Developer Unfrozen shared the latest chapter of the Devlog, explaining how and why the team chose the artstyle of Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era.
“Heroes of Might and Magic has always embraced change — not only in the captivating blend of tactics, strategy, and economy, but also in its visuals. From the hand-painted charm of Heroes II to the high-fidelity realism of later titles, each entry introduced a new artistic direction that helped to define the tone, mood, and identity of the series’ universes.”
While building on the legacy of the series, the team from Unfrozen are introducing their own identity and ideas to the players. Check out the devlog to take a glimpse behind the scenes at how the developers approached key design decisions. The key pillars that drove the development include:
- The game must run smoothly and be accessible.
- Visual clarity is essential — everything must be easy to read.
- Familiar gameplay is key, but it should be modernised.
- The legacy matters, but players also want something new to explore.
The team also reinforced the vision that Olden Era is not a remake, it is a new chapter for the series, built from the groud up. Unfrozen preserved the core mechanics, but also tweaked the formula with new features, quality-of-life improvements, and a distinctive tone. A unique visual style andfresh artistic vision are also central to that evolution.
“Heroes of Might and Magic is a series with a long history that you can learn a lot from. Each game brought something new to the table. Not only did mechanics vary, but also the visual style changed drastically. We studied them all — both gameplay and art — to understand what worked, what didn’t, why certain choices were less successful than others, and how we could do our best to choose the right direction.”
Having studied the mainstream Heroes titles and King’s Bounty: The Legend, the team learned the following:
- Visual changes were always present throughout the Heroes series.
- Unfrozen’s personal preference in style draws from the nostalgic looks of Heroes II and King’s Bounty.
- Although changes and progress are inevitable, they must be done with care.
- Readability and performance have always been and probably will stay crucial for the genre.
- Factions should have their leading colour palette, but it shouldn’t dictate everything within it.
- Stylisation is one of the keys to success that also prolongs the life of the art style and a game in general.
This is where the active development begun. Check out the Steam blog post to find out more.
