I bought it since I love HOMM.
Initial 40 minute impressions
- Graphics are ok. Nothing remarkable, but slightly updated HOMM3? Kinda zoomed in, so things are fairly jaggedy.
- Sounds are good.
- Combat as you suspect.
- The main camp unlocks things (the rogue lite component) with resources gathered in missions. You can replay missions (read this in the forums).
---- Missions when you start them have challenge components. Like not using a specific unit, killing all enemies, and so on. These are rewarded after mission is complete. Suspect you can replay missions to complete modifiers to get all of them if you miss any the first time around.
---- Don't think you take all the base resources with you at the end, but artifacts are carried over and you can select them when you start. (was kind of weird that in one spot I could buy an artifact from a vendor for far more resources than I have, then right next to the hut was a chest with the same artifact. Not sure if those are RNG or static).
- You start as a base class, unlock 2 at the start, with a 3rd still locked. Their differences are small (initial spell class / mana pool), units are the same, but expect these are things you unlock later.
Game crashed spectacularly, locking up my computer for 2 minutes with sound going, in the middle of the first mission after tutorial. When opening the game now with a continue, it crashes immediately. It autosaves after every turn. I reloaded now twice, and it worked again.
Might want to wait for a patch or two? But other than crash, nothing bad. Seems to play as advertised.