Gaming History: Heroes of Might and Magic 4 “The underdog of Might and Magic”

Heroes of Might and Magic 4 generates two reactions from people. One is outrage and the other one is a sense of nostalgia for a game that maybe wasn’t great, maybe wasn’t balanced, but at least it tried new things. And hey, some of them were amazing.
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(Game Description) Heroes of Might and Magic 4 is a turn-based strategy game developed by Gus Smedstad through New World Computing and published by the 3DO Company for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers in 2002. A Macintosh port was subsequently developed by Contraband Entertainment and released by the 3DO Company. The fourth installment of the popular Heroes of Might and Magic franchise, it is the sequel to Heroes of Might and Magic III, and was the last to be developed by New World Computing.
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[@davekat]

This game had some flaws sure, but it was incredibly charming. Something draws you back from time to time to play it again. The music was amazing, and thematically the game was quite sound.

[@Vanetrik]

And imagine if NWC didn't bankrupt (they had to release it a lot earlier because of that)... would be soooo much better!

[@Qlicky]

I enjoyed it as much as HOMM III. It was different for sure, but I spent hundreds of hours with it, and Im thinking of going back for another spin.

[@lemonZzzzs]

oddly enough, 4 is my favorite of the series... I definitely had most fun with it. The writing is the best of the series, too (I count HoMM only here, not the M&M RPGs).

[@JinnYoungKim]

@fumanchu168 but graphics looks shit.

[@Strrroke]

And ost is just masterpiece.

[@eu29lex16]

@@JinnYoungKim "but graphics looks shit." That;s just your stupid opinion, H3 graphics are actually shit, they look like old and outdated 2D paper graphics .While H4 graphics are almost 3D and DAMN details and realistic for the time ! So, basically, I'm starting to consider that linking H3 this much is actually a illness ! If you think that H4 graphics are bad, and worse than H3 ones, then It's a illness.

[@eminturksezer9423]

Totally agree. 4 is way better than 5 6 7. In my opinion it's better than 3 - although 3 and 4 play completely different.

[@NinjaSushi2]

It is wonderful in it's own way. It has simple gameplay but a great strategy aspect. The music is soothing and lulls you into hours of play. The stories grip you with details and hold you with fascination. It makes you want to slug through each map just to hear more of that rich and wonderful story.

[@jbdbruybhdhcy]

Actually HOMM 4 was good. It's only hated for being different but it had some good ideas and refreshing changes.

[@KazkarMofy]

Hello!

[@jbdbruybhdhcy]

Sup

[@Mikebrowski]

I though the same, it has its charm and its worse things. I really enjoyed how hero was involved more.

[@malchir4036]

Not really. It had massive balance issues. I love the new hero system though.

[@DaDunge]

@@malchir4036 Yes because it was forced to ship half finished. The ideas weren't bad. It's a good game if you can keep yourself form using the exploits.

[@MrApmannen]

i love the fact that ur hero becomes a beast in the battlefield in heroes 4. To be able to roam the map with only ur hero and win over mighty opponents feels so good. the spellcasting in general feels rly nice aswell. i just wish there was better looking models and uppgrading like in heroes 3. with the way combat works i would like to see larger combat areas aswell so walls etc would look a tiny bit bigger. If they made a new heroes game i would love to see it made like a mix of heroes 4 and 3with weapon/armor models for ur hero and make the units look alot better. The astetics is such a big part for me when it comes to games and i rly rly love the way heroes 3 looks.

[@Save21]

Heroes of Might and Magic 4 ist the best game of the series. We played it thousands of hours ! My Big Love ! The Soundtrack has burned into my head and into my heart.

[@calendil]

Game sure need some magic balancing, and a bit polishing on character creature models, but I think this game was the biggest revolution on HoMM history. I loved the hero actually joining into fight, some creatures having their own spell book. The strategies that you can develop was infinite. It was letting you the play old HoMM3 style or something different if you want to.. It disturbed people. Haters hated, and following games, 5, 6, 7 are basically third game with better graphics and minor new tricks.

[@DaDunge]

@WiZZ-san Not to mention it got rid of all the heroes we knew and loved for some Warcraft 3 clone setting.

[@mm62330]

"They called me 'Ghoul', and 'Eater of Children' as they tied me to the stake."

[@alangrygar8562]

late comment, i know, but i loved the writing on Half-Dead more than any other campaign from that game, hands down

[@TheAttila1995]

@@alangrygar8562 It was my favourite campaign too for sure!

[@DaDunge]

@@alangrygar8562 They're all pretty good.

[@DaDunge]

"Yes we are barbarians yes we are sworn warriors, but a warrior is not just a killer, you need to have respect for life and an even greater respect for your ability to take it, otherwise you're just a murderer" and "To seek the blood seek the steel take the first step of many towards the wheel"

[@stefanburczymucha8772]

I've sunk three hundred hours into this game..probably more

[@Aivottaja]

The combined hours I've spend with HOMM2 and 3 must be close to a thousand..

[@semanticsamuel936]

What I really want is Heroes III with a caravan. Heroes III is my favourite of the games, but the caravan of IV was just too convenient that I find III too annoying to play now. Having to manually visit all the creature and resource buildings every week is tedious, and IV fixed that. IV also has a spectacular soundtrack and a nice art style, and consequently remains my favourite Heroes game (despite balance issues etc.).

[@Imhotephp]

Well, if you want something like that then HoMM 5 is just for you. It's like H3 but with caravans and better skill tree and with expansions it has a lot of versatility and innovation.

[@eu29lex16]

@@Imhotephp In heroes 5 the hero characters takes no damage, which is stupid, I ain't playing nonsensical stuff like that.

[@aathrael1372]

you absolutely nailed it. *tension rising* *capslock engaged* FInally someone producing content about homm that actually hits the nerve.. just great :) yes I know I'm late to the party

[@malcolmthorne9779]

4 was rough around the edges and you could tell that is was made on a shoestring budget. But it and 3 are probably my favourites in the series. 4 had the most fun gameplay while 3 was just artistically gorgeous to look at and listen to. And 4 did have some very good concepts going for it that I wish the others entries in the series, the later ones in particular, had kept and improved upon. The way that the heroes became an essential part of both combat and exploration in 4, moreso than they'd been before, was delightful. They were on to something great with this game. A shame that they lost the IP to Ubisuck. Literally any other studio would have done a better job of carrying the legacy of HOMM.

[@slick571]

The 4. Is my favourite and I dont get why ppl hate it.

[@drafura]

Same

[@branko2166]

The soundtrack was fantastic but I felt like they added too much micromanagement and unbalanced gameplay mechanics. For example, daily creature growth instead of weekly was a horrible idea, and abilities like the minotaur block were far too overpowered. This is just a tiny fraction of many more issues. On the plus side the Elwin campaign and story is my favourite in the entire series. My point is that while the game was superb in parts, there were plenty of genuine grievances.

[@Winnetou17]

@brank2166 Too much micromanagement ? Where's that ? You do remember that in H3 you don't have caravans, right ? And that you can do hero chains, which won't work in H4. What in H4 requires this level of micromanagement ? Also, when it comes to balance H4 blows H3, no questions asked. Speak of skills like eagle eye, scouting, the impact of morale and luck, the artifacts... maaan... remember that item that lets you have liches/power liches instead of skeletons ? How OP is that ? Or the Spirit of opression, rendering an entire skill (leadership) and several items almost useless. Oh, and Diplomacy. And Conflux OP, Inferno garbage. The list goes on. I actually don't mind any of these. As unbalanced as they are, they are fun. But don't say that H4 is unbalanced, as if it's unique to H4. It's miles ahead of H3 in this department.

[@Winnetou17]

Quantum era I see that you and other people say that H4 (or some stuff in it) is inbalanced. Can you provide some examples please ? I'm not denying there are imbalances, but from my experience I'd say that H3 was even more inbalanced. But that's just my opinion, and I didn't play any at competitive level, though I've watched and read some about H3, so I can't say I'm an expert.

[@JinnYoungKim]

Looks shit.

[@dicio4001]

I 100% agree with you about the half dead necromancer. The person who was hired to write the actual story and or designed the maps/world for him...amazing. I felt for the poor guy, such a sad and dramatic picture they drew for him. I absolutely loved reading his transcripts once they came up. I loved that it wasn't a "world epic save everything (or destroy)" kind of setup but it was just a guy who was tortured beyond limit and he was basically trying to get out of the depressing hole he was living in, trying to find a place in this world. The story was personal enough that you learned quite well what his motives where, what his thought process was, what he was feeling etc. Not many heroes give you this, its usually less about the hero and more about the overarcin 'epic' story. Hard to explain but that story in particular somehow clicked with the overall game, as you said I was wishing I could actually see more of it.

[@NatiuneaJucatoare]

Week of the X still exists. Or month maybe. I think it's month. The map gets randomly populated with creatures from time to time. The reason why creatures had daily growth, instead of weekly, is because they implemented simultaneous retaliations in combat (both for melee AND ranged, which is huge since in every other title ranged units can attack anyone with impunity) so you constantly suffered losses (attrition). Morale and luck were also changed. Morale simply rearranged the order of initiative and luck reduced the amount of damage a stack would take. This was a huge departure from the other titles where getting the first strike is a must (subsequent retaliation + extra attack from morale + extra damage from luck).

[@flatman3134]

Yeah the simultaneous melee attack was a good idea imo, I appreciate it when a game takes into account common sense to decide how some dynamic should be simulated, even in a fantasy game. Simultaneous ranged retaliation, however... doesn't make any sense no matter how i look at it

[@VeryMelonCB]

The idea of one unit attacking while the other just stands there taking it was the most ridiculous thing about the series, and I don't know how anyone can defend it and complain that it was removed in 4.

[@johnsmith8055]

Simultaneous relaliation was garbage addition. Glad its gone.

[@VeryMelonCB]

YOU are a garbage addition.

[@johnsmith8055]

No u.

[@maldlions5313]

Like after so much years... i remember i was like 10 years old and i loved playing this game. It's still in my heart as most perfect HOMM game.

[@mundxtrs]

so you are like 27 now ? This is my story jaja :)

[@maldlions5313]

Quite a late reply, however, I was in fact 7 years old when I first played it and it was back in 2010. I somehow managed to get hold of a CD copy of HOMM4 and just grinded it. I'm 20 right now, so at least for me, it was such a great game, together with late WoW WOTLK.

[@Raptor501st]

I loved both heroes 3 and 4, but to be perfectly honest, the fourth was my favorite

[@numbertwelve8627]

I wasn't too happy about the change to the unit buildings, as I usually wanted to use the unit the AI didn't go with, and there was no way for me to unset it. However, I agree about the hero class system. It was truly an amazing idea so many games should have used. Never got to finish Gauldoth Half-Dead's campaign, but I really enjoyed the writing of the previous campaigns (I insisted on trying to finish them in menu order). As for the heroes on the battlefield... that was swinging in both directions. Level 1 heroes were depressingly feeble (especially the spellcasters), and could easily be wiped out by sufficiently quick unit, but a high level hero could easily turn the table by eradicating entire armies literally on his own. While it may have been a questionable idea gameplaywise, it was a pretty cool thing to get the story across, as your heroes would literally travel and fight together much of the time. "Might and Magic in a Heroes of Might and Magic game"... brilliant comparison, although I have to admit I never thought of it like that before. Actually got HoMM I-V on GOG a while ago, you can get the entire collection for next to nothing if you wait for a sale, and now I really want to revisit HoMM IV.

[@buksikuty543]

This game was literally my childhood. It will be always the best Heroes game to me. ;)

[@tzimisce1753]

I've only played HoMM4, and I love it. It's one of my favorite games. I love the graphics, the music, the storylines - everything.

[@adamkc0]

You said it well my man, I'm a fiend for flavour and this game was packed full of flavour text.I remember being excited about learning the higher level summoning spells since the spell description gave you extra info on the creature.Also loved the creatures exclusive to the game. Leprechauns, giant mantises etc.Lastly being Irish meant the music was a huge hit with me. Intrerestingly the Irish influence didn't end there, they also used Irish names for towns and for heroes. Aislinn(ash-linn) is an Irish girl's name, Kenmare is an Irish town as is Kildare.

[@1wing1]

to me it made always sense to not give so many units in a castle, to give an incentive to put more than 1 hero into your army. H4 holds a special place in my heart, even tho i dont really consider it to be a heroes game, it really stands out, the world building and hero modifications are soooo good. i also disagree about gauldoth being a bad guy. he was only about creating a safe space, and not warring, as he knew his nation would always outlast others, in time. the lack of cinematics and other storytelling is ismply because the studio had no time left and was broke af. so sadly we never got the game we deserved

[@Ultrox007]

I'm a HoMM3 fan, my girlfriend a HoMM2 fan, my best friend a HoMM5 fan. Despite our preferences in gameplay, we all agree HoMM4 had the best story. (though, ONE of us... -the homm5 fan- still thinks 'Sandro is best character')

[@alialramadhan4748]

I love u and all your friends man :)

[@NM-ll1rl]

My dad loves both HOMM 2 and 4, and so do I (plus the part 5). So gameplay preferences or not, you can just like different parts of franchise for different reasons.

[@JinnYoungKim]

But it looks terrible.

[@GhostDr3amer]

Heroes 4 had only one truly unforgivable flaw, and that was the lack of random map generator.

[@epicfail5473]

GhostDreamer So heroes 6 and 7 are just garbage than? (I don't have and never played 7 but I doubt they'd add a map generator considering the care they took with 6 about non campaign maps)

[@vezeris]

My absolute favourite this one is. The music, the weird visuals, heroes can actually fight, creatures can move on the map - I love it!

[@FilmGamerHUN]

In Heroes 7 there are multiple choice with many buildings and there were 8 type of units because you could choose which main creature you want. Also there are many type useful skills at the heroes where you can set it to active or random. Also there is a random map generator. Its really similar to 3 and 5 also to 6. After the patches and the dwarfish expansion it was a great game! Also as Heroes 6 almost the best tactical battles could be there after the patches and the Dungeon expansion.

[@MihaiD259]

I loved my summoner build in Heroes 4. I played this game like crazy, it was my game in my highschool years, together with a few others, Heroes 4 was such a great game.

[@alexoelkers2292]

Thank you! I agree with you about Heroes of Might and Magic 2 vs 3. Two is my favorite in the series, it just has a charming artist feel to it.

[@thurenv]

I love Héroes 4, this and 3 were my childhood along with diablo 1 & 2. I played 3 more because friends and cousins love 3 more, so i never could appreciate a lot its lore. Years later, 2010, i finish all campaings on 3 and when i launch 4 once again after all those years the intro cinematic really got me. I was " wtf Gelu, you knew about the prophecy! Catherine and Roland are death now?" always loved the music, the best on the series imo. I get hooked up, since then i visit 3 and 4 from time to time. And because of this video, looks like its time to visit heroes4 once again

[@nitrox5915]

At 16:11 Well those were some brutal chickens.

[@johnnydanger3865]

Original HoMM1 player back when PC Gamer had CD demos in their magazines as a kid. Purchased Heroes 2 and spent my entire teenage/young adult life playing the absolute shit out of these games! I believe I was 19 when IV hit the shelves. I love that you talk about these titles as they are something that bring back so many good memories for me. Keep posting videos like this. You gained another sub today!

[@luckluster]

This video I agree so much with this video, especially about the story part and Galdoth's campaign. I remember playing that game back in elementary school and while I didn't enjoy it as much as H2 or H3, I knew there was something neat there. Going back after years the first campaign i've tried was the said Galdoth's campaign, which blew me away. Sure, the game is flawed, every single Heroes game is flawed in some way or another, but in every single game there are solutions and things that other games could learn from. Heroes 4 is no different. I wish it would've been expanded upon more, like it happened with Heroes 3, but as it is, it's a really good game to play once in a while to dive into fascinating world that doesn't exist anymore.

[@austinhodges9548]

Popcioslav - I had a similar experience with the game. For me, I had memories of the campaign. It's story progressed in a way that felt like you were reading a compressed but very well written short story. I had to install it again years later just to play that campaign again. I don't remember any of 3's stories in the detail I still do this one. It is sad that 4 didn't have the time or budget to make it into the game it deserved to be. More people could have (and should still) had the pleasure of experiencing this and other gorgeously crafted stories.

[@MrKeotan]

If you liked the general mechanics take a look at Age of Wonders. That game's combat system is very much like H4's (or rather the other way round, since the first AoW game came 6-8 years before H4). Can't say it shares the other feels of H4 though.

[@PaulRoneClarke]

4 with I think it's called the "Ultimate" patch is a very fine game indeed. It's like two different teams heard a 3 minute elevator pitch for a turn based game. One came back with HOMM III the other with HOMM IV - but the publishers liked III and gave them all the budget and it took the fans of IV 20 years to make it into the game it should have been. I know 3DO made both of them. But despite the obvious similarities IV feels so very different from III. The art style as a lot to do with it. But the game mechanics. The role of the hero. Makes it feel very different. I like the 2D games mainly because you get more "on the screen" less scrolling and rotating. Less need to zoom out and open menus. in 3 and 4 a massive area of map is always visible and clear. There is enough screen real estate to show plenty of the stats you need for good decision making on the main play screen without needing to open menus. Then the AI plays a LOT faster. All in all 3 and 4 (and now perhaps Songs of Conquest) put the gameplay front and centre. It's smooth. I like 5 but even zoomed right out the screen is so restrictive. III, IV and now Songs of Conquest are games I play constantly, and probably always will. :)

[@filthyswit]

Maps, maps, maps. That's all this game needed to be truly awesome. I loved the new ideas and elements this game brought.

[@nEiKKah]

I think I must have the most unpopular opinion on this subject. I loved HOMM3 because it felt extremely overwhelming in a good way. Playing a game felt like disconnecting from the surroundings. When I discovered HOMM4, I hated it. It felt nothing like HOMM3, also, it had only 6 factions as opposed to the variety that HOMM3 offers, yet I continued to play it. Not a few weeks later, I was in love with the game. The dynamics, the graphics, it was like bringing the game to life. Instead of disconnecting from the real world when you play it, the game became your surroundings. It did feel like a different game, but I went from hating it to loving it just by playing and exploring the game. A lot of needed and requested features were added, so the game didn't feel easier to play, but easier to control. Might not have been the best of works, but I love this game, and on some levels, I'd say it beats HOMM3.

[@vesas5214]

Exactly same story here. Hated it at first but then it turned out to be awesome, much better than homm3 i'd say. Not so long ago I played it again after many years break and oh boy the nostalgia. Great bit of fun but also a lot of annoying things that I didn't remember (or wasn't aware of as I was a stupid 14yo when I played it the most). Things like having to change the artifacts between battles and exploring if wanted to optimize, stupid AI (and of course the Nature/Creature portal bug), rng in skills when leveling up and the fact that it's practically impossible to get 'max skilled' hero because the exp requirement gets ridiculous. The heroes are also a bit overpowered as they can beat huge armies on their own and their skills add so much to the strength of the creatures. This might also be just AI issue because computer seems to rather make a bunch of mediocre heroes than one or two good ones. I don't know why I'm ranting here but thanks for reading :D

[@NinjaSushi2]

Fantastic video. Had to watch it again after all these years.

[@arctichowler8487]

The "squares" were more "bubbles" also one thing nice about 4 was the unit and hero casting were from their unique spellbook during their action turn, minus on that was line of sight for spells...

[@jw6588]

This channel deserves so much more attention than the algorithm gives it.

[@halsaufschneider1446]

You absolute need to make a Video about Wizardry 8. Its crazy how so much people praise the Megami Tensei/Persona games and other Japanese Dungeon Crawlers. But completely IGNore the Wizardry series. Or don't even know about them.

[@unacomn]

I would love to, but sadly I've only played the first Wizardry. I keep meaning to get into Wizardry 6-8 one day, but I've never had the time.

[@freestylefighter13]

I loved this Game! Editor was the best part.

[@scottyp4758]

Agree 100% on story telling, music, sound affects and overall charm. Still a fun game to pick up today.

[@Blazbaros]

woah hey is that. . . a remix The Maiden from Stronghold playing in the background? I NEED THIS SONG. Great video by the way, I may need to check out HoMM4 just to try it. EDIT: Ah you mentioned it in the video, awesome!

[@Winnetou17]

This was a nice review! I like both HoMM3 and 4, for different reasons I think. I also like how coherent and more balanced H4 is, at least compared to H3: - the towns don't have such a big difference in power as in H3. - the might faction is actually all about might, with only the ogre magi actually being able to cast a spell. I really love how they managed to pull this off. - having units retaliate at the same time feels so ... normal. Aswell as not being able to transport armies for hugh distances in one turn with hero chains. And not being able to surrender to a local hostile group, only to buy the hero in the same turn, on the other side of the map, and still walk/fight some more. And being able to cover against ranged attacks by placing other units in front of it. - the skill trees of the heroes OMG, they are so much better in H4 than what H3 has. - morale changes in the battle, based on the troops kill/lost by your side - there is such a thing as bad luck now. Too bad the devils don't reduce it anymore - less RNG: you can choose exactly what spell to cast with casters (like genies), morale and luck are less OP when they appear, heroes don't have starting armies (though I can't say I actually like that, but it does reduce the RNG), whenever you receive something, you can choose to not take it (cough Witch Huts cough), skills on level up - much less chance of getting stuck to choose between 2 bad skills It does have drawbacks too, though some of them I think would've been solved, if 3DO wouldn't have gone bankrupt: - the combat grid should've been shown better, to highlight where the units are exactly, and what paths are available. The misclicks and funny paths are real and NOT pleasant. I'm sure this would've been fixed at some point. - the hero specialization in H3 is awesome. The classes in H4 are nice, but it's sad to see the specializations dissapear. Having a slightly different model for each hero would've also be awesome, though I guess I'm asking a bit much here - the dragons in H3 look SO majestic. The archdevil is awesome. I can't say that they look bad in H4, but ... meh... - the fortress theme is also awesome. Aka a very defensive town, with swamp terrain (which kinda is also defensive, because it has such high movement cost, so usually the town can get like one extra turn to prepare for defense, until the attackers reach it) - H3 has a random map generator... This, again, I think would've been added to H4 aswell, if 3DO wouldn't had that fate...

[@asgardian12]

I always enjoy your game history lessons, you have enough materials here to turn these videos into a university course! Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Loving learning more about the games I love.

[@Celeb55]

Nice video, Unacomn. Very pleasant to watch. Considering your affection for HoMM4 story and characters I was wondering what is your opinion on Heroes Chronicles campaigns. You didn't specify them in the video and I've heard from several people that they have similar level of quality in terms of storytelling. I didn't play HoMM4 much so I can't really compare.

[@apudharald2435]

YES! The story telling was amazing, and it was that what kept the game on my hard drive. I just played to be told the story. When you played that part with almost nothing but dwarven heroes in the snow, you really felt cold. The atmosphere worked. Without it, it would have been seriously 'meh'.

[@kalacs32]

I only paid HOMM 2 because it was on the computer in my school, and although it's the most popular, HOMM 3 was never something I really heard about or got my hands on until later. HOMM 4 was one of the first games I played and fell in love with. Who cares about the lack of cinematics... There's so much to just fall in love with here! The music, the characters, the stories, the atmosphere, it was just so immersive and had so much soul that I was lost in this game even while I suck at strategy and used to actually hate turn-based games at the time.

[@81Earthangel]

I think Heroes of Might and Magic 4, was great for trying a lot of new things. While more things were a step in the wrong directions, some things were a step in new fantastic directions. I truly enjoyed Heroes for even though I prefer Heroes 3 and 5, I had lots of fun with Heroes 4.

[@championbenj]

i'm a part of those amazed people with this game

[@mrorlov2706]

I like HoMM 4 and HoMM3 at the same time because I like some features from both of them.

[@zenithquasar9623]

I started playing Heroes 5 second time in 12 years. I hated it when it came out, aside from some design decision disagreements, I am in love with this game! I think Ubisoft had some great ideas. If they continued making it like a Triple A spirit, then 6 and 7 could be amazing, rather than so subpar.

[@AALcraft]

The soundtrack tho!! Number 1 on my list of favorite soundtracks

[@hav0k337]

I loved Heroes 4. I Played Heroes 3 a lot before the 4 came about. Surely, it took time to adapt to the new game dynamics, but after playing 4, i just can't return to 3. I liked the graphics of the strategic map of 3 more. It was pixely, and somehow nice to look at. 4 was very much more polished, yet somehow bleak to look at... But when it comes to combat dynamics and heroes progression, 4 is way ahead of its predecessor. Not only the heroes are participating in combat, but the combat itself is much more realistic. No more would one unit attack another unit, wait...calculate damage...unit dies/or attacks with penalty. In Heroes 4 they would clash and they would take damage and casualties at the same time (unless perks, of course). And each unit had its own abilities, from tier one to four. No more were tier one units dedicated to just dying in massive numbers, actually now they are useful. This encouraged strategy over numbers. But i digress... Great game it was.

[@lizardemperorkorbac4281]

This game is a diamond in the rough. I wish they would go back and do a Remake/Sequel, that gets the proper polishing.

[@engladtur]

man homm4 could've been the very best if only it had more polish (time/money)... im always torn what game i like more 3 or 4 it always alternates. i love homm4 man

[@rickjac6909]

The Half Dead and A Pirate's Daughter are also my favorite. Those characters are so vivid. You can say they are bad. But you know why and you do feel sympathy for why they become like this. I still use the name( with a bit of twist) for online profiles. If more time were given to NWC, we definitely could see a more complete and intriguing world they would build after Enroth.

[@trizmisce]

you really hit everything spot on on why i personally adore the 4th and hate its the expansions. the way the game went from the most intriguing necromancy character to a bloody lich that just decides "fuck it" and goes on a killing spree was appalling.

[@Nocturne-tu5eg]

The problem with Homm4 was the unfinished AI; It's somewhere around the 3rd mission of the Life Campaign that you realize that the AI doesn't do anything at all, it just sits in it's castle waiting to be conquered... Now me, I tried to find mods and tools and tricks to fix this when I had a major relapse into this otherwise amazing game last year, but eventually just gave up because no matter what you do, the AI will never provide enough challenge. This is big shame since, otherwise, this game is easily the best in the series in virtually every aspect from Hero levelling to the EPIC storytelling to the tear-inducingly beautiful music. An unrivaled masterpiece stunted by the horrendous AI.

[@Nexiusify]

I got heroes 1 from my dad as a kid, I love the others almost as much but the times fighting over who gets to be warlock with a friend brings some nostalgia

[@LiezAllLiez]

Heroes 4 isnt better than 3 but it fixes one major issue with 3 - the so called "first strike" of all units in heroes 3. Now only a handful of creatures have it in 4. Which is a plus and a balancing act.

[@jorgediaz3409]

Agree. But also ads ranged retaliation, what is unfair and unreal. +2, -1.

[@francescospuntarelli7369]

Jorge Díaz long time I don't play it.... retaliation... doesn't seem fair at all whats the difference between melee or ranged?

[@dweliq2993]

This review is ridiculously spot on. It actually made me listen to some of the soundtrack again, really good stuff. And I absolutely knew when the guys was praising the best campaign ever that its gonna be Gauldoth.

[@lizardemperorkorbac4281]

Its been a while since I played it, but I think in terms of gameplay it had some flaws, like relying on cheese portals for the AI and you playing necro pretty much only fighting against necro, come to think of it, I think both of these things were somewhat of a running theme in HoMM4 campaigns. Also the difficulty would oddly spike all over the place. The Writing was great though.

[@neilholmes8200]

I loved this game, despite it being so different from the first three games. I remember the negative reaction from much of the community, but I enjoyed the gameplay as much if not more than 3 or 5

[@Ssvinq]

I did like the game back in the day. I lstill like it today. And if nothing else works for many of you, at least we can all admit that music in HOMM IV is simply magical.

[@robyjohan4653]

Best game I ever done in my childhood

[@jamesmoore9727]

Rhanks dude, you made me want to play some HOMM4!

[@ivaniusblog2762]

The soundtrack and gameplay in the Heroes of Might and Magic (HOMM) series are truly outstanding. The ability to control heroes and utilize various magical potions, along with the relaxing visual effects and music, makes this game even more enjoyable than HOMM3. However, don't get me wrong-HOMM3 is still one of the best games with incredible storytelling ever released.

[@HangoverBlues]

I'd just like to add to your note about the soundtrack: many of the most memorable themes from the grasslands track were sampled for the soundtrack to the Fairy Tail anime series :D I'm glad to find someone who shares my affection for HoM&M 4

[@rickjac6909]

Love 2,3,4. Need good stories. That's the soul.

[@StrayedIdea]

I completed Heroes III and IV in every possible way. IV is superior to me personally. The stories, the music etc. The only two games that had that superb cartoonish look about them are Rise of Nations and Heroes IV. This review is not really bad.

[@vladimirtchuiev2218]

The best thing about the game is the music. The Academy theme is one of the best soundtrack pieces in gaming even today IMO.

[@Shaewaros]

Gauldoth's campaign was the highlight of HoMM 4 for me as well. Perhaps the only campaign where I wanted to push forward just to read the next story text.

[@ismu34]

I've only really played heroes ii but for me it is such a great game and it especially looks perfect. I was surprised looking at gameplay videos for iii and iv and the look barely improves, or maybe even looks worse in some ways.

[@FallenTemplar]

HOMM IV was great. Misic, units, voices, atmosphere. One of the greatest games of 2002. Prob HOOM III was a bit better for its time, but IV is still a great game

[@Bellathor]

Spot on from what i remember back in the day. Although i never played heroes for the story, maybe a few times when i tried out the campaigns in homm3 but it was mostly random map fun. :D The music is amazing. Zanzarah the hidden portal had similar music, also very beautiful.

[@EgorAnanyev]

My favorite as well.

[@highvelocitymouseassassina6646]

Speaking of the 3DO company, I've got some dragon game they published for the ps2. It's basically shovelware it's pretty sad.

[@theblocksays]

Are you talking about Shifters? I saw that once, tempted to buy it just to see if it's as bad as screenshots implied but ultimately didn't.

[@mrxpcookie]

You literally spoke my heart

[@dcsb182]

Heroes of might and magic 4 is my favorite of all of them. Great game.

[@adamkc0]

Great vid. Off to play tawni balfour campaign. As you said, such good storytelling.

[@MrDanno2]

I keep saying to my dad, 1 more year and this would have been better then heros 3. as it stands heroes 3 is still the greatest. heros 4 can be fun.

[@Vincent-fv1ch]

7 is really good now, give it a try. It only lack: maps, 3D town screen and inferno faction, but besides that it is very good

[@davidsuto3213]

This game was the best homm for me. I played the 3rd game too because it had more creatures and I really liked some of the soundtracks, but the overall mechanics were much better here. I always liked my heroes fighting like actual heroes instead of just hiding in the background. If only the developers could truly finish it, or we had a bunch of mods to expand the game! I feel like most of the haters simply wanted an another homm3, as you say this didn't FEEL right for thembut it wasn't a bad gameat all. I may download it again soon :D

[@nostonethrown56]

Really love this game

[@defnatty1256]

Half-dead and A pirate's daughter are my favorites.

[@jemperdiller]

Best OST in series though

[@tianqiu5480]

Too good for this game IMO. *edit: They fit into an environment with more dynamic details like maybe a RPG game, instead of HoMM iv.

[@chrisjenkins963]

One of the main reasons Heroes 4 was unbearable was that the game would slow to a crawl after so much time in a game. Heroes 5 had this issue too but to a much lesser degree. My computer at the time could play MMOs just fine, which were the most intensive games in that era, but Heroes 4 gave it fits for some reason. I don't hate the game as much now but only because Ubisoft can make any game look great that isn't theirs.

[@Aayren]

Yes. Best storytelling - Best part of HoMM4. Thank You Sir!

[@Area51UFOGynaecology]

i only have 1 thing to complain about, its that wild critters are to powerful on higher difficulties, denying access to parts of the map till mid game

[@secretsmith813]

I see why I’ve never seen gameplay of 4 until now.

[@Maumello]

My favorite HoMM. And I don't care for its flaws, this game is a completely beautiful work of art for its amazing soundtrack, voice acting, storylines, art and layout, etc etc

[@XfStef]

Great review. Your video reminded me of the good parts of HoMM 4.

[@David_Brinkerhoff93]

I liked HoMM 4. Campaigns and soundtrack were excellent. Of course HoMM3 will always be legendary.

[@marmosetfreund8506]

HOMM 4 was great, I am so glad it was unique. This is coming from a massive HoMM 2 and 3 fan. Also I loved 5 to death and played 100 hours of HoMM 6, enjoying it for what it was. All except 7 are real nice in their own ways.

[@LordGadwin]

I loved this one, I loved building up my Heroes, would run two in each army. an I really enjoyed the changes

[@c-dark]

play disciples 2

[@FilmGamerHUN]

Greatest campaign and story and best music for Heroes 4 in the series!

[@funkydown]

better than anything that came out within this decade so far

[@Duchess_Van_Hoof]

It was the first game in the series I learned of, first one I tried and I have been captivated by it. The art is beautiful, the lore is brilliant, the music is fantastic. The Order and Death campaigns more or less set the level of writing I expect in fantasy which has led to me being severly disappointed by a lot of things. I wanted to get into the older game and found III to be a bit overrated or at least overhyped. The art looks nice... Not great but fully acceptable. You get one unit for each tier and there is no sense of strategic choices there, some heroes are vastly more powerful than others (Seymour with Chain Lightning) and there was just so many factions that some felt superflous. Fortress and Inferno in particular felt very weak. Heroes of Might and Magic II however felt brilliant and very retro. The sparkling sprites, the defined factions, the difference between the physical and magical heroes felt clear. You couldn't bring every unit. Some units had no upgrades, dragons had two. All in all Heroes IV and to some extent Heroes II will always be a main source of inspiration for fantasy for me, alongside games such as Warcraft II, Baldur's Gate and even Age of Empires.

[@Alignn]

Mirrors my thoughts on the game pretty well. Overall I think this style of game isn't quite my cup of tea as I never got very far in 3 before just wanting to play other games more, but 4 kept me going for a good long while with its storylines.

[@hentaisenpai1789]

HoM&M4 was very disapointing... but from perspective it's up there as one of my favourite games in the series. Homm 1-2 were very much alike. Homm 5 had also a lot in common with Heroes 3 (which was probably the best game in the series but not sure if it is my favourite). I agree that having heroes actually developing and fighting was cool. I allso agree that halfundead campaign story was intriguing. I remember it untill today though not in detail/ There was a town guard officer that tried to execute you in the prologue to the story and which you turned into vampire and made your right hand. Your plan in campaign was to create a nation ruled by necromancy but not to conquer the world because you knew entire world would join forces against any necromancer powerfull enough to congquer the world (being conquer by knights, barbarians, even orcs doesnt seem as creepy as being conquered by undead). Nice to see this game get some apriciation. It could have been amazing game if it was finished properly. Even half baked its still good. I hope someone one day will made it to look more finished (for one thing splitting some factions apart would be nice - for example necro and devil should be separate factions). As things are this game is at most 6/10 probably at least 1 point less. But it does not matter because it can bring tons of joy to players that give it a chance.

[@MagicMaster667]

Ah, the memories~