Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest (PC DOS) longplay part 1/3

Originally developed and released in 1995 by New World Computing for DOS. Win95 port with a map editor was released in 1996. HOMM was so simple to pick up and play it had a crucial role in popularizing strategy gaming for the mainstream. HOMM was never a bad game, but the second one not only added lots of content, but also improved and refined everything a lot. Combat in this first game is slow with no options to speed it up :(
There's only one campaign. All heroes go through the same scenarios, but one of nine maps is skipped, determined by the chosen faction. I'd probably had preferred to play as warlock to get OP dragons and a strong spellcaster, but knight is kind of a default option so I did go with them instead.
Campaign mode keeps count of days spent on previous scenarios. I accidentally deleted video for the first level and replayed it afterwards 5 weeks (about 35 turns) faster so there's a jump at days spent between scenarios 1 & 2. I ended up capturing all towns and digging for the relic item (knowledge scroll) on first play, but on second time didn't bother. Not really much point to do that. I didn't bother exploring and conquering all maps completely or go for relic hunting on every map. Pretty much everything there is to see in the game is covered. Not a great longplay though. The scenarios were not familiar to me before recording, because I had not played this one in ages. Couple of scenarios I recorded through on first attempt and could do much better on most maps.

[@vodenapuska4796]

Many years have passed, but this still looks good.

[@BobRooney290]

i still play it today. the fun value is through the roof. the newer ones put in so much eye candy that it takes away from the fun factor.

[@FredAureus]

The "garden gnome" graphic style is unique and unrivaled to this day. Not to the taste of everyone though.

[@divinicron5454]

What do you mean by "garden gnome" ?

[@jcw5288]

Cartoonish, extra reflective surface and out of proportions models. Look at the battle 2:25 the peasants are taller than the tree!

[@Vizal]

Kind of reminds me of the medieval art, with no respect to the proportions and perspective or even realism in general. Whether it was on purpose?

[@Radwar99]

Yeah I wasn't a fan back then, I was so happy at HoMM 3's new art style when it was released.

[@nathankuszewski4579]

I love it

[@sebn4810]

Un jeu simple ,efficace , beau graphiquement et musicalement , bref de la nostalgie moi qui est bientot 40 ans.

[@heraldsofmightandmagic6783]

Thanks for publishing this! It's great to see nostolgia gamers sharing this content. We also really love the commentary you posted in the description - because we totally agree. HoMM influenced strategy gaming in a huge way! Great vid.

[@Microphunktv-jb3kj]

Homm1-2 visually + homm3 balance ux/ui visually would make the perfect hommlike game... :)) homm3 lead designer is actually making spiritual successor.. :D www.fanstratics.com

[@Kriswixx]

Right?!

[@PedroSavioo]

This game is special to me. I have played it for so many years when i was a kid. After windows changed, i think it stoped working with windows XP (i'm not sure) i couldnt play it again... GOG now got this game, i'm not getting because i'm too addicted over heroes 3 again hahaha, i love those games. But the simplicity in the first heroes has such an unique aura i cant explain. It gives us the same great options to make strategies. The creativity in the castles is what used to blow my mind back then.

[@37thraven]

Now that its 20 years later, the bulk of mobile/browser games that copied this kind of castle building/conquering design, are SO much worse. And while the character movement is a little stiff, the art is actually really nice for 90s hardware! Everything about this game was done really well! (I abused the save/load feature to get the results I wanted though ;)

[@taramullen8773]

These were some of my fave games as a kid, I actually purchased this game and many other HOMM games to relive my childhood. Even to this day they are still great.

[@Daryl_Studios]

​@taramullen8773 where can I find these to buy?

[@PedroSavioo]

@@Daryl_Studios you can find in GOG

[@mocalzkrkonos1793]

still playing.. after 20 years..i wil forever

[@alfador.]

Thanks for uploading this- I wish people streamed these games I would def watch

[@Aivottaja]

I was so taken by HOMM3 and HOMM2 that I had forgotten how good HOMM already was.

[@SkyFly19853]

I was trying to beat Mission 3... Defeated all of the forces... Did not know I was supposes to dig... Thanks for the longplay.

[@strangelylookingperson]

Graphics is so beautiful

[@pentapandamusic]

Quoting Indiana Jones - "This should be in the museum!"

[@zmdeadelius]

This looks amazing considering it's age! New World Computing really knew what they were doing back then. Another game that has also aged very well is the Crusader series.

[@bingobongo1615]

Imo aged much better than heroes 2 in the graphics department due to the simpler and clearer style.

[@Rooftopaccessorizer]

its interesting seeing the crossover between different MM games. alot of the characters in this are from mm 3, 4 and 5. I think the DOS era was my favorite era for might and magic.

[@XtreeM_FaiL]

Wow it's a long time since I've played this. At first I thought this was HoMM II. :D I remember castle defend being OP. Keep your fliers alive and let the towers deal the enemy.

[@justaguy2711]

So many good memories ❤️

[@dannydestroyer6058]

1:32:22 this genie had 10% to halve dragons. That was extremely unlucky

[@krzysztofkurzok4632]

Yea boy

[@AlexS-oj8qf]

Omg I used to play this game and have no idea what it’s about. I just make a lot of dragons and centaur and siege castles haha. I hate the ghost on ship but then you get treasure if you defeat them 😂

[@KiethSomataw99]

Whenever I play this game, I follow several guidelines: 1. Protect shooter troops with melee troops, turtle if the troop is fast. 2. Have a flying troop interdict ranged troops by flying next to them and maybe attack a weaker troop adjacent to it. 3. Leave slower troops in castle garrisons, usually mid game. 4. Engage enemy might heroes of a faction first as their power skill is lower and a lightning bolt isn't strong enough to kill off a higher tier troop member. 5. Try to minimize casualties in each battle. 6. If I can't win, whittle down the enemy as much as possible with attack and spells then retreat to deny the xp bonus to the enemy. 7. Anti-Magic/Dragon and Storm/Armageddon Combo: Have a single tough (and preferably fast) troop enter the battle, coat it with Anti-Magic, then next turn, cast Storm/Armageddon. The spell will lay waste to the entire battlefield but my troop remains steady and unharmed. 8. If attacking genies led by a hero, bring a fast troop then kill them preferably with lightning bolt.9. Accept offers from wandering armies to join your hero. Some may be useful, while others can be disbanded. 10. Attack graveyards and shipwrecks with no less than high tier troops with turn undead or a strong enough spell. 11. Let the enemy cast a spell first if there are a lot of troops. If it is blind/berserker/paralyze, counter it with a buff or dispel it. 12. Try to keep heroes with no more than 2 troop alignments, preferably all troops of same alignment. 13. If I cannot maintain control of a town, clean house; hire as many troops as possible then have the hero march them away to keep them out of enemy hands. 14. Try to use genie lamps before the enemy can use them. However, genies do not half a troop's size (at least it doesn't say it) if they do more damage than half the troop. 15. Use troops to their best effect: for example, have sprites hang back and wait to attack a vulnerable troop then return back to allied lines before the enemy can attack them. Another example: when the enemies are lined up, hit them with a cyclops/phoenix/dragon from the proper direction to wreak havoc on them. 16. Check enemy hero stats and if it is assumed he/she has an artifact, try to deny the enemy the chance to retreat, either with fast attacks or spells to damage or disable troops. Also, in the first campaign level as knights, I generally go for the cavalries and ignore paladins, they aren't necessary against the dragon and it will be forced to attack the cavalry if I move them in front of archers.

[@greglinski2208]

Ok boomer this isn’t story time

[@SkyFly19853]

Very very useful.

[@fouronetwo813]

I've seen a lot of people on youtube shitting on Knights. I feel like there's a lot of potential with them. Blessed archers, behind a wall of Swordsmen or Paladins with a Hero that has a bunch of + attack and defense just shred things. Plus the moral boosts are the cherry on top.

[@Mirrodin82]

Still better than Heroes6. Like seriously

[@Radwar99]

Heroes 5 was the last good Heroes games and then it seriously went downhill with 6 and 7.

[@XtreeM_FaiL]

There is 6 and 7? I tried 5th, but didn't like it. "3D" map was unnessessary IMO, it slowed down the game play too much.

[@KonicaHexanon]

Ofc it's better, this game is full of soul.

[@awguo3013]

Totally agree. Homm 2 is also food

[@Kriswixx]

They don't make em as good as this anymore. classic. loved this game. all the rest that followed couldnt compare to the art. classics.

[@JustinJTime]

Nice to see that the worthlessness of peasants has been a thing in Heroes since the beginning. XD

[@TPubbie]

Ah.

[@JustinJTime]

@ConcernedTulip 7 Ah.

[@leviolin00]

@@JustinJTime Ah

[@Retronomy]

@@leviolin00 Ahhh...

[@xiaomiann]

ah the nostalgia

[@Mudamir]

9:09 the Hamburglar!

[@falkerhard]

Exactly what I thought when playing the game

[@Zenek22334]

GOOD WORK !

[@MrMcGoot]

How can you download or play this game in 2024??? Uber nostalgia

[@femboichik]

3:29:13 good battle

[@jaceklutrzykowski]

Cool games ❗🆒💻🖥️🕹️🎮😁👍😁👍

[@johanbee8757]

Homm3 remake using homm1 graphic would be great.

[@faruksafak4498]

Where i can download this game please help me. Its my childhood game

[@einokeino303]

GOG dot com

[@Mudamir]

gamesnostalgia.com/game/heroes-of-might-and-magic

[@jaypo9658]

played til i completely maxed out & kept playing

[@db7610]

This game turned me into a hermit 😂

[@aaronhiggins1774]

Lol goddammit demitri you damn traitor!! Nice vid

[@JN-hs5xl]

why in 1:19:29 11 ghosts kill 3 griffins and there are 17 ghosts afterwards, why?

[@einokeino303]

No idea actually, didn't even notice that myself.

[@JN-hs5xl]

Weird. Homm wiki says ghosts always get +2 stack when retaliating regardless of damage they deal. But there's some Russian HOMM mod that says "removed double ghost on retaliation". So maybe the wiki meant x2 instead of +2, and that's why you got 11 to 17 instead of 11 to 14

[@einokeino303]

@@JN-hs5xl OK. I considered if it was based on damage dealt, instead of units killed, but that doesn't seem to add up either. Griffins have 25hp and Ghosts 20.

[@astormaze73]

Damn, im crying

[@mocalzkrkonos1793]

me 2.. year 2005

[@boris035..4]

Do anyone know a game like this one, you have to manage stone, iron, wood and gold as i remember from 90's?!?!? I can't find it nowhere and i play it as a kid :( please anyone help !!!

[@einokeino303]

Settlers?

[@kylemccollum3583]

Age of Empires

[@tarkus2455]

King's bounty

[@boris035..4]

@@einokeino303 No it wasn't settlers :(

[@boris035..4]

@@tarkus2455 No, not King's bounty either :(

[@amoqueca]

Sincerely , the sprites of creature are not really well done but the cartoonish concept is a bit more interesting, make them unique.

[@arnan111]

Kalo mau INSTALL game ini gimana ya .../ lewat mana ... ?? Saya cari di PLAY STORE kok ga ada/ketemu ... 😃🎖

[@arnan111]

@@einokeino303 GOG itu apa ...?

[@93coda]

wher did you download this game i try but i cant find version that work, i played all other HOMM games but this one , plz help me guys i am big fun of this game

[@einokeino303]

www.gog.com/game/heroes_of_might_and_magic bit expensive atm, I got it on discount for about 2e

[@93coda]

Ty mate

[@PolitischTourette]

For me Heroes of Might and Magic 1-2 are the best in the Series. Because they are not clustered with unnecesary features and "perks". This is a simple but addictive strategy game that NEVER gets boring imo. Why change a winnig formular is my question to the makers of this wonderfull game? They should have only improved the graphics but let the main features as they were. I would have been a happy customer.

[@eviljoel]

Yeah, who wants depth in a strategy game. *Sarcasm*

[@PolitischTourette]

@@eviljoel It has nothing to do with depth. Chess is also a very simple to understand game with very easy to learn moves. However it takes decades to master the game. Well at least you understand the word sarcasm. Without really applying it to your answer. Tells alot about YOUR intelligence .

[@PedroSavioo]

I think heroes 3 is just as good as the first two (i didn't play the second game, but it feels like an improved heroes 1, i will buy it someday when it gets cheaper). Heroes 3 has many great features so you can make a good strategy to face your enemies and defend your people. It's just beautiful... i love those games.

[@pRIderzaur]

@@PedroSavioo 2.5 Euros on GOG right now buddy. Actually the whole Heroes series has great prices right now.

[@PedroSavioo]

@@pRIderzaur thats true! 5 real in my currency… thats about a dollar each.

[@chipmuckmusic217]

Break dance practice, KZbin

[@SolarPlayer]

Wow I'm surprised HOMM was already so close to HOMM2. Seems like they already had almost everything figured out and HOMM2 was just an upgrade

[@cianakril]

Well, it was exactly 1 year between this versions. And by today standards the HoMM would be considered an early access beta of the HoMM2. Which it really was.

[@DC-cf9ud]

Very cute design.love the monsters

[@ianbarddal7294]

You could have beaten stage 2 in much less time. However, you did a good job making this video! Cheers!

[@andrzejkulakowski]

Lol the orcy boy looks like my neighbor

[@einokeino303]

Sadge for neighbor :D

[@arturochavezchibli6165]

I bought 1 for .50 dollars, fucking hard but awesome

[@mohamedaboushaara1425]

insulation like please...

[@Adriano70911]

best one of the series

[@dannydestroyer6058]

5:27 dafuq? XD

[@klefthoofrobert787]

This is why it's hard for me to respect some indie studios today, they make games that look worse than a 1995 game...

[@SaganStudios]

At least Indie studios tried, unlike certain huge AAA developers today....

[@JohnBobb]

Very poor turn judgement though.

[@mauricr1609]

I don't understand why you don't take all the mines available

[@ricardoblikman2676]

I still find this the best version of HOMM now a days it gets so complicated + luck factor it makes it to time consuming to multi play

[@cianakril]

Nah. The 2 is best. This one is like a prototype of the 2 in every aspect. The 3rd got messy, especially with every new expansion. The 4th killed it completely. Tge 5th where some decent attempt at returning to classic but didn't went there enough. The latter on got to nonsense once again, I didn't even played them properly, got bored within a day and went back to 2nd.

[@dickbison]

so ugly, but so pretty

[@MrQwebek]

Times when games were crafted

[@szfele2265]

Brilliant pixel art. Especially the starting screen. Today's retro wannabe games don't even come close.

[@rispruffcuts2306]

wtf

[@r3v0l98]

poorly played.

[@hunjseattle]

newbie