Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era feels like playing in a strategy sandbox filled with sparkling treasures you can't help but turn over in your hands, with marvelous dollhouse towns packed with epic fantasy action figures to play with. Then, a huge black dragon grabs that sandbox and flips it over. Get with the program and learn that not all that glitters is gold, or get turned to ash. This is the legendary strategy back in top form – Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is developer Unfrozen's revival of the classic series, and its best since 1999's seminal Heroes of Might and Magic 3.
That particular entry is a fan favorite for good reason, and Olden Era uses it as a mechanical base for its prequel, really understanding why the turn-based, tactical, top-down gameplay worked in the first place, but also knowing where the formula would benefit from a slick, modernized revamp. Unfrozen even retains some of the best ideas from later in the series, retrofitting them into this classic-styled approach, and introducing more than a few of its own. For the first time in the series, going back to Heroes of Might and Magic 3 makes me yearn for the new features. Currently in Early Access, Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is already packed with an essentially endless amount of content, from randomized scenarios, to a map-builder beta, multiplayer, and a meaty first act of a campaign.
