I don’t usually write steam reviews, but I thought I would write one for Might and Magic: Heroes VII. (And also post it in the DLC).

VERDICT: I love this game.

Honestly, I don’t believe the amount of hate that this game receives is justified. I have been playing the HoMM series consistently throughout my life, ever since I was introduced to HoMM3 as a small child. I have played 3, 5, 6, and 7. I am not a hardcore fan of the series like others here may be, but I have dabbled in each of the games and have enjoyed each one for what they have brought to the overall series.

With that in mind, and upon reading the plethora of negative reviews for HoMM7, I was downloading this game expecting the game to be a terrible mess that wouldn’t work at all. I was in for a pleasant surprise because that was not the case!! This game has been running smoothly for me the entire time and I have been having a lot of fun. I've been enjoying playing the randomly generated maps and strategising with each faction.

As others have said, this game feels like a mix of 3 and 5. I totally agree. The factions expand upon a lot of the lore present in HoMM5 (the Ubisoft lore), but the 2D town art-style and feel of the maps feels more HoMM3 to me (even though I did also love the 3D towns in HoMM5). The user interfaces is more accessible to newcomers than my experience with other iterations in the series. This overall makes HoMM7 less intimidating for new players to come to terms with how the game works, as there is a lot to initially digest.

PROS:
- Random generated maps (the true joy of HoMM)
- Factions seem nicely balanced and unique
- Flanking is a fun addition
- Love the new governor system for heroes
- The choice between champion creatures is fun and shakes things up
- Graphics are beautiful
- Maps are fun to explore and give me that classical HoMM feel with a new touch
- Expands upon the lore of HOMM5. I love the history and story of Ashan
- If you want to use cheats, then the interface is very accessible

CONS:
- Game was dropped by Ubisoft a few years back so feels incomplete (e.g. no Inferno faction)
- Random generated map doesn’t have much water and random generated maps could use more options
- Landscape textures feel a bit repetitive on randomly generated maps
- Would have been cool to have had the Sanctuary faction in HOMM7

REBUTTAL TO MAIN CRITICISM:
- I have not experienced any bugs with the game yet. The only one I have encountered is if I move to the next turn while the fog of war is turned off in the unlockable cheat’s panel. Other than that, the game runs fine for me. Upon research, a lot of the problems with the bugs was from around release and has since then been addressed.
- Even though I don't particularly like Ubisoft, I have not had any problems with their client to open and run the game.
- Yes, the AI is not as challenging as the other games, but there are community mods out there if that is what you want. Easily solved. Because I am not an expert at HoMM, I don’t really mind the AI being like this and it makes the overall game less intimidating for me. I like casual playthroughs and it can provide that for me.
- If this game had been given more time to introduce more DLC, we would have likely had an Inferno faction. However, this aside, I have really been enjoying this iteration of the HoMM series and have always been a lover of Academy and Sylvan. So, I am right at home with this game.

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CONCLUSION:
It is not as bad as people say it is, don't let all the bad reviews detract you from getting this game.

Overall, If you are new to the series I recommend getting this game during a steam sale - it goes for very cheap and is well worth the price. I have been having as much fun with this version as I have previous versions.

Also, it is important to note that the game has a decades long history and most of the HoMM fandom still hasn’t moved on from HoMM3 or won't look at any other games in the series beyond HOMM3 to the point they will unfairly criticise on other games in the series. Don’t get me wrong, I love HoMM3 – but it doesn’t mean that the later games in the series are bad. There are a number of us out there who also love HOMM games which aren't 3.

I don’t usually write steam reviews, but I thought I would write one for Might and Magic: Heroes VII. (And also post it in the DLC). VERDICT: I love this game. Honestly, I don’t believe the amount of hate that this game receives is justified. I have been playing the HoMM series consistently throughout my life, ever since I was introduced to HoMM3 as a small child. I have played 3, 5, 6, and 7. I am not a hardcore fan of the series like others here may be, but I have dabbled in each of the games and have enjoyed each one for what they have brought to the overall series. With that in mind, and upon reading the plethora of negative reviews for HoMM7, I was downloading this game expecting the game to be a terrible mess that wouldn’t work at all. I was in for a pleasant surprise because that was not the case!! This game has been running smoothly for me the entire time and I have been having a lot of fun. I've been enjoying playing the randomly generated maps and strategising with each faction. As others have said, this game feels like a mix of 3 and 5. I totally agree. The factions expand upon a lot of the lore present in HoMM5 (the Ubisoft lore), but the 2D town art-style and feel of the maps feels more HoMM3 to me (even though I did also love the 3D towns in HoMM5). The user interfaces is more accessible to newcomers than my experience with other iterations in the series. This overall makes HoMM7 less intimidating for new players to come to terms with how the game works, as there is a lot to initially digest. PROS: - Random generated maps (the true joy of HoMM) - Factions seem nicely balanced and unique - Flanking is a fun addition - Love the new governor system for heroes - The choice between champion creatures is fun and shakes things up - Graphics are beautiful - Maps are fun to explore and give me that classical HoMM feel with a new touch - Expands upon the lore of HOMM5. I love the history and story of Ashan - If you want to use cheats, then the interface is very accessible CONS: - Game was dropped by Ubisoft a few years back so feels incomplete (e.g. no Inferno faction) - Random generated map doesn’t have much water and random generated maps could use more options - Landscape textures feel a bit repetitive on randomly generated maps - Would have been cool to have had the Sanctuary faction in HOMM7 REBUTTAL TO MAIN CRITICISM: - I have not experienced any bugs with the game yet. The only one I have encountered is if I move to the next turn while the fog of war is turned off in the unlockable cheat’s panel. Other than that, the game runs fine for me. Upon research, a lot of the problems with the bugs was from around release and has since then been addressed. - Even though I don't particularly like Ubisoft, I have not had any problems with their client to open and run the game. - Yes, the AI is not as challenging as the other games, but there are community mods out there if that is what you want. Easily solved. Because I am not an expert at HoMM, I don’t really mind the AI being like this and it makes the overall game less intimidating for me. I like casual playthroughs and it can provide that for me. - If this game had been given more time to introduce more DLC, we would have likely had an Inferno faction. However, this aside, I have really been enjoying this iteration of the HoMM series and have always been a lover of Academy and Sylvan. So, I am right at home with this game. ----------------------------------------------------------------- CONCLUSION: It is not as bad as people say it is, don't let all the bad reviews detract you from getting this game. Overall, If you are new to the series I recommend getting this game during a steam sale - it goes for very cheap and is well worth the price. I have been having as much fun with this version as I have previous versions. Also, it is important to note that the game has a decades long history and most of the HoMM fandom still hasn’t moved on from HoMM3 or won't look at any other games in the series beyond HOMM3 to the point they will unfairly criticise on other games in the series. Don’t get me wrong, I love HoMM3 – but it doesn’t mean that the later games in the series are bad. There are a number of us out there who also love HOMM games which aren't 3.