Dark Messiah of Might and Magic (2006) is a first-person action role-playing game by Arkane Studios, published by Ubisoft and built on an enhanced version of Valve's Source engine; its multiplayer was made by Kuju Entertainment[1][1][1]. It is set in Ashan, the world of Heroes of Might and Magic V[1][1].

Development

• Arkane had been building Arx Fatalis 2 on Source; the only publisher interested was Ubisoft, which wanted the technology for Might and Magic — and so Arx Fatalis 2 became Dark Messiah[1].
• Raphaël Colantonio was creative director; Ubisoft's Richard E. Dansky and Jeffrey Spock developed the world[1][1].
• The music was composed by Sascha Dikiciyan and Cris Velasco[1][1].
• The PC version went gold on 9 October 2006[1].

Releases

Per GameBanshee, MobyGames and Wikipedia[1][1][1]. The Xbox 360 version, Elements, replaced the role-playing layer with four fixed classes, added about two hours of new missions and cut multiplayer to twelve players[1][1]; a downloadable pack added the Paladin and Warlock classes, maps and weapons in March 2008[1].

Setting

Sareth, the apprentice of the wizard Phenrig, carries a crystal to the wizard Menelag in the city of Stonehelm to help find the Skull of Shadows; the spirit Xana lives in his mind, Menelag's niece Leanna joins him, and the necromancer Arantir stands against him[1][1][1]. The ending depends on choices made along the way[1].

Gameplay

• Melee, archery, stealth and magic, developed through combat, magic and stealth skill trees[1][1].
• The kick, with ledges, spikes, fire, ropes and ice spells to send enemies into, made the environment a weapon[1][1][1].
• Multiplayer for up to 32 players, humans against undead, with five classes and a Crusade mode — a campaign across five territories in which characters progress between matches[1][1][1].

Reception

• Metacritic: 72 out of 100 for PC; the Xbox 360 version scored 52[1].
• Eurogamer gave 8 out of 10, praising the melee[1]; GameSpot gave 6.7 and reported crashes and glitches[1]. The bugs split critics: PC Gamer US gave 49% after playing unpatched, while PC Gamer UK gave 88%[1].
• Игромания gave 8.5, saying Arkane built a superb action part and forgot almost everything else[1]; AG.ru gave 76%[1].
• Elements fared worse: IGN gave it 5.7[1].

Legacy

• It is now seen as a stepping stone to Arkane's Dishonored[1][1], and bit-tech called it perhaps the most underrated game of the last generation[1].
• In 2023 Ubisoft gave the fan modders behind wiltOS — co-op, mod tools and ray tracing — its approval[1].

Russian release

Бука published and localised it in Russia on 21 December 2006[1][1][1].

More on this game: skills, characters and creatures, items and locations.