It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but I’ve never properly played the HOMM series. Or rather, I have no memory of doing so. I’m sure I played it quite a bit as a kid, but the memories are hazy. The reason? I was just a grade-schooler (...). Now that I’m pushing 40, there’s no way I’d remember the details. I have a faint recollection of reading about the factions in HOMM3 in a game magazine I’d snuck into the old Hyundai Starex van on the way to my Go academy. I remember playing it, too. But what the game was actually like? I haven't the foggiest idea.
Nearly 30 years have passed since then. Over those three decades, the HOMM series slowly faded from my mind. After the third installment—the last one I truly played (though I don't remember it)—the series fell into a long, dark age. When the fifth game, which was considered decent, was released, I was unfortunately a high school senior. Of course, being a senior didn't stop me from gaming, but back then, I was obsessed with Chaos and Gears of War.
When the early access for 'Olden Era' began, I was conflicted. Should I try it or not? Even if I played it to write an article, I wasn't confident I could judge it as accurately as the old-school fans. There’s nothing more painful for a journalist than getting roasted for writing about something they don't understand. But wait—the game is doing incredibly well. It has an impressive 89% positive rating despite being in early access. At this point, I couldn't just ignore it.
So, I changed my perspective. After all, the hardcore fans who have played HOMM from the beginning are in the minority. From now on, I’m standing with the majority. I’m playing 'HOMM: Olden Era' as a newcomer (or, more accurately, someone who doesn't remember). Is it really a game fun enough to win over anyone?
Deja Vu! I've just been in this place before
A cute, tiny 2.5GB installation size for a 2026 release. I clicked install, went to the bathroom, and it was already done. Then, the tutorial began. Wait... haven't I seen this somewhere before?
That's right. 'Olden Era' is remarkably similar to 'HOMM 3,' which is considered the best in the series and remains a faint memory for me. Of course, the game systems are similar across the whole series. But while we saw the transition from 2D to 3D up until the seventh game, 'Olden Era' has regressed back to that classic 3rd-game feel. It’s enough to trigger a sense of déjà vu, even with my fuzzy memory.
Starting the game by grabbing nearby resources is exactly the same. You raise your hero like an RPG, gather troops that replenish every week, and gradually build your strength. Once you're on track, the core of the game is clashing with other factions' heroes to vie for world domination.
The hex-grid battlefield is also identical to the third game. If there's a slight difference, it's that the combat feels a bit harder than before. Even if I don't remember clearly, I feel like I used to be able to just bash through enemies with whatever troops I had, but now it's hard to finish a battle without taking losses.
However, the number of playable factions has decreased slightly. I recall there being eight factions from the start in the original third game, but this one only has six. Perhaps some are missing because it's still in early access.
So, is it fun? Of course it is. Even if I don't remember the details, the fact that I clearly remember 'having played' the third game is proof enough that it was a fun title. After all, I've played so many games over the years that there are some I don't remember at all.
And 'Olden Era' makes it very clear why I enjoyed the third game back then. From the process of building your forces to exploration and the thrill of turning around a difficult battle, time just flies by. It turned my plan of 'I'll have plenty of time to write the article in three days' into a time-attack challenge.
It's not hard to play, but it is hard to 'see.'
Of course, with my level of expertise—which is practically that of a total beginner—the game isn't perfect yet. Faction balance is a chronic issue in strategy games that never seems to go away, and since it can be fixed through updates, I don't consider it a major problem.
From a new player's perspective, the biggest problem with 'Olden Era' is that it's difficult. To be precise, it's not hard to 'play' the game, but it is hard to 'understand' what's going on.
To explain further, checking necessary information within the game is cumbersome and difficult. You have to learn through trial and error about small but important details: what 'morale' means, how to utilize magic, how much effect a spell actually has, what a hero's attack and defense stats mean in combat, and what special traits enemy units have.
For long-time fans who have played the series repeatedly, this might not feel difficult, but for someone like me who hasn't touched the game in ages, it's a huge hurdle. At first, I didn't even know I had to position my hero exactly at the city gate to interact with it, which led to my hero dying after running out of troops. It also took me a long time to figure out how to use magic properly.
Playing the game itself isn't hard. Moving with a double-click, interacting, gathering troops, and entering combat are simple enough. However, this is a game where you 'enjoy it more the more you know.' Until you've checked all the general information, the game can feel a bit dull. The tutorial is well-made, but the game is so complex that you can't learn everything from it alone. It's not easy to grasp intuitively.
Once you get on track and get used to the game, it's definitely a lot of fun. But the fact that exploring this complexity isn't easy will certainly act as a hurdle for new players. Unless you have at least some memory like I do, or the stubbornness to commit to 'figuring out why it's fun,' it's a hurdle you're bound to trip over.
A game worth the price, considering the 'Early Access shield'
In short, 'Olden Era' isn't perfect yet, but it's a fun game, and that holds true even if you're playing it as a newcomer. While there are some disappointing aspects, the fact that it maintains a 89% positive rating with over 9k reviews heading toward 10k is proof enough that it's a good game.
The minor shortcomings—the UI/UX inconveniences mentioned earlier, balancing, and the AI difficulty issues often discussed in the community—all have room for improvement. As everyone knows, the game is still in early access, and the developer is actively taking feedback.
Ultimately, there is only one flaw that might not be 'fixed.' Although I didn't mention it in the text, even considering that the developer is a newcomer and the price point is low, 'Olden Era' is a bit disappointing visually. They could have made things like unit models or combat animations look a bit cooler, but aside from that, there's nothing to worry about. Since it's not an 'official release' yet, most of these small issues are likely to be resolved.
Is it worth buying? Absolutely. If it were a full-priced official release, you might hesitate, but it's still in early access. Plus, the price is quite reasonable compared to AAA games, so it's not a huge burden. I still need to play more to truly understand the game's charm, but I can still confidently recommend it.
So if you're on the fence, just give it a try
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