Might and Magic: World of Xeen

The Good
In you did not know already. Might and Magic: World of Xeen is the result of combining Might and Magic 4: Clouds of Xeen and Might and Magic 5: Darkside of Xeen. Strange to know that both games have no difference whatsoever in gameplay and features...World of Xeen is like a cake split in two.

One at a time:

The graphics were great. I especially enjoyed the character portraits, offering a diverse selection for your characters. It's somewhat nearly natural or "real" but still cartoon if you understand my saying. But they made it in a way as the graphics were still considered A-Quality at the time. At least to my opinion.

The combat was between "mediocre" and "quite good". Nothing extraordinary about the combat, but it was simple enough to be enjoyable: The combat system is a turn based system similar to the Bard's Tale combat style, but with one difference: You can see your enemies from a far - no surprise foes. A delightful surprise really. Oh, I precisely similar to Lands of Lore, but Lands of Lore is much...much better.

There are many features in the game that are worth noting: There is a list of the parties deeds every time you solve a quest/puzzle. A wide variation of skills, spells and races and many more.

One feature that I must note as outstanding is the random item/weapon system. When you go adventuring, it is natural that you come across monsters and wank the daylights of their behinds. Usually they leave behind loot. In Might and Magic: World of Xeen, most of the loot is random, and great items do not naturally have to do with "Boss Monsters" like in Diablo.

Weapons for instance are very detailed in description. If I recall correctly, here's an example: You found a Diamond Kinetic "Bug-Zapper" Katana. What does that mean? Well first, the weapon is a Katana or Japanese sword. It has it's standard damage. Then it's a Diamond Katana. That means it's made from Diamond, a very hard substance, giving additional damage. A Tin Katana may give less damage or instance. Next is the "Kinetic" description. Kinetic means Lightning attacks I think (or was it energy attacks...uh...forgot). Other versions maybe fire, water, etc. It gives bonus elemental attacks. And the last description is the "Bug-Zapper", meaning that it gives bonus damage against Bugs or Insect-like monsters. So there can be a very wide variation of weapons...even more varied than games like Diablo.

The Bad
Hmmm...one thing I remember. "Oh, now you tell me you have to merge Might and Magic 4 and Might and Magic 5". Hahaha. I played Might and Magic one by one, from Might and Magic 4 and Might and Magic 5. When I installed Might and Magic 5, the game finally made sense. Because before you combine both games into World of Xeen, there are many places you can't visit and many puzzles you can't complete.

The Bottom Line
This game is one surprise after another. It would be easier and less complicated to play World of Xeen outright. But if you want additional challenge. Play and finish Clouds of Xeen first then install Darkside of Xeen.