➤ Immersed in darkness 🎮

Might & Magic Heroes VI arrived in the field with a rich single player and interesting multiplayer implications, but the connection problems and the numerous bugs, including the macroscopic one that saw the formation of monstrous and unbeatable enemy armies, have hindered a snappy start. Fortunately, we live in the era of patches and in the case of strategic titles these are now part of the offer, ensuring that the gaps in terms of balance are fixed later, like the bugs. A strategy also used in the case of Might & Magic Heroes VI which, although still imperfect, has somehow matured since the launch and which, thanks to the new expansion, should be able to count on a further extension of support from the developers.

Shade of Darkness is a stand-alone expansion featuring two full campaigns, focusing on an all new faction that enriches the entire gameplay experience, including multiplayer. The Dark Elves of Tuidhana, part of the faction called Dungeon, act differently than the others introduced so far in Might & Magic Heroes and take advantage of tactics based on invisibility and traps. Powers that allow specific units to escape the game of ranged attacks that characterizes the early stages of turn-based battles, bringing devastating close combat attacks already in the initial stages of a clash. Obviously there is a downside, since the enemy automatically focuses on the other units which in some cases, such as that of the beholder, inflict a lot of damage but lack resistance. For this reason it is likely that the optimal strategy is to mass assault enemy units capable of striking from a distance, combining the stealth advance of the assassins with a nice cover spell based on darkness followed by the advancement of the most robust troops. In this way the gameplay flattens a bit but the initial attack proves decisive. In some cases, however, waiting for the enemy is a valid option, especially when the opposing forces are mainly composed of infantry units, which easily fall into the trap of our assassins strategically placed on the tactical map grid.

With the launch of the expansion, all sorts of problems have sprung up that have even led to a server blackout. The developers have blamed the latter by ensuring that the update works properly. The title is currently back to work properly even if some update problems remain in relation to the Uplay version which for some users remains blocked at 1.8, thus precluding access to the contents of Shade of Darkness. In this case you need to download the 2.1 patch manually and install it. You can find it at this address together with the patch for the retail version of the title.

The dark side of Ashan

From a technical point of view Shade of Darkness does not show evident improvements but, from the artistic one, the dark elves are more inspired and the models of some units, as well as those of the new monsters, are embellished with puffs of black smoke that underline the dark nature of the energies at stake. News that affect, to a certain extent, also on the map of Ashan. The Dark Elves have in fact their capital and there are also increased neutral creatures that enrich the gameplay and make the buildings that allow you to hire them more useful. The new features also include the more material side of the experience with magical items and scrolls, an unlockable mount, a special hero, new abilities, new structures and various characters related to the theme of darkness, the backbone of this expansion focused on a decidedly race peculiar. A race whose inspiration comes, as in the case of several other elements of the series, from the eternal role-playing game Dungeon & Dragons from which Shade of Darkness also inherits the historic separation between the Wood Elves, the classic ones, and the cousins refugees in the darkness, here protagonists. Inevitably, this theme also enriches the campaign of this expansion, already complex and also linked to the narrative sector of Might & Magic Heroes VI, which does not make us miss the typical nuances of the series in this case exacerbated by the triviality of the Dark Elves, by the unpredictability of the Dragon Goddess Malassa and her creatures that haunt the game world. Creatures not always easy to deal with like the elementals of the dark, who are capable of teleporting, and the fearsome black dragons that represent one of the most difficult challenges. Basically Shade of Darkness is a full-bodied expansion, which can be played without the need to purchase Might & Magic Heroes VI, including all the interface and multiplayer of the base game as well as two new campaigns. A wealth that, unfortunately, is reflected in the price and that makes the full version of the title much more attractive, with all the extra content included. In all this, moreover, there is a big problem related to the artificial intelligence of the game which, despite the latest patch and numerous updates, is still based more on tricks and tricks than on an actual ability of the machine in facing the player. . A huge flaw that prevents the game from expressing its full potential and that should have been at the center of the ultimate patch.

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Version Tested: PC Digital Delivery: Steam / Uplay Price: € 29,99 Resources4Gaming.com

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Shade of Darkness takes up the structure of Might & Magic Heroes VI, but at the same time it is an independent product that lacks only the single player campaigns of the original title. Almost a spin-off dedicated to the Dark Elves, which can be purchased independently by fans of the latter, with an entire race that is well differentiated from the others even in the case of the game mechanics. Unfortunately, these are still tied to a non-exciting artificial intelligence and, despite the wealth of content, there is still a lack of some new management dynamics to further refresh the formula. Especially considering the high price.