Quick Links
It's time for another updated version of Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes – Definitive Edition, but it's a very light-touch remake this time around. Originally gracing the Nintendo DS in 2009 before porting to other consoles and PCs a couple of years later, it blends ingenious match-3 combat puzzle gameplay with RPG mechanics, all couched firmly in Might & Magic series lore. While this newest Definitive Edition is a feature-complete product comparable to the 2011 version, it’s generally bereft of the bells-and-whistles bonuses one would expect from such a subtitle, yet the game’s brainy battles remain as engrossing as ever.
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes first arrived hot on the heels of other match-3 mashups like Puzzle Quest or Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure. Since then, match-3 games found stable purchase in most smartphones and consoles in one way or another, as well as seeing continued exploration in titles like 2019’s The Legend of Bum-Bo, though there’s never been a suitable followup to Capybara Games’ idiosyncratic mix of turn-based troop-forming combat and Bejeweled.
In most encounters, players make vertical or horizontal lines of their troops, which create attack formations and protective walls, respectively. Optional and limited Elites and Champions hog more of the board’s meager real estate but exhibit spectacular damage and effects, all of which can be ruthlessly countered by an opponent’s moves on the other end of the screen. Five characters with their own individual rosters and special abilities grant Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes – Definitive Edition a surprisingly beefy campaign, and grinding for levels and gear or searching for every optional duel will run about 20 to 25 hours.
The Definitive Edition Is Now The Only Edition
This Definitive Edition of Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes essentially replaces the previous remake’s Steam footprint on PC, with development duties carried out this time by Dotemu and Gamera Games. The former has become a frequent publisher of contemporary riffs and remakes of classic franchises like Streets of Rage, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Wonder Boy, so the dearth of additional content in this (presumably final) release is curious indeed.
It’s unclear whether this would have been impossible due to the rights issues, but a toggle to switch the view over to retro DS pixel art would have been a grand feature. It’s certainly the type of bonus one would expect from a Definitive Edition, something which would keep pace with Dotemu’s own Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap from 2017, as well as a number of unrelated remakes of the past few years. Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes – Definitive Edition is comparably paltry, though DLC characters and one new hero are included for quickplay and multiplayer modes.
Beyond that, the value in this package remains the gameplay underneath it all, but the reasoning for this version remains questionable. With no planned release on PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S for Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes - Definitive Edition, preservation on current-gen consoles does not seem a priority concern, so it would be reasonable to expect additional artwork or BTS supportive content at least, in line with Blu-ray special features and the like.
Cutscenes and Menus Need A Refresh
However, there’s full widescreen support, high-resolution artwork, and lightly touched-up character portraits, so it’s safe to say that Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes – Definitive Edition technically presents the best-looking version of the remake to date…at least so far as combat and map navigation is concerned. The game’s cutscenes – comprised of slow-panned, barely animated static images and hammy voiceover, an antiquated effect by 2023 standards – did not apparently update the original images, rendering these storytelling segues something of an eyesore on modern screens. It’s hardly a dealbreaker for a game of this quality, but count it as another ding against wielding the term “definitive” in a title.
Still, even dismissing those cutscenes as a lost cause, Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes – Definitive Edition predictably shows its age in other ways, and there are numerous details which should have been refined or smoothed over on this outing. Loading screens are brief but constant, interrupting the flow in a way that pairs poorly with the stilted node-based map movement. One would expect some QOL improvements, such as an option for fast/instant map traversal, or at least a quick-mode toggle to hasten the many combat animations in battle. Even a simple undo command would be helpful, especially with the game's tendency for misclicks when using keyboard and mouse.
The UI and menus – especially the interminably long and lackluster win screen – are clumsy and drab, begging for an update to contemporary expectations. Two remakes in, Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes – Definitive Edition still comes off as an aged portable console game, and the in-menu tutorial content is hilariously abrupt, sure to send newcomers to online resources for proper support and guidance on the basics of gameplay.
Tried and True, One-Of-A-Kind, Compelling Gameplay
Luckily, they won’t have trouble finding fans whose love for the game has never faltered. Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes – Definitive Edition fortifies its cult classic status on raw gameplay merits alone, even this many years later. It’s that rare puzzle game which wields a competently written yarn, deliciously intricate combat system, and creative encounters that force players to adapt their burgeoning skills in unique ways. The majority of time is spent in standard 1-on-1 battles, but each of the five protagonists can also engage in “battle puzzles” to hone their abilities, chess-like skirmishes to be bested in a single turn. Alternately, players may need to target archers hiding behind cover, attack distant switches behind an enemy army, or free a character from a cage at the back of an arena, rather than simply deplete an enemy’s HP.
Most of its match-3 mashup peers barely hold a candle to the game's time-tested design, a foundation which leaves plenty of room for mastery and may inspire post-release attention to Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes – Definitive Edition’s multiplayer lobbies (which were essentially unpopulated for test in this review). And yes, luck is always a pressing factor, with hapless random troop refreshes completely upending a duel, but penalty for failure in the singleplayer quest remains light, and there’s always this insistent push to replay a scenario, perhaps with a different artifact or troop loadout to get the upper hand.
Final Thoughts & Review Score
There’s no need to bury the lede; Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes – Definitive Edition never truly feels definitive, but it’s still a refreshing, one-of-a-kind puzzler hybrid with a knockout campaign. While its admirers have already purchased it multiple times by now, this version ensures that it remains in the public eye for discovery by newcomers, and hopefully inspires a proper sequel in the coming years. That’s more than enough to recommend it, especially to anyone who’s missed out on the game thus far, but longtime fans may feel shorted by this lightweight reissue.
Source: PlayStation/YouTube
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes - Definitive Edition releases July 20 on Steam for PC, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. A digital PC code was provided to Screen Rant for the purpose of this review.