#Stronghold warlords series#

In practice, warlords feel incredibly, well, game-y. On paper, it's a sound concept: warlords provide constant objectives on the map, and ways for players to mount both dominant victories and incredible comebacks. Capturing a warlord, either through attacking them or using diplomatic favor, can unlock powerful abilities for your clan. These powerful neutral units are scattered across the map with a few defenses placed here and there.

The big draw with this newest release, other than the brand-new setting, is the introduction of warlords. Then it has to throw those damn warlords into the mix.

Trying to take down a foe's siege tower as it rumbles towards your keep is a harrowing experience. Unlike the rock-paper-scissors style of hard counters you see in many RTS games, Stronghold: Warlords rewards you for thinking like a commander, rather than someone playing a commander. It feels really good when you execute a perfect plan.

#Stronghold warlords series#

These are the moments where it's easy to see why the Stronghold series has always had a following. Probing your enemy's defense to find a weak area in their fortress can let you sneak a few troops in over the walls and unleash a surprise attack, paving the way for your larger force to take over. Warlords still employs plenty of micromanagement elements that will help you carry the day, but strategizing and adapting on the fly is pivotal. Of course, there are plenty of ways to get into your enemies' fortresses, too -В or deal with them from afar. As you move into later campaign levels, you'll gain access to new buildings and elements of the tech tree, which will help you fend off the stronger threats that come your way. There's an element of medieval urban planning involved, with several types of walls, gates, and other creative ways to keep your enemies at bay and your populace happy. These citizens can be assigned to more production jobs or conscripted into your army, adding to your stout defense and helping you to conquer your foes. As you build up certain elements of your settlement, such as houses, farms, and production centers, more citizens will flock to you. The basic systems of Stronghold: Warlords are not too difficult to wrap your brain around. Across multiple campaigns, you'll find a variety of missions that lay out very basic historical contexts of their rise to and hold on power. In the single-player portion of the game, you'll take the role of many historical figures: Thuc Phan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and even Genghis Khan. This time out, the game features the kingdoms of East Asia. If I described Stronghold: Warlords in the simplest way possible, it's this: a real-time strategy game with an emphasis on walls.

Stronghold: Warlords Review - Building the Biggest Wall Stronghold: WarlordsВ will definitely provide a fun new sandbox for fans of the 'castle sim' series to play in, but it suffers from a few weaknesses that demonstrate why the series never quite found as much mainstream success as others in the genre. Here, you'll still balance your economy, protect your citizens with intricate walls and gates, and crush your foes with all sorts of devious weapons and tactics.