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Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes
This blinding portable puzzler has come out of nowhere to become one of the year's best DS games
Written by Chris Schilling, 09 October 2009
The hoary old Might and Magic franchise might seem like an ill fit for a DS title, particularly when you find out the latest game to explore the inexplicably popular fantasy universe is more of a puzzle-RPG hybrid. But incredibly, it works, and works brilliantly.
The plot is nothing to write home about - elves and humans are busy fighting each other over some trivial dispute, and it's up to you, the player, to recover an ancient artefact which will bring the battle to an end. Along the way you gather troops to build your own army, taking on groups of foes in turn-based combat. So far, so trad-RPG, right?
PlayZine Issue 36
For our latest Clash of Heroes coverage, click here to download PlayZine Issue 36 for free.Wrong. Clash of Heroes is a role-player where you'll relish every scrap, because it's these battles that provide the meat of the game. The idea is to arrange your troops in such a fashion that they combine to deal out devastating attacks, or to prevent foes from breaching your frontline and attacking weaker units at the back. This is done by switching formations and positioning like units together which will multiply their offensive or defensive power.
The mission objectives mix things up further, forcing you to tweak your tactics each time. Sometimes you'll need to defend certain units with your life, others you might have to take out one or two very specific enemies.
It's all done in a style far removed from what you'd expect from a Might & Magic game - the characters are chunky and cute, while the script adds a few sprinkles of levity to the traditional spells-and-swords recipe of the franchise.
Surprise smash of the year, then? Well, its success is far from assured, but you can bet you'll be seeing a few high review scores when this hits the market next month. Just make sure you're in on the secret, so you can get there before the whole world realises its greatness.
Clash of Heroes coverage available in PlayZine Issue 36 - click here to download it for free!
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