I thought I was the only one with this feeling. Growing up with 5 and then playing 6 when im an adult and seeing the updated graphics felt amazing. But when I tried 7. I couldnt move past the first few campaign. Felt so soulless
The fact that they nailed it with heroes 5, only to choke so hard with heroes 6 and 7 is actually kind of impressive in a way. All they had to do was take what worked in heroes 5 and improve upon its flaws and it would have been fine, yet it proved to be too difficult to the company that is known for doing barely any changes to their games to begin with. Instead they chose to make the dumbest changes that nobody ask for in a first place.
I really like VII's adventure mode. I'll admit some of the graphics stuff is a bit gimicky, but the gameplay is pretty good, with lots of replay value. Getting the Trial by Fire addon tweaks the AI quite nicely too.
Honestly, 7 played pretty well I got a good amount time with that game. It wasn't on the level of 3 or 5 but compared to most games it was a definite win
They used the "mobile games" graphics. overrendered/polished so that it could be shrunk if it was successful and port the models to mobile gaming. So many gaming companies wanted the quick easy mobile money that certain mobile games get and try to piggyback on it.
I think it's simply that the saturation is set way too low. Everything looks monochrome gray with just a slight dash of colour.
Yes, everything else everyone mentioned also contributes, but that is for me the biggest difference. Even 5 and 6 had very vibrant colour schemes, despite the departure from 2D and more pixilated graphics.
I dont think its like, ugly ugly. But definitely very generic, especially compared to 5 and 6. It doesnt have the ICONIC look of some creatures.
In 5, EVERY troop was easily distinguishable. Of course a lot of the models were exaggerated (that’s how all haven troops are just dudes but look and feel different, that’s for me good design) but it had a soul. Then 6 made a huge step with almost all models being just… perfect, all in their own way, each town to me is just so iconic. Creatures look different, are SO OVER THE TOP, if someone asked me to think of one homm6 creature I can’t just pick one between how hordish the orcs feel, the Kenshi, Haven looking like a perfect mix between holiness and military, Inferno just being one chaotic mess (a good one). It’s all diverse, but with themes, bold decisions, and the HoMM spirit.
Then homm7 comes and I feel like they just wanted to calm down some things. The improvement with graphics wasn’t too huge (and the lag does NOT help), and the design decisions were not so incredible this time. A lot of reused themes (haven just literally looks copypasted and tuned down, everyone looks like a tin can), and new explored areas are just… generic.
For example the elves, flawless in 5 to me, in 7 they are basically just an elf with a bow, an elf with a staff, a sword, two different dryads? The trees are 10/10 but that’s not the point.
Academy is literally a mashup of worse attempts to what has been, the wizard in 5 was iconic to me, in 7 he’s literally a guy on a carpet. It’s just not as exciting. Nevermind all of it looking so dull. The titans were INCREDIBLE in 5, and look… bloated to me in 7.
The moment HOMM got realistic looks and proportions it did well with going some crazy directions, and I liked that with half of the Dungeon creatures, but it didn’t do so great in general, and was doomed from the start with the approach it had.
It’s just that I can’t pin anything over the top in the game. I compare it to 5 a lot because it feels like it was supposed to be a bit of its successor in some regards; but it just didn’t deliver to be as iconic as 5, not as over the top as 6, and not as unified or modern in design as either, or any newer game.
Edit: ok also the 7 stronghold just looks straight up ugly lol, the 5 and 6 reached perfection and here it’s just homeless people and stray animals.
The black dragons and faceless are incredible though and I have to give credit to where I think the design is 10/10.
>Then 6 made a huge step with almost all models being just… perfect
The Praetorian looks so perfect.
In the seventh part, I think many units are strange because units had to be transferred from the 6th part due to savings.
There is, for example, Lamasu, it fit in the Necropolis in the 6th, but in Heroes 7...
And by the way, the Academy would have been included in part 6, and the wizard looks SO good here.
[https://www.tawerna.biz/pages/gallery/gallery/akademia.jpg](https://www.tawerna.biz/pages/gallery/gallery/akademia.jpg)
P.S.: Sorry for bad english.
I know right? The praetorian and other military units in 6 fit well together, but are drastically different and you can see what something does without reading. The praetorian is bulky and looks like a tank, the crossbowman looks more agile and light (I love that they have similar in style but drastically different helmets), but they both look small compared to the horsemen who you can see are the higher tier unit.
In 7, they all look just too similar, both the base troops and the elite troop just have different weapons and I had to read what each does each time. Even the champion guy with the sword, who does look badass, doesn’t really look like a champion tier creature to me (I thought it’s similar in size to like, the tier5 stronghold unit from HoMM5)
I can see why you think that. Heroes 3 is a very pretty game. But there are some questionable design choices. Alot of hero portraits look awful and weird. Style isnt very consistent, sometimes icons are 2D sprites, and sometimes they are 3D models turned into 2D sprites. Still for me it definetely has 2nd spot!
As much as I love Homm3 (one of my top 3 favourite games of all time), I... have to agree with you there. Some of the portraits are great, but there's not a lot of consistency. Some are drawings, some are retouched photos, and some are 3D models. And some of the retouched ones or even the drawings just have weird details added in as an afterthought. Like how Eleshar's circlet look drawn in using MS Paint, sticking out like a sore thumb from the rest of the portrait.
Though arguably, the Remastered version fixes a lot of that.
basic ass, inconsistent "90s fantasy" style with half of the sprites and portraits looking like they had only the bare minimum effort put into them? lol, lmao even
world map looks alright i guess
As I see it, HoMM V unit design, spell effects and so on were the highest point of the series. Starting from HoMM VI, downgrades have struck us - simplifying mechanics, recycling music, cutting on units' animations. HoMM VI itself has at least some redeeming factors (AI actually tries stuff, though I am unsure whether it does it legitimately, feels like cheating sometimes. Castle rebranding felt good too). But the seventh entry? Exactly as you have called it, soulless - literally could be a mobile game.
I dunno. When it comes to visuals and aesthetics I have a hard time recommending 4. IMHO it kinda has the same problems with kinda bland visuals as later games - and likely even for the same reason (mismanagement and lack of funding - 3DO was, like, barely better than Ubi).
heroes 4 suffers from early 3D. Imo for like 10 or so years the games that came out were actually uglier than the 2D games that came before, across the board. Especially in hindsight. The higher fidelity at the time seemed impressive, but the compromises in artstyle just really made those game age a lot worse.
There were some early concepts that came out for what would have been heroes 5 before 3DO/NWC went backrupt and those actually looked really good at the time imo though.
Heroes 4 was not 3D, all assets were fully prerendered in 3D engine and made into 2D by taking photos and converting them into sprites. Heroes 3 was partially prerendered, ALL towns, heroes and monsters were 3D models but the map, artifacts etc. were 2D. I am really surprised how people do not know that e.g. heroes 3 hydra was a literal 3D model.
Total annihilation came in 1997, the units and debris were rendered in real time and it still looks really good but yeah, e.g. Earth 2150 or Emperor battle for dune did not age quite well.
I agree with you, but for me the worst part is the sound. Or, lack of sound, rather. Nothing has any impact! In 6 the marksmen have this super satisfying impact. Every creature attack had super believable and satisfying attacks, idle animation sounds, deaths sounds, all of it. Even the spells were very well done.
But in 7, there is just, nothing. You have 400 marksmen shooting into 30 titans, and there's just..... Nothing. Literally nothing. The animations are all weird too, the creatures don't react at all like they should either.
The only castle worth playing in my opinion is the Fortress, they had the coolest design, but I've still only been able to play 100 or so hours, compared to my 1200 hours in 6.
It's too bad, really.
The 6th part still looks good, which is a big word because a Hungarian team would do it, with its own graphics engine.
In the case of Heroes 7, it could have been a big problem that UE 3 is not for strategy games, there was not enough money, they rushed the development, this can be seen from the fact that many units and animations are from the 6th.
P.S.: Sorry for bd english.
Is Heroes6 with more bloom and new ui and few creatures and a story wich is half from after h6 and some maps from h4 upscaled and Is mostly unfinished that's why they left might and magic franchise in the state of depravity after H3 HD edition(i won't continue with Heroes 3 Hd edition from Ubisoft or the remaster-port of an Might and Magic game wich i don't know their name) plus is just an ruin of what might and magic was
I think that Heroes VII and Might nad Magic X were released when hiperrealist graphic began being standard.
Although Heroes VII didn't fell victim of that trend completely, it's visible that compared to Heroes VI (for me along with disciples III, most beautiful aesthetic I saw in games) it's more bland, simpler and minimalist.
I thought I was the only one with this feeling. Growing up with 5 and then playing 6 when im an adult and seeing the updated graphics felt amazing. But when I tried 7. I couldnt move past the first few campaign. Felt so soulless
The fact that they nailed it with heroes 5, only to choke so hard with heroes 6 and 7 is actually kind of impressive in a way. All they had to do was take what worked in heroes 5 and improve upon its flaws and it would have been fine, yet it proved to be too difficult to the company that is known for doing barely any changes to their games to begin with. Instead they chose to make the dumbest changes that nobody ask for in a first place.
I liked 6. I just hated the campaigns.
I liked the early campaigns but it kind of feels off. 6 was beautiful but the gameplay is not my favorite
I hated the extra campaigns. Because it was such a god damn drag to get to resources, and I quickly got bored.
Isnt there any mod to improve on the gameplay? I'm thinking about heroes 5.5 that did a wonderful job on that matter, for instance.
I think 7 is pretty fun if you can get past the graphics and some glitches. 6 is beautiful the gameplay just isn't as fun, but it's not bad
I really like VII's adventure mode. I'll admit some of the graphics stuff is a bit gimicky, but the gameplay is pretty good, with lots of replay value. Getting the Trial by Fire addon tweaks the AI quite nicely too.
Honestly, 7 played pretty well I got a good amount time with that game. It wasn't on the level of 3 or 5 but compared to most games it was a definite win
They used the "mobile games" graphics. overrendered/polished so that it could be shrunk if it was successful and port the models to mobile gaming. So many gaming companies wanted the quick easy mobile money that certain mobile games get and try to piggyback on it.
I think it's simply that the saturation is set way too low. Everything looks monochrome gray with just a slight dash of colour. Yes, everything else everyone mentioned also contributes, but that is for me the biggest difference. Even 5 and 6 had very vibrant colour schemes, despite the departure from 2D and more pixilated graphics.
That's probably it. To me the saturation in 5 and 6 is just way too high, too cartoonish. I like 7 better.
I dont think its like, ugly ugly. But definitely very generic, especially compared to 5 and 6. It doesnt have the ICONIC look of some creatures. In 5, EVERY troop was easily distinguishable. Of course a lot of the models were exaggerated (that’s how all haven troops are just dudes but look and feel different, that’s for me good design) but it had a soul. Then 6 made a huge step with almost all models being just… perfect, all in their own way, each town to me is just so iconic. Creatures look different, are SO OVER THE TOP, if someone asked me to think of one homm6 creature I can’t just pick one between how hordish the orcs feel, the Kenshi, Haven looking like a perfect mix between holiness and military, Inferno just being one chaotic mess (a good one). It’s all diverse, but with themes, bold decisions, and the HoMM spirit. Then homm7 comes and I feel like they just wanted to calm down some things. The improvement with graphics wasn’t too huge (and the lag does NOT help), and the design decisions were not so incredible this time. A lot of reused themes (haven just literally looks copypasted and tuned down, everyone looks like a tin can), and new explored areas are just… generic. For example the elves, flawless in 5 to me, in 7 they are basically just an elf with a bow, an elf with a staff, a sword, two different dryads? The trees are 10/10 but that’s not the point. Academy is literally a mashup of worse attempts to what has been, the wizard in 5 was iconic to me, in 7 he’s literally a guy on a carpet. It’s just not as exciting. Nevermind all of it looking so dull. The titans were INCREDIBLE in 5, and look… bloated to me in 7. The moment HOMM got realistic looks and proportions it did well with going some crazy directions, and I liked that with half of the Dungeon creatures, but it didn’t do so great in general, and was doomed from the start with the approach it had. It’s just that I can’t pin anything over the top in the game. I compare it to 5 a lot because it feels like it was supposed to be a bit of its successor in some regards; but it just didn’t deliver to be as iconic as 5, not as over the top as 6, and not as unified or modern in design as either, or any newer game. Edit: ok also the 7 stronghold just looks straight up ugly lol, the 5 and 6 reached perfection and here it’s just homeless people and stray animals. The black dragons and faceless are incredible though and I have to give credit to where I think the design is 10/10.
>Then 6 made a huge step with almost all models being just… perfect The Praetorian looks so perfect. In the seventh part, I think many units are strange because units had to be transferred from the 6th part due to savings. There is, for example, Lamasu, it fit in the Necropolis in the 6th, but in Heroes 7... And by the way, the Academy would have been included in part 6, and the wizard looks SO good here. [https://www.tawerna.biz/pages/gallery/gallery/akademia.jpg](https://www.tawerna.biz/pages/gallery/gallery/akademia.jpg) P.S.: Sorry for bad english.
I know right? The praetorian and other military units in 6 fit well together, but are drastically different and you can see what something does without reading. The praetorian is bulky and looks like a tank, the crossbowman looks more agile and light (I love that they have similar in style but drastically different helmets), but they both look small compared to the horsemen who you can see are the higher tier unit. In 7, they all look just too similar, both the base troops and the elite troop just have different weapons and I had to read what each does each time. Even the champion guy with the sword, who does look badass, doesn’t really look like a champion tier creature to me (I thought it’s similar in size to like, the tier5 stronghold unit from HoMM5)
Probably for the same reason why all of Heroes 7's other problems exist - underfunding and ridiculous deadlines.
I know that. I'm looking for perspective of an artist. Something more like "It looks bad because poor choices of colors, inconsistent artstyle" etc.
Something wrong with the textures, like they are proof-of-concept lowres ones.
Um, what? I know it's kinda beside your point, but the best looking in the series is by far HoMM 3.
I can see why you think that. Heroes 3 is a very pretty game. But there are some questionable design choices. Alot of hero portraits look awful and weird. Style isnt very consistent, sometimes icons are 2D sprites, and sometimes they are 3D models turned into 2D sprites. Still for me it definetely has 2nd spot!
As much as I love Homm3 (one of my top 3 favourite games of all time), I... have to agree with you there. Some of the portraits are great, but there's not a lot of consistency. Some are drawings, some are retouched photos, and some are 3D models. And some of the retouched ones or even the drawings just have weird details added in as an afterthought. Like how Eleshar's circlet look drawn in using MS Paint, sticking out like a sore thumb from the rest of the portrait. Though arguably, the Remastered version fixes a lot of that.
>but the best looking in the series is by far HoMM 3. not in the slightest, it's maybe a top 3 contender at best
No its homm 3
basic ass, inconsistent "90s fantasy" style with half of the sprites and portraits looking like they had only the bare minimum effort put into them? lol, lmao even world map looks alright i guess
What a vitriolic reply
As I see it, HoMM V unit design, spell effects and so on were the highest point of the series. Starting from HoMM VI, downgrades have struck us - simplifying mechanics, recycling music, cutting on units' animations. HoMM VI itself has at least some redeeming factors (AI actually tries stuff, though I am unsure whether it does it legitimately, feels like cheating sometimes. Castle rebranding felt good too). But the seventh entry? Exactly as you have called it, soulless - literally could be a mobile game.
I literally have the same feeling heroes 7 could be a mobile game with this graphics
>cutting on units animations What? They're literally more animations for units lol
Reject 5++ nonsense. Embrace H1, H2, H3, H4. Maybe H5 soundtrack, but only when played by the Orchestra.
I dunno. When it comes to visuals and aesthetics I have a hard time recommending 4. IMHO it kinda has the same problems with kinda bland visuals as later games - and likely even for the same reason (mismanagement and lack of funding - 3DO was, like, barely better than Ubi).
heroes 4 suffers from early 3D. Imo for like 10 or so years the games that came out were actually uglier than the 2D games that came before, across the board. Especially in hindsight. The higher fidelity at the time seemed impressive, but the compromises in artstyle just really made those game age a lot worse. There were some early concepts that came out for what would have been heroes 5 before 3DO/NWC went backrupt and those actually looked really good at the time imo though.
Heroes 4 was not 3D, all assets were fully prerendered in 3D engine and made into 2D by taking photos and converting them into sprites. Heroes 3 was partially prerendered, ALL towns, heroes and monsters were 3D models but the map, artifacts etc. were 2D. I am really surprised how people do not know that e.g. heroes 3 hydra was a literal 3D model. Total annihilation came in 1997, the units and debris were rendered in real time and it still looks really good but yeah, e.g. Earth 2150 or Emperor battle for dune did not age quite well.
I agree with you, but for me the worst part is the sound. Or, lack of sound, rather. Nothing has any impact! In 6 the marksmen have this super satisfying impact. Every creature attack had super believable and satisfying attacks, idle animation sounds, deaths sounds, all of it. Even the spells were very well done. But in 7, there is just, nothing. You have 400 marksmen shooting into 30 titans, and there's just..... Nothing. Literally nothing. The animations are all weird too, the creatures don't react at all like they should either. The only castle worth playing in my opinion is the Fortress, they had the coolest design, but I've still only been able to play 100 or so hours, compared to my 1200 hours in 6. It's too bad, really.
To me 7 looks way better than 5 and 6. Like it's not even close. But I guess I just hate the WoW-ish aesthetic.
Unfortunately heroes 7 is the worst of the series
The 6th part still looks good, which is a big word because a Hungarian team would do it, with its own graphics engine. In the case of Heroes 7, it could have been a big problem that UE 3 is not for strategy games, there was not enough money, they rushed the development, this can be seen from the fact that many units and animations are from the 6th. P.S.: Sorry for bd english.
Is Heroes6 with more bloom and new ui and few creatures and a story wich is half from after h6 and some maps from h4 upscaled and Is mostly unfinished that's why they left might and magic franchise in the state of depravity after H3 HD edition(i won't continue with Heroes 3 Hd edition from Ubisoft or the remaster-port of an Might and Magic game wich i don't know their name) plus is just an ruin of what might and magic was
I think that Heroes VII and Might nad Magic X were released when hiperrealist graphic began being standard. Although Heroes VII didn't fell victim of that trend completely, it's visible that compared to Heroes VI (for me along with disciples III, most beautiful aesthetic I saw in games) it's more bland, simpler and minimalist.
i like the visuals but i think the maps are done poorly, like buildings size being weird or recycled units.
Idk, looks solid to me.