STRONGHOLD WARLORDS REVIEW SERIES

Sure, the game tells us that it makes the farmers “feel better”, but beyond that, the in-game role of multiple foodstuffs is not very elaborate or clear.ĭuring the campaign, our enemies will not leave us alone for long, and we must be well prepared for attacks, or we will be badly beaten. The developers have tried to diversify the food a little, as in the old Impressions games (Ceasar, Pharaoh, Zeus, etc.), but here it works in a less logical way, and it is not clear, for example, why it is better to have a vegetable farm and a pig farm in addition to the basic rice farm. The gameplay of Stronghold Warlords is roughly based on the two franchises mentioned above: you have to build various economic, military and diplomatic buildings (if you have enough gold and resources), which you then use to produce food and gold – both of which are necessary for war, as we know from our historical studies. Rice, pork, vegetables – the daily Chinese diet While the warlord we control is constantly pushing pep talks (and a bit of a non sequitur) in short transitions, these warlords are silent and lacking in unique character – this felt a bit of a missed gimmick. After all, the Anglo-Saxon and Norman lords in 1986’s Defender of the Crown had their own characteristics, but here they just stand on the map, waiting to be conquered and then later commanded – and watched over like the apple of your eye, or they might be turned by the enemy. This sounds great and basically, the vassal system is a really special element of Stronghold Warlords, but a little more character, personality or uniqueness might have been nice for these vassals. They are then under our control: they can be upgraded and paid not only with respect, but also with various resources, and they can even be used to reinforce borders and for various operations. Once we have invaded the small fortress they are standing on with our armies, if we stand with our soldiers at their side, they will literally kneel to us. Ultimately, Stronghold games have taken a lot of elements from these two franchises, so I was able to dive into the medieval wars of Stronghold Warlords quite quickly and without any problems.Ī new feature of the game is that you can “persuade” (enslave) neutral lords to serve the warlord you control.

STRONGHOLD WARLORDS REVIEW SERIES

To be honest, I’ve not been a big fan of the Stronghold series, but I’ve played a lot of the Age of Empires series and the city-building games that were very popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s (Ceasar, Pharaoh, Zeus: Master of Olympus, Emperor, etc.).

In Warlords, we take control of Mongol hordes, Chinese imperial warriors and samurai clansmen, and storm Japanese castles and fortified Chinese cities. In the five episodes released so far, we’ve commanded armies in medieval Europe, and Stronghold Warlords is the first episode to take on Asia in the same period. If the genre hasn’t completely died out, it has certainly become a bit repetitive, and far fewer triple-A titles are being made, so fans should appreciate any more sophisticated work.įirefly Studios is no newcomer to the game either, having released the first instalment of the Stronghold series in 2001, the first time we got to wear the blood-stained, battered armour of a medieval warlord. The once-popular “RTS” (real-time strategy game) genre, which enjoyed huge popularity on the PC, is nowadays less common, even on computers.

Stronghold warlords review