Skip to content 
We’ve been following the release of Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era closely and are excited that the game has finally been released into early access today. We first previewed the game in 2025, where we were impressed by the gameplay going back to its roots and using mechanics from the original titles released in the 90s. Now, having had the chance to play through a campaign and try out a lot more of the game’s differing factions, we’re confident that Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era will please veteran fans of the series while gaining some new followers who may not have had the pleasure of playing the series before.
While the game is primarily aimed at PC users and is now available on Steam, it is worth noting that those with Xbox Game Pass can also download the early access build, although it cannot be purchased individually. Another important aspect to note is that the early access build is a little light on content, and for this review of Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era, we’re mostly looking at the gameplay, functionality, and overall presentation. There does seem to be a clear road map of content delivery, the biggest aspects being that more single maps and longer campaigns will be needed to satisfy fans.
With all the release details out of the way, let’s get stuck into what Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era does offer. Currently, the single campaign follows the story of a shattered world, one where heroes are trying to uncover a mystery. A new power has arisen, and it’s up to the player to explore each map and make choices as to where to place their loyalty. The decisions pretty much come after each map, and you decide which faction you will be working with next. It’s a well-made campaign that slowly introduces us to the nuances of the gameplay, as well as the different factions, units, map buildings, and all-important hero, spell, and battle systems.
We won’t spoil anymore of the story, but as you can imagine, you go on a quest, make friends (other useable heroes), and save the day. This campaign, being a tutorial of sorts, is quite linear in map design, and most of the time, you’re going through the motions. That said, it was fun, and if the humour between the characters grips you, it’s quite entertaining. Once this is complete, the real fun begins with trying to beat each of the individual maps that allow for much more exploration, online multiplayer, deeper strategy, and generally feel a lot more like a Heroes of Might and Magic extravaganza.
If you haven’t played a Heroes of Might and Magic game before, then the premise is quite simple and follows a traditional 4X strategy system. Build a base, called towns in Heroes, explore a map with hero characters who act as generals, manage resources, and conquer enemies by taking out rival heroes and capturing towns. Most maps are won by destroying all the enemey heroes and capturing all the towns, although some maps may require additional feats such as collecting a set amount of gold, or capturing a specific artifact. Each player makes all their moves on a single turn before handing over control of the map to the next player in a cycle.
At first, Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era feels incredibly complex, maybe even confusing, as there are a lot of menus and decisions to make all at once. However, with some patience and by reading the info available for each screen, players can slowly learn. If you haven’t played a Heroes game before, it’s best just to accept that you will most likely fail quite a few times before beating a map, but also that you just need to experiment with troops, buildings, hero upgrades, and strategy techniques to find what works for you and what makes for a successful approach. This game is a strategy player’s dream and goes very deep, very quickly.
What makes this latest release in the 30-year history of Heroes of Might and Magic is how it has purposefully tried to get back to the series’ high point of the late 90s and early 2000s. Those who have fond memories of those times will be excited to hear that Olden Era is about as close to the original Heroes games as we’ve had since the fifth game. Oh yes, Heroes of Might and Magic fans, we’re back! Everything from the way heroes use buildings on the map to how the battles unfold really feels like classic Heroes. There are plenty of modern features, but in the main, this feels a cross between Heroes II and III.
Almost everything in Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era feels perfect, but there are a few aspects that we must mention, especially to veteran fans of the series. Firstly, there is a lack of a few mainstay features, most notably the lack of sea battles and seafaring in general. We certainly hope this gets added to further updates, as the sea battles can introduce pirates and sea captain heroes, which are always fun. Also, the presentation may be a bit modern for some; long gone are the days of the beautiful pixel art of retro Heroes titles, but the graphics are clean and well-animated. We should note that the music is also excellent in places.
We’ve had a lot of fun with Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era. The core gameplay has been restored to what many of us will remember, and the soul seems to have been brought back in the series. This is definitely the best Heroes game in over 20 years, and we can’t wait to see what content updates come in the future. It does desperately need campaigns and more maps, hopefully lots of player-designed ones, as well as some general tidying up of the overworld screen, which does seem cluttered occasionally.
Overall, Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is a must-buy for fans of the series or fans of turn-based games in general. We base this on the promise that a lot more content will arrive and that some of the gameplay is tweaked based on players’ feedback to the developers. We’re excited to have one of gaming’s greatest strategy titles back where it belongs, and we are very happy to see that over half a million sales have already happened. Heroes seems to be in safe hands now, and long may the success continue.
