In the end, so much delay has ironically caused Stronghold: Warlords to be released the same year that the Stronghold saga celebrates its 20th anniversary . Yes, next October 2021 will mark the 20th anniversary of the premiere of the first castle simulator from Firefly Studios, which is still the favorite of many.
Stronghold: Warlords comes at a key moment , on the other hand, since the latest installments tarnished the image of its fortifications and this has been foolish for more than six years. Firefly Studios needed to vindicate itself again with what it does best, forcing us to wall up defenses and manage the economy of our people and then take them to war. And luckily, you have found the right way to go in that direction. It is time to analyze it, then.
Change of era, but same Stronghold essence
Stronghold has always been the eternal second of the strategy . Despite the millionaire success of its first installment in 2001, it has been in the shadow of heavyweights such as Command & Conquer, Age of Empires or StarCraft, but that does not detract from its merit by having established itself in a very recognizable style , it Different enough from those RTS figures that we know from top to bottom.
Firefly Studios has changed the historical setting, but not its mechanics, being a very direct strategy game, where, unlike the classics mentioned above, here all construction is erected instantly and without the need to send workers to to work. It is a type of game in which the construction of our castle predominates in the shortest possible time, without neglecting the economy or the quality of life of our inhabitants, reaching its culmination in some epic battles , for all that it entails bring down a rival castle.
Here the historical framework has changed, of course. From those battles for Europe or the Crusades of their successors, we travel to East Asia to relive historical battles from the 3rd century BC in China to the rise of Tokugawa and the arrival of the Mongol Empire in 1200: from Thuc Phan to Toyotomi Hideyosi, past Qin Shi Huang and Genghis Khan, go.
Throughout 31 missions for the campaign, we will travel through different periods of China and Japan under a progressive difficulty that will teach us how to manage our empire, the importance of knowing how to protect it and not neglect the care of our citizens, being just as important as are well fed or pay their taxes religiously. It’s something that will cheer up your fans, keeping the essential pillars of a Stronghold intact .
On a visual level, it also represents an important leap in quality compared to the last Stronghold Crusader II of 2014 , being before a much more careful product than the disastrous Stronghold 3 of 2011, which its countless bugs weighed down its potential, without even the option to redeem the following year in its Gold edition.
Knowing that Stronghold: Warlords should have come out in September 2020, these months have served to offer a more polished game, despite having seen the odd incongruity in the playable terrain, such as barricades that block shots from the rear (where no longer there is protection), in contrast to some archers who do break through huge walls from time to time.
The caudillos, the new warlords
Anyone who has played a Stronghold will feel right at home , no matter how much the appearance of the buildings or the types and names of the units may have changed to stick with another historical era in East Asia. From the keep, our base, it is time to create a warehouse and a barn to instantly place, without waiting times, the rest of the basic buildings to progress.
Neither manufacturing resources, such as wood or stone, nor food resources can be neglected so that the inhabitants are happy and there are more people who want to come to our empire. Stronghold: Warlords is a castle simulator, but also an economy manager , where you have to watch the rhythm of food (rice, vegetables, meat …) that we are producing and how many mouths to feed, in case we can double the rations to increase our popularity and thus think about increasing the price of taxes.
It overwhelms at first , but the campaign itself takes us flying through each of these aspects to be clear in more complex battles. In addition, we always have the option to go through the free construction mode, in which to build and manage everything we want without worrying about the presence of the rival AI, or calmly read its complete and useful integrated instruction manual .
The latter is important, above all, because of the great novelty of this installment : the “Lords of War.” A series of warlords controlled by the machine itself that run different key points on most maps and that we can conquer to unlock various benefits through diplomacy points.
There will be a total of eight warlords (Crane, Turtle, Horse, Ox, Pig, Tiger, Dragon and Mouse), each with their own specialty and advantage, seeing how some are better in the face of the growth of the economy or obtaining resources through Progressive shipments, while others are for the realization of war tactics, being able to carry out pincer attacks under our mandate. They are strategic points to secure before the enemy , since in the long run they can be decisive. Although capturing them will not make them ours for life, as they are exposed to the enemy’s attacks. The good? That we can use diplomacy points to level up their Warlords .
Those enclaves will not, in any case, allow us to expand our base, since Stronghold: Warlords will continue to be a game in which our construction area will be limited, although with enough space so that there is a part dedicated to the production of food, another for obtaining resources or already the diplomacy and military-looking parts, where it will once again be essential to wall our base in conditions, otherwise it would not be a Stronghold.
Everything will be very “squared”, in the sense of being able to rotate any construction on its axis in four unique directions, without the freedom of the mediocre Stronghold 3 , for example. In the end, this new installment of 2021 preserves part of the isometric spirit of its predecessors, having an overhead view for older people, in case we prefer to see everything at a stroke without having to turn the camera. Very comfortable.
However, there is a lack of greater control in certain aspects of the game, such as the fact of not being able to control where the loggers are going to cut the trees when they have completely cleaned an area, or not being able to see the parameters of the military units from the barracks, but only when they are deployed on the map. Basic aspects in other RTS that are omitted here and to which we will have to get used to, even if it is a lesser evil, actually.
Stronghold: Warlords draws an optimistic future
Stronghold: Warlords is nourished, in turn, by the incorporation of new units compared to other deliveries due to its historical setting on the Asian continent. Without going any further, we will make use of gunpowder and among the multiple siege weapons available there will be even a kamikaze fire ox. There will be no shortage of units for short-distance attacks with spears, axes or swords, nor will it be at a great distance, such as arrows. And with the obligation to create specialized workshops.
Because here, as happened in previous installments, it is not enough to click on the icon of a military unit, but rather to ensure that a weapon that can be wielded is available in the armory and for this it has to be produced first in the relevant one. workshop dedicated to such an object. It is just a sample of how complex the management of the empire becomes, where the role of citizens (who are workers or military as needs arise) is capital based on our popularity : quality of homes, price from taxes, food rations, tea, clothes, spirit or the fear factor.
Everything must have a balance if we want to progress with guarantees, although we can play with certain variables, such as having a positive fear factor to increase the popularity and damage of our troops, but sacrificing the productive efficiency of our workers. Each situation requires drastic measures , but it does not mean that we have to stick exclusively to a single way of playing, being able to modify other variables, such as food rations or taxes. It is something that is seen on the fly and to which we will have to pay close attention to be able to win.
The smallest detail can make a difference. Although here the roads are not mandatory as in The Settlers, it does help the production to have an empire with its different ordered sections , as well as facing the construction of temples at key points with work buildings to gain more popularity among the citizens. And let’s not say facing the walls, where both the gates and the towers with archers or the different traps to contain the enemies are just as important, with traces of gunpowder, tiger cages or a Mangonel platform to shoot a large rain of stones, among others.
It is a joy when we lose our fear and we know what to do in both facets, because it is enjoyed both when building an empire with great care, and facing combat, even if it does not have the depth of the Age of Empires of turn, where more variables of improvements and / or advantages came into play.
The pity is that all the factions are the same in appearance, save for a series of slight variations in the advantages or special units of each Warlord ( Thuc Phan, Qin Shi Huang, Toyotomi Hideyosi and Genghis Khan ). In any case, the missions of the campaign are varied enough so that interest does not wane, seeing how we will not always have a base to fulfill them, but with a limited number of troops, which is quite a challenge.
And if we add to this skirmishes against AI or online multiplayer (here we could not play against anyone for the analysis; partly because the game comes out on March 9 ), it has life to spare to hold the type for those who demanded the return of the quintessential saga of fortifications, because of course, with experiments like Stronghold Kingdoms, expectations were not met and it was necessary to return to the classic. In addition, here it comes with a good dubbing into Spanish .
In short, Stronghold: Warlords is a return to Stronghold’s roots , but under a new historical framework set in the Asian continent. The debut of the Warlords, with the use of the warlords, gives it a most interesting tactical touch , apart from being a hot potato on all maps. Which is your favorite will depend on how much you liked the 2001 original.
Stronghold warlords
| Platforms | Steam |
|---|---|
| Multiplayer | Yes, online |
| Developer | Firefly studios |
| Company | Firefly studios |
| Launch | March 9, 2021 |
| Price | Reservation not yet available |
The best
- The historical setting change in Stronghold
- Its basic pillars are still intact
- The fun of managing the empire
- The addition of the caudillos is a success
Worst
- Slight differences between each Asian faction
- Some aspects should be further polished