Crusaders of Might and Magic

Crusaders of Might and Magic is a 1999 action-RPG developed and published by The 3DO Company, a spin-off of the long-running Might and Magic fantasy franchise. Released on the PlayStation and Windows (with notably different versions on each platform), it casts the player as Drake, a wandering warrior bearing a mysterious mark, who takes up arms against the forces of the necromancer Necros and his undead legions threatening the land. Departing from the series' traditional turn-based and first-person role-playing roots, Crusaders adopts a real-time, third-person hack-and-slash format focused on melee combat, spellcasting and exploration through dungeons, villages and wilderness. Players gather weapons, armour and magic, level up Drake's abilities and battle a bestiary of monsters drawn from the Might and Magic universe. The PC and PlayStation editions diverged significantly in design, visuals and reception, a consequence of 3DO's parallel development. Critically the game met a lukewarm response: reviewers found it a serviceable but unremarkable action title, hampered by repetitive combat, dated presentation and a thin story, and it is often cited as part of the over-extension of the Might and Magic brand under 3DO. It remains a minor entry in the franchise, of interest chiefly to series completists and fans of late-1990s budget action-RPGs.