Heroes of Might and Magic 2 is one of the best fantasy turn-based strategy games of all time, overshadowed only by its successor, whose active modding scene has produced excellent HD mods and unofficial expansion packs. But Heroes 2 has hardly been abandoned: The ongoing Fheroes2 project, which was begun over a year ago, is on course to deliver the definitive Heroes 2 experience.
Fheroes2 is a multiplatform, open source recreation of the Might and Magic 2 game engine with a dream list of features, including improved AI, larger resolution support (and window resizing), faster unit splitting, hundreds of bug fixes, and the most coveted of all features: an instant battle option to skip easy fights, and a restart button to replay the battle manually if you’re dissatisfied with the results. The videos also show off the highly polished animations, making me slow down and watch the tiny horseys gallop across the map.
In short, the FHeroes2 engine preserves the art, style, and gameplay of the 1996 game while adding features and enhancements that modern strategy fans have come to expect. Take a note, Ubisoft! Multiplayer is still limited to hotseat, but full online multiplayer support is on the roadmap.
The engine is currently at version 0.9.3, and in active development. The Fheroes2 Team recently started a Patreon to gather support and produce monthly updates and patches as the project nears 1.0. Only a few people have chipped in so far, but there’s no indication that work on the project is slowing.
“The FHeroes2 project is evolving,” the team stated in a Patreon update in April. “Every month we spend a lot of time improving code quality. We add new gameplay elements. Fix hundreds of bugs. Recently we added a full support of the project on PlayStation Vita. In the future we are going to expand the range of devices on which you could run and enjoy Heroes of Might and Magic II!”
While Fheroes2 replaces the engine, you’ll still need an original copy of Heroes of Might and Magic 2 to play (it’s on GOG). A free demo version is included in the Github download.