Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven (1998) brought the series into free-roaming 3D and into Enroth, the world of the Heroes of Might and Magic games[1][2]. It was developed by New World Computing — a division of The 3DO Company since 1996 — and published by 3DO for Windows 95[1][3].
Development
- Designed by Bryan Farina, Paul Rattner and Jon Van Caneghem; music by Rob King with Paul Romero and Steve Baca[1][4].
- Work began in 1996; the novelist Geary Gravel was hired to write a tie-in trilogy before the story moved to Enroth; the game was announced at E3 in April 1998[1].
- It used new 3D engines for indoor and outdoor areas, with continuous movement and no 3D accelerator support[1][3].
Releases
| Edition | Released | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 95 | 30 April 1998 | The 3DO Company |
| Windows 95 (Japan) | May 1998 | Imagineer |
| Limited Edition (with Might and Magic I–V) | 1998 | The 3DO Company |
| Millennium Edition | 1999 | The 3DO Company |
| GOG: 6-pack Limited Edition | 20 August 2009 | Ubisoft |
Per Wikipedia, PC Watch and GameBanshee[1][5][6].
Setting
On the Night of Shooting Stars the Kreegan — the "devils", enemies of the Ancients — arrive in Enroth; King Roland marches against them and disappears, a cult called the Temple of Baa spreads, and people fear the Ironfist dynasty has lost the mandate of heaven[3][1][7]. The party is four survivors from the village of Sweet Water, and the road leads to the Oracle of Free Haven[1][8]. The game begins in New Sorpigal, named after the first game's starting town[1][8].
Gameplay
- Four human heroes — the only game of the series without a choice of race — plus two hired followers[9][1][2].
- Six classes, down from ten — knight, cleric, sorcerer, paladin, archer and druid — each with two promotions[9][3].
- Skills have ranks and the levels Normal, Expert and Master, taught by trainers around the world[9][1].
- Nine schools of magic: fire, air, water and earth; spirit, mind and body; light and dark[9].
- Real-time play that can switch to turn-based combat at any moment with Enter[9][2]; a day-night cycle and the series' first full-motion video[1].
Reception
- Computer Gaming World's Scorpia gave it 4.5 out of 5[3]; the magazine made it runner-up to Baldur's Gate for role-playing game of the year[10].
- GameSpot gave 9.1 out of 10, IGN 9 out of 10 and PC Gamer US 90%; GameRankings averaged 85%[11].
- Игромания reviewed it at length in July 1998[12].
Russian release
The licensed Russian edition was published by Бука as «Меч и магия VI. Благословение небес», translated by Home Systems; earlier unofficial editions used the same title[13].
Legacy
- VI tied Might and Magic to the Heroes series, a link VII and VIII continued; Ubisoft bought the rights in 2003[1].
- GrayFace's patches keep VI–VIII running on modern Windows with quality-of-life changes[14]; OpenEnroth is an open-source reimplementation of the engine[15].
- A teaser for VI was hidden in Heroes of Might and Magic II[1].
More on this game: classes, skills, spells, items, places and monsters.