KHAN'T COMPETE

Can STRONGHOLD: WARLORDS rebuild the foundations of the series?

- Rob Zak

The original Stronghold holds a special place in my heart. You build a medieval barony, surround it with a labyrinth of impassable walls, and stave off waves of attackers while keeping the serfs living within happy, well-fed, and well-taxed. It had real character too, with a lovely soundtrack, snappy unit soundbites, and memorable villains.

Stronghold: Warlords feels a million miles away from that game. It’s the most sprawling entry series in the yet—largely abandoning the principle of building a feudal gauntlet for waves of enemies in favor of a more traditional RTS setup featuring larger maps and symmetrically placed enemy bases.

The warlords system is the twist here. Beyond your base and the enemy’s, there are several smaller estates on the map held by neutral warlords. Defeat these warlords and they’ll join your side, sending you resources on demand, offering mini-forts to shelter your troops, and even launching attacks on your enemies.