Might and Magic is a series of role-playing video games in the science fantasy genre. It was created by New World Computing, which became a part of The 3DO Company in 1996. The original Might and Magic series ended when The 3DO Company shut down. Ubisoft bought the rights to the Might and Magic name for US$1.3 million. Ubisoft started over with a new series that does not connect to the previous games' story. The new series began with the games Heroes of Might and Magic V and Dark Messiah of Might and Magic.

History

The following are the titles, release years, and available platforms for the Might and Magic series:
• Might and Magic Book One: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum (1986; Apple II, Mac, MS-DOS, Commodore 64, NES, MSX, PC-Engine CD-ROM²)
• Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World (1988; Apple II, Amiga, MS-DOS, Commodore 64, Mac, Genesis, Super NES (Europe only), Super Famicom (Japan-only, different from the European Super NES version), MSX)
• Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra (1991; MS-DOS, Mac, Amiga, Super NES, Genesis (prototype), Sega CD, PC-Engine Super CD-ROM²)
• Might and Magic IV: Clouds of Xeen (1992; MS-DOS, Mac)
• Might and Magic V: Darkside of Xeen (1993; MS-DOS, Mac) Might and Magic: World of Xeen (1994; MS-DOS, Mac)
• Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven (1998; Windows)
• Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor (1999; Windows)
• Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer (2000; Windows, PlayStation 2 (Japan-only))
• Might and Magic IX: Writ of Fate (2002; Windows)
• Might & Magic X: Legacy (2014; Windows, OS X)

There are several spin-offs from the main series, including the long-running Heroes of Might and Magic series, Crusaders of Might and Magic, Warriors of Might and Magic, Shifters of Might and Magic, Legends of Might and Magic, Might and Magic: Heroes Kingdoms, and the fan-made Swords of Xeen.

In August 2003, Ubisoft bought the rights to the Might and Magic franchise for US$1.3 million after 3DO filed for bankruptcy. Ubisoft has released multiple new projects using the Might and Magic brand, including a fifth installment of the Heroes series developed by Nival, an action-style game titled Dark Messiah of Might and Magic developed by Arkane Studios, a puzzle RPG titled Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes developed by Capybara Games, and a mobile strategy RPG titled Might & Magic: Elemental Guardians.

Gameplay

Most of the gameplay happens in medieval fantasy settings, while later parts of the games often use science fiction ideas, with this change often being an unexpected part of the story. The player controls a group of characters, which can include members from different types of roles. The game world is shown from the player's point of view. In the earliest games, the interface looks similar to the game Bard's Tale, but starting with Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven, the interface includes a 3D environment. Combat happens in turns, though later games let players choose to fight in real time.

The game worlds in all Might and Magic games are large, and players can expect to spend many hours playing each game. The games usually involve a lot of fighting and often feature large groups of enemy creatures. Monsters and situations in the series are often common fantasy elements, such as giant rats, werewolf curses, dragon flights, and zombie hordes, rather than new ideas. The Isles of Terra and Xeen games have more unique environments, combining fantasy and science fiction in a special way.

The Might and Magic games offer replay value because players can choose different party members, develop various skills, pick different sides, complete quests in different orders, search for hidden secrets and easter eggs, and adjust the difficulty level.

Plot

The games in the Might and Magic series mostly use fantasy themes, but the main story of the first nine games is based on science fiction. The series takes place in an imaginary galaxy that is part of a different universe. In this galaxy, planets are controlled by a powerful group of space travelers called the Ancients, who created humans, elves, dwarves, goblins, and other races on these worlds. In each game, a group of characters fights monsters and completes tasks on one of these planets until they become involved in the Ancients' story. Because of this mix of science fiction and fantasy, Might and Magic is considered a science fantasy series.

The series was created by Jon Van Caneghem. He has said in interviews that the setting of Might and Magic was inspired by his interest in both science fiction and fantasy. He mentioned that shows like The Twilight Zone and a Star Trek episode titled For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky influenced the story of the games.

The first five games focus on Sheltem, a renegade android made by the Ancients to protect the planet Terra. Sheltem becomes corrupted and starts destroying worlds to stop the Ancients' experiment, believing they are a threat to Terra. Sheltem lives on flat worlds called nacelles, which are inside giant spaceships. Corak, another Guardian created by the Ancients, hunts Sheltem with the help of the player characters. Sheltem and Corak are eventually destroyed in a final battle on the nacelle world of Xeen.

The sixth, seventh, and eighth games take place on Enroth, a planet ruled by the Ironfist dynasty. These games tell the story of an invasion by the Kreegan, who are enemies of the Ancients. It is later explained that the wars between the Ancients and the Kreegan caused the worlds of Might and Magic to become medieval fantasy settings instead of futuristic ones. The Kreegan are not part of the Heroes of Might and Magic series except in the third and fourth games. Might and Magic IX and Heroes IV take place on Axeoth, a planet where survivors from Enroth were sent after a disaster called the Reckoning.

The game Might & Magic X: Legacy, released by Ubisoft, takes place in a new world called Ashan, which is separate from the original setting. Ashan is a fantasy world with no science fiction elements. The original setting was not used again until the 2025 game Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era, which is a prequel set on Enroth’s continent of Jadame, first introduced in Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer.

Reception

Might and Magic is regarded as an important example of early role-playing video games, along with The Bard's Tale, Ultima, and the Wizardry series. By March 1994, total sales of the Might and Magic series reached 1 million units. Sales increased to 2.5 million by November 1996 and reached 4 million by March 1999.