Warriors of Might and Magic

The 3DO Company

Company type	Private
Industry	Video games
Headquarters	United States
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Video games

Warriors of Might and Magic is an action role-playing game created and distributed by The 3DO Company for the PlayStation and Game Boy Color platforms in 2000, with a subsequent release on PlayStation 2 in 2001. All versions share a core narrative focusing on the main character, Alleron, who faces false accusations of necromancy by the Grand Inquisitor. As punishment, he is exiled and compelled to wear the Mask of the Accused, which draws hostile creatures. The storyline is generally considered to be set between the events of Heroes of Might and Magic III and Heroes of Might and Magic IV.

Development

Following the completion of Crusaders of Might and Magic, development for this title commenced. The team aimed to build upon their earlier project but encountered internal disputes within The 3DO Company. Originally intended as a sequel to Crusaders, disappointing sales figures led 3DO to rethink their strategy, opting for a new title and protagonist to better capture audience interest and improve commercial performance.

Initial builds utilized a first-person perspective; however, concerns from marketing prompted a transition to an action-focused gameplay style. This change resulted in the transformation from Crusaders of Might and Magic 2 into what became Warriors of Might and Magic. A PC edition was planned for release in November 2000, promising enhanced visuals aligned with the PS2 storyline, but it was ultimately discontinued during development for undisclosed reasons.

Promotional efforts included featuring the Brazilian metal band Sepultura's song "Ratamahatta" within the game. The developers also aimed to enrich the series' lore by delving into the origins of significant elements such as the Ancients and Kreegans, while integrating recognizable adversaries and spells from earlier Might and Magic installments.

Reception

The PlayStation 2 iteration garnered "generally unfavorable reviews" as aggregated by Metacritic. Norman Chido of NextGen remarked, "Neither visually appealing nor particularly smooth in control, Warriors fails to deliver the improvement over the disappointing Crusaders we anticipated." In Japan, where Success published the PS2 version on May 23, 2002, Famitsu awarded it a score of 26 out of 40. Jake The Snake from GamePro characterized it as "a passable action/RPG that may mildly engage players who are patient enough to enjoy a sword-wielding adventure."

Sequel

Following the releases on PS and PS2, a direct sequel titled Shifters was launched for PlayStation 2 in 2002. This continuation picks up shortly after the conclusion of the original game's storyline.