The competition is of course the different episodes of the King's Bounty series. Even if the operation of the two games differs with regard to the adventure map, they are still very comparable since the turn-based battles are based on the same principles in both cases. And so, you will have understood, Might & Magic: Heroes VI cannot supplant its rival in our hearts. This is due to several things, first and foremost the presence of a battlefield cut into squares. Even if we had already rubbed shoulders with this heresy in the fifth episode, we were entitled to hope for a return to hexagonal boxes, both more becoming and more tactical. It's a waste of time, so we have to deal with these sad checkerboards. The general map dedicated to the movements of the hero is already much more pleasant, even if everything is not perfect (for example the rotation of the camera which is not done with the mouse). We note that the back and forth on the ground are facilitated by the appearance of teleportation powers between the different fortresses that we have. Depending on its sensitivity, we will see a very practical feature or a decline in the complexity of the gameplay. From this point of view, there is still nothing to cry out about excessive "casualization", because even if certain game mechanics have been reviewed and corrected, the whole remains rather rich. We must thus control the evolution of the heroes by making choices among dozens of skills. Use magic, strength, class or faction abilities. Manage your inventory and the various artefacts collected in the field. And sometimes even making moral choices that place us either on the Way of Blood or on the Way of Tears. Without forgetting the capture of resource-generating buildings (fewer than before, of course) and the management of cities. On this point, criticisms fuse since the beta with regard to their graphic representation. It must be said that the 2D visual displayed in a simple window is singularly lacking in life.
We could be heroes...
In a more general way, the graphics have nothing to do with enthusiasm. Certainly, by placing the camera at the highest, the card is very cute. But as soon as we zoom in, or when the game decides to do it for us during the fights, we realize that the models are relatively basic. The worst is reached at times when the small cinematic scenes that punctuate the single-player campaign are displayed. Made in real time, with the game engine, they are sometimes very unsightly. To tell the truth, all the technical part seems to have almost stagnated since the release of the fifth episode, which however dates from more than five years ago! Of course, the interest of the game does not only lie in the graphics. But as long as we release a new version, as much as it uses the capabilities of modern machines, especially when it comes to a PC exclusive. There is also no miracle to be expected on the audio side, since the French version suffers from unconvincing voices, and poor synchronization of the movement of the lips with the dialogues. The latter, for their part, blow hot and cold, since they alternate desperately flat sentences and well-felt replies, successful strokes of humor and failed jokes. Pleasant detail: it is possible to navigate through the dialogues of the game phases using the forward and back arrows. Convenient for re-listening to or re-reading a specific passage, or on the contrary for shortening useless logorrhea.
And even if this episode smells a bit too much of commissioned work, and the school application of well-known recipes rather than creative genius, it must be recognized that the game remains ultimately a little drug as we like them.
Never perfect, never totally unpleasant, the game persists on the momentum of half measures by adopting Ubisoft's Uplay system. Do not panic, it is not a permanent and compulsory network connection since it is still possible to play offline. But everything has been done to encourage you to connect. We will pass over the incongruous presence of a Skype icon (we avoided Facebook, that's already it) to rather mention the dynasty points that you can only earn by being connected. And this is not anecdotal since they are used to buy significant bonuses! Similarly, playing online allows you to take advantage of the confluence orbs placed in certain places on the single-player maps. Concretely, these are waypoints where you can leave the message of your choice, which then becomes visible to all other players. Social, what... But neither these frills, nor even the changes in gameplay (some positive, some negative) brought by this sixth episode do not affect the great strength of the game, namely its basic concept. It is so strong and engaging that we necessarily have a good time in front of our screen. And even if this episode smells a little too much of commissioned work, and the school application of well-known recipes rather than creative genius, it must be recognized that the game ultimately remains a little drug as we like them.
