The Might and Magic franchise has been rather dormant over the past few years and rarely do any of its releases receive much follow-up attention. In the typical gamer’s eye these games are pushed aside by the other major titles and left at the back of the shelf to gather dust. However, with the franchise’s latest release of Clash of Heroes, I beg to differ.

Might of Magic: Clash of Heroes definitely combines a whole mix of genres into one game which makes it a varied hybrid consisting of RPG, strategy, puzzle and small battle elements. But don’t get the wrong impression just because its visual anime styling looks a bit retro; yes it has some problematic issues but underneath it is an engaging experience that should keep you occupied for those long  journeys. It is the actual RPG element which lays the main foundations of the game as it offers a well developed character customisation system as well as multiple quests and items to put into your inventory.

 At the start, you are able to chose a hero from one of the several factions available. As you progress through the game you will level up and collect plenty of items and resources on your travels. You will even get the opportunity to summon creature allies to aid you in the field of combat. So now we know that the game focuses heavily on RPG elements but how does it go about completing this goal? Here is where the strategy come in. Firstly, much of the raw gameplay is based on small turn based battles. These battles begin by setting up two grids on each of the DS’s screens. Al your units are sporadically displaces around the field of battle in a random fashion. In your turn you have to try link up the like-coloured units in a horizontal or vertical manner which creates various offensive and defensive unit formations. Whilst different units have different stats and abilities, they each have a special charge time. This means that once the timers run out your forces (or the enemy forces) will make a sudden dash forward against the opposition. Once you have eliminated the enemy army you can finally reach the opponent hero. As you get deeper into the game you will unlock more low level units as well as elite and champion units to really help fortify your side of the battlefield. In addition you can equip some of your units with special items that give them further bonuses and abilities. There are pros and cons to all kinds of units and you will likely stick to a certain preference, be it rushing in early or holding back a bit until your forces are ready to go on the offensive. Although a little daunting at first, once you get to grips with this turn based system it is a very satisfying and engaging means of playing.

Naturally there are some problems which hamper the gameplay. Firstly, although you are able to choose from your large assortment of units which you want to fight with, the game randomly picks a sample of the selected unit so you have no control as to how many you want on the battlefield. You might think that this is a good thing and thatthe computer is likely to pick the optimum number. However, it hardly ever takes the turn based aspect of the game into consideration. By that I mean that it can sometimes allocate you too many stronger units (not that that’s a bad thing) and then you have to endure several turns of enemy attacks until your forces are in a good offensive position. Another bugging issue is the lack of information the game gives you about your rivals. There is no way of knowing which type of attacks work most effectively against your foes. Therefore the only way you can go about this problem is the systematic approach of trial and error.There is a multiplayer mode in which you can challenge your friends over a local wireless network. There is nothing wrong with this but the lack of an online mode is a real drawback to the game.

Regardless of this few troublesome areas, the game does a good job of mixing the various genres of gameplay to create a fresh and innovative experience. The way you play out the battles and pick up items on your way allows greater scope for experimentation and ultimately fulfillment. Although it may seem to be a rather discrete and less well known game, it is certainly worth checking out if you own a Nintendo DS.

+ Good handful of varying gameplay elements.

+ Engaging battles and RPG outlook.

+ Fun and well suited anime style presentation.

- Strateg elements could be polished up.

 - No online play.

7.5/10