Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era – Nostagic First Impressions

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Just to be clear, this isn’t a full review – it’s my initial reaction to the game. A detailed review will be published a few days before the official release. I’ve played a couple of games now, and wanted to share my overall impressions of Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era as I get ready to give my final thoughts on April 30th. I won’t be going into a lot of detail just yet.

I was pretty happy with the game back in September, after trying an early demo, and honestly, not much has changed. The developers listened to feedback and fixed the main issues I had, like tiny text and unclear explanations for certain abilities. They also cleaned up a lot of the temporary, unfinished text that was visible.

I didn’t grow up playing the Heroes of Might and Magic games on computers. My only experience with the series was the Game Boy Color version from 2000. While it wasn’t as good as Heroes of Might and Magic 3, which came out the same year, Olden Era still gives me a strong sense of nostalgia, even though I didn’t play it much. If you’re looking for a Heroes game that evokes those classic feelings, I think Olden Era is worth checking out.

Exploring the game is consistently enjoyable, and I’ve learned it includes a random map generator called “anarchy,” which will help keep things fresh. While the way cities develop is fairly straightforward and similar for each group, it gives players a clear goal to work towards before the final battle.

Although each faction in the game feels distinct due to its unique units, the way cities develop is identical across all of them, which makes them feel somewhat similar when moving around the world map. However, the turn-based battles are where the game truly excels and where each faction’s strengths really come to life. From classic knights and powerful necromancy to hive-mind creatures and more, each faction has a unique feel. While the game seems easy to pick up and play at first, it offers a surprising amount of depth, with many different unit combinations, strategies, and ways to optimize your gameplay.

Will Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era satisfy fans of Heroes of Might and Magic 3? It’s hard for me to say, as I’m planning to play HMM3 myself after finishing Olden Era. However, based on what I’ve heard from HMM3 fans, they think Olden Era is the most similar game they’ve seen in the series.

Okay, after playing Olden Era for a bit, I’m seriously having a blast! I think it’s going to be one of those games I tell everyone to check out if they’re new to turn-based strategy. It’s super easy to learn, really addictive – you always want just one more turn – and if the developers add Steam Deck support, it’ll be perfect for playing on the go, like when I’m traveling or on vacation.

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2026-04-21 16:43