Much of the enjoyment stems from the game’s integration of gunpowder-based siege weapons, that deliver an explosive payoff. Here, victory is often wonderfully narrow and often accompanied by a pang of disbelief once it’s finally over. Defensively, Warlords is just as intense, as you repel waves of insistent invaders. On the offensive side of warfare, breaking through a tight perimeter can be quite challenging, making the eventual breach feel euphoric. The game’s selection of five different campaign will but you on both sides of the wall, with each puzzle-like scenario imparting a key lesson. Instead, siege warfare is where Stronghold shines. Open field combat is also unsophisticated, showcasing the kind of rock-scissors-paper skirmishes we’ve seen since the Age of Empires series. Expect you watch your kingdom go up in flames as an adjacent bucket brigade stands idly, waiting for a colleague to arrive from the other side of your citadel. When fires break out at your fortresses, Stronghold frequently becomes a comedy of errors. Both pathfinding and formations feel underdeveloped, with ninja botching incursions unless they’re babysat and troops with different movement speeds failing to work as a unified unit. Want to supply waypoints for your units so they don’t stroll past the spire outfitted with eagle-eyed archers? Sorry, but you’ll have to micro-manage movement. The Fear Factor system has potential, but at present, the difference is mostly aesthetic.īut that’s hardly the only oversimplification. Deep down, I wanted to see my authoritarian head on a spike for erecting chopping blocks and stockades. But any advantage of being tyrannical wasn’t balanced by the threat of rebellion. Warlords lets you rule with an iron fist or soft heart, guided by the decision to construct torture devices or Zen gardens. With plenty of on-screen indicators, you’ll know of the quantities of each resource, but you’ll also be given real-time updates on migration the public opinion on your governing. For better or worse, the title’s communicative UI makes establishing an economy straightforward.
Some of this is rooted in the game’s staunch commitment to RTS tradition, and if you’ve dabbled in the genre within the past twenty years, the basics will be familiar. Given that space is often the most precious commodity on many campaign missions, the resources supplied by these lords are habitually influential.įortunately, establishing the foundations for domination is quite easy in Stronghold Warlords. Until you’ve upgraded your warlord, their fortresses are prone to overthrow, so they add another critical variable to your administrative duties. But they add a bit of strategy to the title. If you’re in desperate need of gold, you’ll have to ask each Warlord individually there’s no way to issue a universal decree in the heat of battle. On the downside, issuing edicts is a bit messy. From resources like gold, food, to sending foot soldiers marching toward a rival faction, Warlords can help turn the tide of battle. Once an allegiance is formed, dividends are yielded. The choice is up to you to overtake them with force or use your supply of diplomacy points to win them over. Initially, they’ll be at the top of a guarded citadel.
The game’s eponymous chieftains are often positioned in strategic places around each map. Although skirmishes with Genghis Khan employing samurai makes for a fascinating hypothetical, history buffs will be disappointed. While the transition isn’t perfect, with Chinese, Mongolian, Vietnamese, and Japanese factions all having the same units, structures, and tactics, Warlords architecture and environments offer an indispensable respite from Western stylings. Notably, Warlords leaves the timeworn European (and to a lesser extent, Crusader’s Middle Eastern) settings behind, offering a journey to East Asia. But key changes deliver a much-needed dose of invigoration. Some of the franchise’s reoccurring issues, like pathfinding foes and simplistic open field skirmishes persist.
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Pleasingly, Stronghold Warlords shows just enough creativity to show the series experiencing a reverse of fortune. But between 2011’s Stronghold 3 troubled release and 2014’s Stronghold Crusader’s reluctance to push the formula forward, Firefly Studios seemed to be confronting stagnation. Sure, the series made an auspicious debut, with 2001’s Stronghold tasking players with developing an economy that’s secure enough to support the building of armies and defensive structures. Once a prodigious blend of city simulation and real-time management, the Stronghold franchise has struggled through middle age.
Price: $39.99 via Steam, $35.99 launch discount price
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