Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia (often called Heroes of Might & Magic 3, Heroes 3, or HoMM 3) is a turn-based strategy game created by Jon Van Caneghem at New World Computing. It was first released for Microsoft Windows by The 3DO Company in 1999. Later that year, versions of the game were made for other computer and console systems. As the third game in the Heroes of Might and Magic series, it was highly praised by players and is now considered a classic among fans.

The game had two expansion packs added: Armageddon's Blade and The Shadow of Death. In 2000, the original game and both expansions were combined into a collection called Heroes III Complete. From September 2000 to June 2001, eight level packs were released as part of the Heroes Chronicles spinoff series. These discs were designed for new players and could be played on their own. In 2011, all eight Chronicles episodes were made available on GOG. In addition to the official expansions, fans created a community-made expansion called Horn of the Abyss, which added three new factions, new game features, multiple story campaigns, and music by Paul Romero, a composer who has worked on the series before.

In 2015, Ubisoft released an HD "remastered" version of the game for Microsoft Windows, iOS, and Android. This version included updated graphics and support for widescreen displays, but it was not well received. Some problems included the absence of the two official expansion packs and the game’s level editor. Many reviewers suggested that players buy the Complete version instead and use an HD mod to improve the game’s visuals.

Gameplay

The game is a turn-based strategy game where players control heroes who lead armies of mythical and legendary creatures. These heroes travel across the game world to fight creatures and gather loot. This includes resources, which can be used to build and develop towns, as well as magic artifacts that give heroes special abilities. Heroes can compete for resource posts, such as mines, which provide resources each turn, and attack other towns. Combat takes place on a hexagonal grid where units move, attack, and cast spells.

Heroes III improves on the gameplay of earlier games while adding new features. These include a subterranean layer, larger maps, and additional ways to win. Some maps require players to find the Holy Grail artifact, which can be used to build a permanent structure in a host city to gain benefits, such as more resources and special town improvements. The game includes eight factions, an increase from six in Heroes II, with a ninth faction added in the Armageddon's Blade expansion. Heroes can also gain abilities that provide individual advantages. For example, the Diplomacy skill allows a hero to talk to an enemy and persuade them to join instead of fighting.

Players can play Heroes III alone through a series of campaigns, or with others in cooperative and competitive multiplayer maps. The game includes 50 skirmish maps for these modes.

Plot

The game's story takes place mainly through seven playable campaigns set on the continent of Antagarich. During these campaigns, the story is told from different perspectives, allowing players to experience the story through the actions of each town alignment.

After King Roland Ironfist of Enroth disappeared before the events of Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven, his wife, Queen Catherine, was left to rule the realm. At the same time, her father, King Nicholas Gryphonheart of Erathia, was assassinated. Without his leadership, the kingdom of Erathia fell to the dark forces of Nighon and Eeofol. Queen Catherine returned to Antagarich to gather support and lead her people against the enemies threatening their nation.

The capital of Erathia, Steadwick, was attacked and destroyed by the Dungeon Overlords of Nighon and the Kreegans of Eeofol. Meanwhile, the nations of Tatalia and Krewlod fought at the western border, trying to take more land. Queen Catherine's first goal was to create a base in the conquered kingdom by seeking help. The wizards of Bracada and the elves of AvLee joined her, and together they fought toward Steadwick, eventually reclaiming it and ending the border conflict in the west. Soon after, Lucifer Kreegan, a leader in the Eeofol army, sent a message to Erathia claiming that Roland Ironfist was being held captive in their lands. AvLee attacked Eeofol but failed to rescue Roland, who was moved to northern territories. Later, Queen Catherine invaded the tunnels of Nighon, forcing the Dungeon armies to retreat to their island home.

At the same time, the necromancers of Deyja, who had killed King Gryphonheart, planned to bring him back as a lich to use his knowledge to control an army of undead. However, King Gryphonheart reanimated as a lich and took control of Deyja, surprising the necromancers. With no other choice, Queen Catherine formed an alliance with some necromancers to stop Lich King Gryphonheart before he became too powerful.

A final campaign, available after completing the main story, follows the separatists in the Contested Lands. Frustrated by the conflicts causing instability in their lands, they unite to fight for independence from the two large kingdoms. It is later suggested that this movement was planned by Archibald Ironfist, the main villain from Heroes of Might and Magic II.

Release

The game was first released for PC Windows on March 3, 1999. A version for Apple Macintosh computers was released by 3DO, and a version for Linux computers was released by Loki Software, both in late December of the same year. In 2000, a version for Game Boy Color called Heroes of Might and Magic 2 was released. A version for Dreamcast was developed but not released because technical problems prevented the console from running the game properly. This version was canceled in 2000. A copy of the Dreamcast version was bought by a private collector in 2005, and in 2020, the collector made it public after a short fundraising effort.

Two official expansion packs were released for Heroes III. The first expansion, Armageddon's Blade, added a ninth town alignment called the Conflux, a random scenario generator, new creatures, heroes, structures, and six new campaigns. The second expansion, The Shadow of Death, was a standalone release that included Restoration of Erathia and added seven new campaigns and new artifacts, including Combination Artifacts. Combination Artifacts are created by combining specific sets of lesser artifacts, which gives heroes stronger abilities.

Eight level packs were released as part of the Heroes Chronicles series. These were standalone releases that did not require the base game to play and were designed for new players. Four were sold separately, two were free downloads, and the last two were sold as a bundle in June 2001. All eight were re-released on GOG.com in 2011.

In 2000, a bundle containing Heroes III and both expansion packs was released as Heroes of Might and Magic III: Complete. This version changed how the game was installed and updated the in-game menus to make it a unified product. The Complete edition did not include the Heroes Chronicles campaigns, some of which had not yet been released when the Complete edition launched.

On January 29, 2015, about 15 years after the original release of Heroes of Might & Magic III, Ubisoft released a high-definition version of the game for PCs, Android, and iOS tablets. The expansion packs were not included because the original code for them was lost, and the random map generator was also excluded. The release had many problems and was not well received. GameSpot and PCGamesN noted that players could instead buy the Complete Edition and use a community-supported HD mod, which was cheaper and included the expansion packs.

Heroes III has remained popular, and many community-made modifications have been created. These mods often come from the game's large fan bases in Russia and Poland. Examples include:

• In the Wake of Gods [pl; ru] (also called Heroes 3.5) is a fan-made expansion released in 2001. It adds new creatures, including level 8 creatures and "God's representatives," which improve heroes' main skills. Heroes can also destroy and rebuild towns. This mod was praised by Russian gaming magazine Igromania, which said it was better than the official expansions.

• Horn of the Abyss [ru] is another fan-made expansion announced in 2008 and released on December 31, 2011. It adds three new town types, many new map items, new campaigns, and a graphical random map generator template editor. Its latest major update was on January 1, 2024, which added a new town and maps. The original composer, Paul Romero, returned to create music for this mod. It includes HD Mod, which allows for simultaneous turns in multiplayer.

• HoMM3 HD is a mod that adds support for very high resolutions, up to 4000 x 4000, and updates the interface to work at that scale. It was first released in 2010 and has received many updates since. Some game journalists compared this mod favorably to the official HD re-release. HoMM3 HD was developed by a member of the Horn of the Abyss team and is recommended by that group.

• VCMI is an open-source version of the game's engine for Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, and iOS. It supports higher resolutions and extensive modding features.

Reception

The original game received good reviews from GameRankings, a website that collects reviews. Computer Gaming World's Robert Coffey said the game "builds on the very addictive gameplay of the earlier version, keeping the main game style but improving almost every part of the game." He also said the game is "very deep and complex," but he pointed out that the story had uneven pacing and online play had slow connection speeds. He concluded, "In the end, the benefits of Heroes of Might and Magic III are much greater than its small problems… This is a game that strategy fans should definitely play." Next Generation said, "While real-time strategy games are not doing well, with many recent games being weak at best, HoMM shows that turn-based games are still strong. In fact, it's hard to remember why people thought turn-based games were no longer popular."

The game reached number 3 on PC Data's weekly computer game sales chart for the week of February 28 to March 6. It stayed in that position for two more weeks before leaving the top 10 in its fourth week. It was the second-best-selling computer game in the United States in March 1999. PC Data, which tracked U.S. sales, reported that the game sold 185,553 copies in September 2000. By December 1999, the total global sales of the Heroes series had reached 1.5 million copies.

The game was a finalist for Computer Games Strategy Plus' 1999 "Strategy Game of the Year" award, but it lost to RollerCoaster Tycoon. The staff wrote that the game "keeps this series working well. There are no big changes here, but what would you change?" It was also a finalist for the "Computer Strategy Game of the Year" award at the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' 3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, which was won by Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings. The game came in second place for "Best Music" at GameSpot's Best & Worst of 1999 Awards, which was won by Homeworld.

Although the game was developed in the United States, it was especially popular in Eastern Europe for several reasons. The game was translated into Russian and Polish in 1999, which was unusual for a Western game at the time, meaning there was less competition. It was widely sold in the region, where piracy was common. Also, the game included a hot-seat multiplayer mode, which was a big attraction because only 2% of Russian and 7% of Polish households had internet access in 1999. The game is still popular in the region today.

The HD Edition, which the developer said includes updated graphics and improved gameplay, does not include the expansion content. Instead, it is based on the original 1999 game. This was one of the biggest complaints from reviewers and has caused a lot of controversy.

The PC and iOS versions of the HD Edition received "mixed or average reviews" from Metacritic, a website that collects reviews.

Board game adaptation

In 2022, Archon Studio announced the development of a board game inspired by Heroes of Might and Magic III. The game includes elements such as building a deck of cards, managing combat units, and handling resources. Each game session has a different goal, and maps are created using a system where players place tiles to form the playing area.

The Kickstarter campaign raised more than US$2 million in its first week, and by the final week, it had collected £2.6 million. This amount was 6000% of the campaign’s original funding goal of £43,000.