Cities). Each faction has a unique racial skill, such as Haven's ability to train soldiers or Inferno's Gating to summon temporary reinforcements. The campaign follows heroes from each faction, including Queen Isabel and Godric for Haven, the demon Agrael for Inferno, the necromancer Markal for Necropolis, the warlock Raelag for Dungeon, the diplomat Findan for Sylvan, and the young arch-mage Zehir for Academy.
Reader's Guide
Heroes of Might and Magic V marked a significant turning point for the series by transitioning from 2D isometric graphics to a fully 3D engine, a first for the franchise. Its commercial success—reaching number one on sales charts in Germany, France, and the UK, and selling over 350,000 units by June 2006—demonstrated strong market demand after the series' hiatus following 3DO's closure. The game's skill system introduced racial skills with ultimate abilities, and heroes could learn up to five regular skills alongside their racial skill. Two expansion packs followed: Hammers of Fate (2006) added the Dwarven Fortress faction and a random map generator, while the stand-alone Tribes of the East (2007) introduced the Stronghold faction and alternate unit upgrades. The game's reception was generally favorable according to Metacritic, and it laid the groundwork for a sequel, Might & Magic Heroes VI, announced in 2010.
Did You Know?
- Ubisoft bought the Might and Magic franchise for USD$1.3 million after 3DO filed for bankruptcy.
- The game introduced a new setting called Ashan with no continuity to previous Heroes titles.
- The expansion Tribes of the East brought the total number of creatures to 177.
More in Turn-Based Strategy Games, Further Titles 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced