Day 15, Game You’re Currently Playing: Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes

I’ve been caught at a bit of a crossroads for today’s update as I’m currently going back and forth between three games right now. I decided to go with the title I started playing most recently. I happened to notice that an HD port of Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes had been released on XBLA last week so, on a whim, I decided to give it a try.

If you’re familiar with the original Might & Magic RPG franchise that started back in ’86, this is nothing like those games. This is one of many spin-off titles released by Ubisoft after they obtained the series’ license in 2006. This game is really more of a turn-based strategy/puzzle game with RPG elements, if that makes sense. You battle enemy commanders on a grid and shift rows of units to make formations. For example, stacking three matching units vertically creates an attack formation; lining up at least three units horizontally creates a defensive wall. The ultimate goal isn’t to eliminate your opponent’s units, but rather to inflict damage to your opponents side of the screen and reduce their HP to zero.

And here's your screen shot.

The game was originally developed for the Nintendo DS back in 2009 and it definitely shows. The type of gameplay and graphics suggest the kind of game that’s better suited to casual play in waiting rooms. Regardless, the HD graphics are nice and while the overall design isn’t anything exceptional, it is nice to look at.

I haven’t finished the first of the five campaigns so I can’t really give the game a fair review yet, but I will provide a few first impressions. The gameplay is as fun and addictive as a puzzle game should be. The battle system employs some good ideas, but often boils down to luck. This is because you don’t have any control over what units will be on the field at the start of each battle. For example, you might start the battle with none of your elite units on the field, while your opponent will start with several. This can also work the other way around and make some battles easier than they should be. It negates a lot of the strategy and makes it more of a crap-shoot than anything else.

Shortcomings aside, this is a fun game and at 1200 MS Points, it’s reasonably priced. In addition to the single player campaigns, there’s also a multiplayer mode that allows you to fight other players using your unlocked characters and units from campaign mode. I have yet to play this so I can’t give any impressions on that yet; I might take the time to give this game a full review somewhere down the line. Despite the sleek veneer of high definition, this game still feels like a portable game at heart; if you don’t own a DS or missed it the first time around, this is definitely a solid port.