Stronghold: Warlords Critic Reviews

Stronghold: Warlords is a competent and polished RTS that brings in the series an important gameplay addition, while keeping the original RTS firmly at the base of its proposal.

Stronghold Warlords takes the winning formula of the series and returns to the original's near-perfect form while improving on almost all aspects of the game. The newly added warlords mechanic didn't strike my fancy in the way I suppose the developers would have wanted, but that's not because it's a bad addition, just that it needs some tweaking to make it a more integral part of the game.

Stronghold: Warlords is the best entry in the series of the last decade, better than the previous chapters.

The difficulty is the only other thing that may be offputting to some. I'm a play-on-easy mode person for various reasons, but even then, I had to restart several scenarios because it took a few tries to get the resources and military balance correct. There are different difficulty levels but if you are new to the franchise or take a while to get your head around how new units and mechanics work the learning curve may feel steep. However, if you stick it out then you'll find it's all worth it. Also, if it all gets too much just hit up free build mode and explore the new troops, defenses, and mechanics in a far more relaxing environment.

When it’s fun, it’s really fun. When it isn’t, it’s still totally competent. The final thought will have to come down to whether or not building and knocking down castles sounds like a fun way to spend an evening. If so, then perhaps Stronghold: Warlord is a castle worth besieging.

The best Stronghold for a long time nevertheless exhibits many flaws and disappoints in several core mechanics.

While missions can be frustrating and the new diplomacy system is nothing to write home about, Stronghold: Warlords should satisfy devoted fans with its new, gorgeously realised setting.

If Stronghold: Warlords sees a little post-release love from the developers, it could turn into a great stepping stone for the franchise; there are some kinks that need to be ironed out, but it's got a strong base to build off of. If you're a long-term fan of the series or want something a little different with your next RTS, this might be what you're looking for.

Stronghold Warlords has a refreshing East Asian setting and satisfying castle building, but it looks and plays like an RTS that was asleep for most of the last decade or two.

Stronghold Warlords may not have a whole lot outside of the core castle-building and siege loop, but luckily the core mechanics are strong enough that it doesn't matter much. The Warlords system genuinely does a good job of making matches more dynamic, but it's disappointing that a lot of the personality of the series just doesn't feel present. Still, any fan of the RTS genre and castle-building should find plenty to enjoy.

The time I spent playing Stronghold: Warlords was more than enjoyable. The series did not become instantly better nor revolutionized anything, but the developers have finally prepared a game that doesn't need any apologies. Warlords is not the prettiest, but it runs really well.

Stronghold: Warlords is a refreshing new look for the long-running siege warfare series, rekindling much of what made the series great in the early 2000s. However, there's a number of deep-seated flaws that Firefly need to make the focus of game updates and redefine for the series going forward.

Stronghold Warlords is a decent strategy game. While the city-building and sieging truly let the game shine, the slow and sluggish pace between these can truly drag it down. The new diplomacy and warlords system adds something to the series and makes for a welcome change, but it's impossible not to think of this as a game that feels and plays like a strategy game from 20 years ago, for better and for worse.

Stronghold: Warlords is a good strategy, but not good enough to take series back to its glory as there's nothing really new and exciting about the game's formula.

Stronghold: Warlords is an odd game. On the one hand, it’s a wonderful setting, and it has some of the most satisfying castle building I’ve found in a game. It’s a genuine joy to plan everything out, and it makes the fact that the actual strategy side of the game feels a bit outdated sting a bit more. It’s not bad, not at all, but it feels like a game that’s stuck in the past a little bit.

Stronghold: Warlords isn't really a bad game, but antiquated mechanics and bland campaigns prevent it from standing out amongst a crowded strategy market.

A decent if generic strategy game that lacks the big personality and siegecraft of earlier entries.

If we will deplore the fights of great classicism, an often routed AI, an insufficiently dense multiplayer mode or a campaign without flavor in terms of stakes, Warlords always retains the pleasant character of the series in its management aspect, and satisfactory when our army creates breaches in abundance in the enemy ramparts.

I like samurais, I like strategy and I like castle-building. Nonetheless Stronghold: Warlords can’t reel me in. There is solid content on display, but it lacks finesse and depth.

I liked the economic campaign but the historical one is not as good. The AI is awful, the redesigned popularity system promotes building the same structures over and over, the missions are not varied enough, and the game lacks atmosphere, because the whole oriental setting is pretty much just a skin for the original Stronghold. All in all, it’s an enjoyable game but there’s a lot of room for improvement.