Heroes of Might and Magic IV
Year: 2002
Type: Original Soundtrack (OST)
Composer(s): Paul Romero; Rob King; Steve Baca
Number of tracks: 25
Perhaps the best score of the series
Three years after Heroes of Might and Magic III , the fourth installment was supposed to breathe new life into the series with a fresh formula. As they did not want to fundamentally overhaul the now eight-year-old game principle, much remained the same. Instead of revolution, there were minor to major changes to better contrast the factions. Spells were now assigned to specific factions, meaning that not every hero could cast every spell.
In addition, the unit upgrades were removed and the creature carousel was once again given a spin, with the undead and demons merging into the Necropolis faction, for example. The most controversial change, however, was the role of the eponymous heroes, who no longer cast their abilities and spells from the edge of the battlefield, but instead actively took action in the fight and could also be directly attacked.
What looks like subtle adjustments was already sacrilege for many fans. After all, Part 3 is still considered the Holy Grail of the series, while Part 4 was probably the most controversial. Nevertheless, long-established Heroes-players had to get used to this joy of experimentation over the course of the series, as this development continued through to the last part for the time being, Might and Magic: Heroes VII. And this despite the fact that Heroes of Might and Magic IV was to be the last part developed by New World Computing.
I consider myself to be in the camp of those who never really warmed to Heroes IV . Seeing your own hero with health and mana bars in battle, the new 3D look and iso-camera perspective, and the division of races into Asylum (warlocks from Heroes II), Necropolis (undead and demons Heroes II, Academy (wizards), Sanctuary (forrest dwellers), Castle (barbarians) and Haven (humans) - something felt wrong. Or maybe I just didn't spend enough time with it to form a similar attachment to Part 2 or Part 5.
Be that as it may - I'm not here to get too hung up on the game. I'd much rather move on to the actual topic of this review: the soundtrack. Thankfully, it was released officially, comprises 25 tracks and is once again by veterans of the series Paul Anthony Romero and Rob King, who together with Steve Baca provide one of the best scores in the series.
As is usual with my hobby, I had to do some digging for information on the OST and stumbled across the name Paul James. He is listed as the fourth composer on Wikipedia, for example, but the cover of the soundtrack only features the three artists mentioned above. I couldn't find anything more about this man, but he should be mentioned for the sake of completeness.
In the very realistic event that you should ever be embarrassed to be asked which Heroes of Might and Magic-score sounds the least like a computer game, you can confidently answer "Heroes of Might and Magic IV." The reason for this is simple, because in contrast to HoMM 2 (opera) and HoMM 3 (fantasy), the main inspiration is now Celtic sounds, which can sometimes also be found in pop culture.
The composition does not deny its own roots and remains true to its credo as an adaptation of classical, orchestral soundscapes. The main protagonists are once again strings and wind instruments, which like to pour out into a symphony, occasionally accompanied by plucked instruments such as the harp or guitar, by vocals or both together. "But then isn't it the same game as Heroes III?", one might ask. Nay I say!
Examples of this can be found right at the beginning of the OST with the city themes, which typically provide the majority of the musical highlights in the series. It may be due to the game's focus on diversifying the various factions that they are now even more distinct from one another, but it feels like Romero and King have released the handbrake and given free rein to their creativity. I'm not saying that the playable factions in the previous games weren't musically distinct enough already - just compare the barbarian and wizard themes from Heroes II . However, the music in Heroes IV seems freer, more unleashed, less rule-bound. All in all, it's also a little more accessible - and I say that as someone who didn't really like the actual game.
So let's go through them one by one: The Preserve deals with the haven faction and is probably closest in style to its predecessors, namely Town (Sorceress) from HoMM 2. Here, as there, a mezzo-soprano (Karin Mushegain) sings an aria in Latin. She is accompanied subliminally by a guitar and soft strings before a female choir takes over briefly. Then she sings again, this time accompanied by a bass-baritone (Dean Elzinga). In a duet, their voices soar and sing of the heavenly safety of the city - haven. This may seem corny to people who are unfamiliar with opera and the like, but it happens rarely enough in video games for us not to get drawn in.
However, we will only encounter this form of hymn of praise again in The Haven, the human theme, although fans of classical music may be startled by this. After a leisurely introduction, a saxophone is heard flying over the composition. That's right, smooth jazz incoming! Or at least memories of 80s films such as Free Willy or A Fish Called Wanda. What may seem irritating at first actually sounds really good and testifies to the above-mentioned deconfinement of the score. Fun fact: The saxophonist is Dr. Brock Summers, the husband of composer Anthony Romero.
Asylum as the theme for the chaos faction is the exact opposite: time and again, a female choir virtually howls. There is something sinister in the air, like an approaching force. The initial curiosity gives way to unease, while the strings cascade in terror, sending shivers down our spines. The piece gets louder as the singer raises her voice, higher and higher ... and then freezes. There, the horror! There it is! A long scream as the choir rises again, the cries of lament mingling with the dysfonia of the winds, which reminds me of Verdi's Dies Irae . After this explosion, the music quickly falls silent. A moment of silence before a harp is heard. Now the singer too, but she seems calmer. And like Grieg's Morning Mood the fear is overcome, the day dawns. Relief. Liberation.
This musical chaos fits in wonderfully with the collection of mythological creatures such as orcs, medusae, minotaurs and nightmares that have gathered in the literal chaos faction. At this point, I would also like to briefly quote a comment on the YouTube-Video for Asylum, which painted a different picture. The author writes there that the city tracks sound to him like the emotions of a stranger visiting the city for the first time. He enters this new place, this wondrous, mystical, ancient city. He looks around curiously, wanders through the streets and alleyways before realizing just after the minute mark where he really is - and then the terrible realization sets in.
Continue with the other city themes, of which I particularly like the sublime, waltz-like The Academy of Honor with its (transverse) flute and guitar playing, the beauty of which almost moves me to tears. Castle Stronghold on the other hand, is steadier, more classical. The symphony of strings and wind instruments, which alternately complement and challenge each other, works simply brilliantly and shows the rough-hewn inner turmoil of the barbarian inhabitants of the castle. And Necropolis , with its soaring strings, has a somewhat uncharacteristically positive feel, less like something crawling across the ground than soaring high into the sky. However, with Asylum we do already have our 'creepy' track.
Removed from the city compositions that form the foundation of the OST, Heroes of Might and Magic IV offers a few great individual pieces that deserve a mention. In The Prayer and Desolation , the aforementioned Celtic influence is most evident and brings back memories of the excursions to the Skellige Isles from The Witcher 3 or the Stronghold-series. A Wise Tail and Wandering , on the other hand, are dreamy with their interplay of guitar and harp and are more in the vein of Assassin’s Creed II.
Hope is a soulful tune that is first played on the violin, accompanied only by a harp, before a flute joins in. Later, an accordion takes over and a singer also enters at some point. A wonderful interplay that awakens longings. Meanwhile, Floating Across Water lives up to its name with its combination of accordion and guitar and lets us dance light-footedly and elf-like across the water, and Searching for a Dream also awakens its intended imagery.
Absolutely great and my highlight of the score remains The Mountain Song, about which there is really nothing more to say than that it could also double as a wonderful Irish party song. Perhaps I simply have a soft spot for this style of music, as I also enjoy listening to The Dance from Bear McCreary's score for Battlestar Galactica: Season 3 or the untitled violin piece The Settlers III 3 from the game of the same name. The symbiosis of fiddles and guitars makes me instinctively want to shake a leg - and at the latest when the accordion joins in, any restraint is forgotten.
The only 'weak point' of the score, if you want to call it that, are the Battle-tracks. They fall short of my expectations across the board, which is possibly the reason why the game as such scored less well with me. They are more reminiscent of real-time strategy games like Earth 2150 or Emergency and have more to do with classic sci-fi tropes than Heroes of Might and Magic . If they were in the latter type of game, the pieces would probably be significantly higher in my rating, here they feel a touch out of place. The monotonous rhythms and synths would be best suited to the technically limited Heroes II , but not to its six years younger grandson. At least we are reconciled at the end with a baroque flute in Credit Theme , which is typical of the series. That's the way to go!
And that brings me to the end of this review, at the end of which the question can be asked with a raised eyebrow: how can this be topped? If I interpret the general tenor in the soundtrack community (YouTube comments) correctly, many will say: "Not at all!" But anyone who knows me knows that the next entry in the series is right at the top of my list. But this is not about Heroes of Might and Magic V just yet. Instead, I would like to conclude this review with not a warm, not a hot, but a boiling hot recommendation: If you're not into video games but have a minimum interest in classical and/or Celtic music, you should definitely give this a listen! And if you don't trust me, you are welcome to read this English-language review on Game-Ost.com , which expresses in much clearer words and with more understanding what I, an uneducated person, am unable to convey.
Nostalgia warning
The rating of the individual tracks is purely subjective and clearly colored by my own experience with the game. You can find out more in the article About Nostalgia.
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Ratings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | The Preserve | Paul Romero; Rob King; Steve Baca |  |
| 02 | The Last Battle | Paul Romero; Rob King; Steve Baca |  |
| 03 | Asylum | Paul Romero; Rob King; Steve Baca | |
| 04 | The Academy of Honor | Paul Romero; Rob King; Steve Baca | |
| 05 | Necropolis | Paul Romero; Rob King; Steve Baca | |
| 06 | Castle Stronghold | Paul Romero; Rob King; Steve Baca | |
| 07 | The Haven | Paul Romero; Rob King; Steve Baca | |
| 08 | Valhalla | Paul Romero; Rob King; Steve Baca |  |
| 09 | The Prayer | Paul Romero; Rob King; Steve Baca | |
| 10 | A Wise Tail | Paul Romero; Rob King; Steve Baca | |
| 11 | Wandering | Paul Romero; Rob King; Steve Baca | |
| 12 | Hope | Paul Romero; Rob King; Steve Baca | |
| 13 | Floating Across Water | Paul Romero; Rob King; Steve Baca | |
| 14 | Searching for a Dream | Paul Romero; Rob King; Steve Baca | |
| 15 | Desolation | Paul Romero; Rob King; Steve Baca | |
| 16 | The Mountain Song | Paul Romero; Rob King; Steve Baca | |
| 17 | Subterranean | Paul Romero; Rob King; Steve Baca | |
| 18 | Battle I | Paul Romero; Rob King; Steve Baca | |
| 19 | Battle II | Paul Romero; Rob King; Steve Baca | |
| 20 | Battle III | Paul Romero; Rob King; Steve Baca | |
| 21 | Battle IV | Paul Romero; Rob King; Steve Baca | |
| 22 | Battle V | Paul Romero; Rob King; Steve Baca | |
| 23 | Battle VI | Paul Romero; Rob King; Steve Baca | |
| 24 | Credit Theme | Paul Romero; Rob King; Steve Baca | |
| 25 | The Gathering Storm | Paul Romero; Rob King; Steve Baca | |
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