Of course the ultimate in realism would entail a lot of randomness. The more a game moves towards simulation, the less more deterministic I want everything to be. Because the battles are so abstract - color-coded units arranged at random in neat rows and columns - I have no expectation of how things are supposed to work. But I don’t think I could accept such a heavy role for chance in a game less abstract than this one. Losing is no longer entirely my fault, and I have an easier time accepting fickle fate than I do my own incompetence.
![the challenge of the very might heroes of might and magic v the challenge of the very might heroes of might and magic v](https://gamefabrique.com/storage/screenshots/pc/heroes-of-might-and-magic-5-hammers-of-fate-18.png)
It’s perfectly possible to play the best moves and still not win because the pieces just aren’t there. The random element in Clash of Heroes becomes weirdly liberating. The game wisely enforces no penalty for losing these fights, and it’s easy to jump right back in for another go. Here it just seemed to be how things worked, and I was fine with it. If this had been one of my other games, ones where resource management and careful planning are everything, re-doing a fight again and again like that would have driven me to distraction. As someone with low tolerance for frustration in games, I found it astonishing that I didn’t get angry playing some of these fights over and over and over again until I got just the right mix of units at the right time to win. With the major end boss fights in particular, executing the right strategy requires more than just planning right, it requires a lot of luck as well. one duels, but the game’s campaign also offers numerous unique challenges against bosses, and puzzle-like levels that require unique strategies. I recommend it, despite the trite, overwrought (but thankfully irrelevant) story. It’s a simple game with layers of interesting strategy and complications that make it a lot of fun. Bigger units like knights or those dragons requite multiple units of the same color stacked up behind them to activate. The two armies line up and each round you have three moves to maneuver troops so that three units of the same color line up to form either a wall or an attack formation.
![the challenge of the very might heroes of might and magic v the challenge of the very might heroes of might and magic v](https://img.gg.deals/f2/19/30389b1878de92f8aedfc2958f73941f870f_912cr485.jpg)
Battles are very abstract, sort of like playing versus Bejeweled, but with dragons and vampires and demons. So I was surprised to find how much I enjoyed Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes, a game that mixes equal parts match-three puzzle gaming and strategy with some light RPG elements. I guess I’m mostly just looking for really complicated versions of chess. I love to plan many moves ahead, make the right moves, and see my strategies give birth to victories. Any time the digital dice contravene the odds, I’m a little peeved. The purer the strategy, the better as far as I’m concerned, and random elements in these games just drive me nuts. But for me, turn-based strategy games like Age of Empires, Advanced Wars: Dual Strike, and yes, oh yes, oh yes, Civilization: Revolutions are why I bought a new DS the day my old one broke. They’re pretty much all I play on the thing, except maybe a little Tetris or Meteos from time to time.