Stronghold 3

 PC
User Score
3.0

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 372 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 53 out of 372
  2. Mixed: 43 out of 372
  3. Negative: 276 out of 372
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  1. superstrategy
    Mar 24, 2012
    10
    i enjoy this game its very fun just like the other strongholds its addicting and fun.and if like other players the main reason this is bad is because this is a very hard strategy for hardcore strategy players if u cant play the game right dont write a bad review because its too hard for u you just suck its not fair for the makers so just shut up and play the game.get better at it and iti enjoy this game its very fun just like the other strongholds its addicting and fun.and if like other players the main reason this is bad is because this is a very hard strategy for hardcore strategy players if u cant play the game right dont write a bad review because its too hard for u you just suck its not fair for the makers so just shut up and play the game.get better at it and it will be fun turn the difficutly down if u have to and use the glitches 2 ur advantage… Expand
  2. danhaylan
    Oct 26, 2011
    8
    Enjoying it so far. Just finished the second mission in the economy campaign and it was challenging and really enjoyable. By the end of it I was enjoying the layout of my town and got the hang of how to build it up. Have had no big issues with performance, a couple of crashes while loading but really no problem. Graphics are simple but effective. When your stronghold gets going it doesEnjoying it so far. Just finished the second mission in the economy campaign and it was challenging and really enjoyable. By the end of it I was enjoying the layout of my town and got the hang of how to build it up. Have had no big issues with performance, a couple of crashes while loading but really no problem. Graphics are simple but effective. When your stronghold gets going it does look like there is a lot going on, which I like. The graphics look better the larger your cities get. it all could go pear shaped I guess... but so far so good.… Expand
  3. michalo998
    Oct 26, 2011
    10
    wow why does this have so many negative reviews??? this game is sweet! for example some guy gave it "0" for "no skirmish mode". wtf? this game doesnt need skirmish mode, you can easily find an online game which is just the same. graphics are really good, dont know what everyone is crapping on about. i havent got any glitches so far. this is a huge step up from stronghold 2 and stronghold 1wow why does this have so many negative reviews??? this game is sweet! for example some guy gave it "0" for "no skirmish mode". wtf? this game doesnt need skirmish mode, you can easily find an online game which is just the same. graphics are really good, dont know what everyone is crapping on about. i havent got any glitches so far. this is a huge step up from stronghold 2 and stronghold 1 fans will enjoy this one. stronghold 3 is sweet, and really really fun.… Expand
  4. Soulgraph
    Oct 26, 2011
    10
    Needs a few patches, & Firefly had the first one out before the game was out 2 days in US. Overall Id say they've done a good job in listening to their fans feedback during the games production. Most of us were asking for a revival of the original Stronhold/Crusader formula, & this was indeed done but perhaps even to a fault. The game is damn-near a 3 dimentional current gen version ofNeeds a few patches, & Firefly had the first one out before the game was out 2 days in US. Overall Id say they've done a good job in listening to their fans feedback during the games production. Most of us were asking for a revival of the original Stronhold/Crusader formula, & this was indeed done but perhaps even to a fault. The game is damn-near a 3 dimentional current gen version of sh1, personally I am loving it! I've always wanted to play the 1st game again but for the 1st time again well... this is that. The difficulty is hard with no alt settings & I think this is a problem for some, for me though it seems like playing the first all over again. Hearing even some of the original music in game put a smile on my face. The start to this series was one I approched with little expectations & after Stronghold 2 etc I wasnt gonna hold my breath, thankfully I was pleasantly surprized. As with every other release now the game launched with some people experiencing bugs & then of course, out come the knives & pitchforks. Everyone rushes to the forums & meta to vent their rage for being "duped" into buying an incomplete game, cry foul, boycott, warn everyone else not to buy, then do it all over again next time.… Expand
  5. Lucifercrow
    May 23, 2012
    10
    "People are coming to your castle," the scribe would say now that Firefly has released patch v1.10. There have been alot of positive reviews with this patch. Its been a successful comeback and it is quite relieving for those who couldn't play the game in the beginning due to those ghastly bugs. Though there are some superflous reviews of the same comments stating that the game is too"People are coming to your castle," the scribe would say now that Firefly has released patch v1.10. There have been alot of positive reviews with this patch. Its been a successful comeback and it is quite relieving for those who couldn't play the game in the beginning due to those ghastly bugs. Though there are some superflous reviews of the same comments stating that the game is too pallid without a kingmaker, this won't bother the true Stronghold fan because with this latest patch, the game won't feel like a beta version. It is now stable and playable with it's full performance.

    ECONOMIC

    The economic campaign might prove very difficult to those who are new to the series. Collect 600 bread, 6000 Honor with very limited space, you can hear the wolves howling nearby and your armory is empty. What to do now??!
    Some aspects of the Economic can appear simple and dull when in fact it is very difficult. Building placement can be daft since the borders take ample space for a small building. Especially since House size is still dependant on the distance to your keep. The Economic region of the game has an incredible plot but...repetitive gameplay. If you enjoy collecting the same resources every mission this might be for you. There is minimal combat with a few wolves and bandits in every other mission but it is still fun to play. There are new useful features in this particular patch that includes Auto-sell. Lets not forget to mention that you don't need to spend wood in the beginning just to place a market at the start to save yourself from any economic troubles. Market is no longer needed so place a wood shop or two and some farms and start your game!
    There have been alot of praises in the forums that things in the game run smoother now that peasants walk faster and produce more food! One of the things you'll notice among your first mission with this patch is as soon as you place a wood shop, the peasants are not walking like turtles anymore. They're so much faster that you no longer have to put those extra 10 farms just to speed things up when you only need about 5. Noticable and helpful tweaks from the patch are how fast bread production is. I nearly had to place 10 bakeries just to speed up the process. Well FEAR NOT!! This problem has been resolved along with Honor meter out of sync.

    COMBAT:

    I was just simply fascinated when I completed the story 10 years later. Firefly managed to keep the story true and even the release date of the game similar to the original. If you havn't played Stronghold 1 I advise you to stop reading and play Stronghold 1 first before you step into Stronghold 3. You'll just be blank and thoughtless not knowing what happened when the past is mentioned.
    The combat missions are fresh each one after another. There will always be new tasks and stronger foes in every mission. Night time seiges are rare. There will only be about 3 of them. If you enjoy night time seiges as much as I do you can try out the freebuild! Stronghold 3 players might notice that there will be alot left in their stockpile since the peasants are faster. Every mission I play I always have weapons left that I never got to use and more resources than what I need. Sell it all with Auto-trade!
    I would always have to put about 6-8 weapon production buildings when now all you need is 2-4 (depending how far weapon production buildings are to your stockpile and how far the armory is.) It is good to see some extra materials every now and then...and a little extra gold. Unlike stronghold 2 that you can pretty much build an army without a church or entertainment, its partially mandatory in Stronghold 3. There won't be one building you havn't used after you finish the game. You need almost everything at your disposal to survive 30-60 minute waves of armies.
    Knights are coming to your walls and you don't have pitch. You need peasants but there's 10 more seconds for another to spawn. Its time to lower your taxes and boost church services in order to balance out your peasant spawn time. Spawn time might not be a problem in the economic campaign since you have church, entertainment and decorations. Its a differen't story in military campaign. There will be buildings to help but it might be more demanding if you place military buildings since you see platoons of men-at-arms on the mountains marching to your walls.
    If the offputting reviews are deterring you from purchasing another Stronghold game well you can pretty much ignore them. Those reviews are outdated. The same people who bashed the game are the same people now praising the game with this new patch. They're now playing the campaigns and whispering to one another what happens in the story. I conclude this review with a recommendation of the game and to say its worth a try.    … Expand
  6. jokerRobert91
    Oct 27, 2011
    9
    After playing stronghold 2 before buying stronghold 3, I genuially like stronghold 3. I enjoyed stronghold 2 and stronghold 3 has teh core gameplay but better graphics, sound and multiplayer. The only thing stopping me from giving this a 10 is that there needs to be more maps for multiplayers.
  7. thierry1983
    Oct 25, 2011
    9
    great game need sum patches only. the only ting i mis is multilayer .love the way you can look in a house and the sounds in dis game make me relax . many troll dis game. i dowt get it its pretty good
  8. patpat
    Oct 28, 2011
    10
    Personally, I think this is a great game. the music and gameplay is awesome. It is very enjoyable the way this game work. I love the cartoon cutscene over the one in the first stronghold. Also Multiplayer is very enjoyable. To those who actually know how to play computer games will love this game. To those 12 years old who know nothing but cod and wasd keys dont bother buy this game. IfPersonally, I think this is a great game. the music and gameplay is awesome. It is very enjoyable the way this game work. I love the cartoon cutscene over the one in the first stronghold. Also Multiplayer is very enjoyable. To those who actually know how to play computer games will love this game. To those 12 years old who know nothing but cod and wasd keys dont bother buy this game. If you cant simply handle the wolf, and manage to let them though and kill all your peasant, you are just bad at game. Stop complain that the game is bad because you cant beat the animals on economic mission 2. Go back to your call of duty games Mike.… Expand
  9. 11killakal11
    Oct 27, 2011
    8
    I have been a fan of the stronghold series for a while now, and have played all of them. Stronghold 3 is the 2nd best one next to Stronghold 1. The gfx are great, look at the screenshots they have on facebook stronghold 3 page. The music is nice and campaign is pretty good once you reach latter levels. Cant say much negetive about it, the core gameplay is here and i havent had any bugs orI have been a fan of the stronghold series for a while now, and have played all of them. Stronghold 3 is the 2nd best one next to Stronghold 1. The gfx are great, look at the screenshots they have on facebook stronghold 3 page. The music is nice and campaign is pretty good once you reach latter levels. Cant say much negetive about it, the core gameplay is here and i havent had any bugs or crashes. multiplayer works well as well. good game, great if you like a next gen RTS.… Expand
  10. Rainywolf
    Mar 26, 2012
    10
    This is a very good game. They got it right after the failure of stronghold 2. Its pretty much like the first stronghold. The voice acting is awesome, the new features really nice (while still keeping the old ones from the first game). They also kept the interface more similar to 1 (2 was very bad), and the music is also good.

    The bad side is that there is no hard/easy mode, and the game    This is a very good game. They got it right after the failure of stronghold 2. Its pretty much like the first stronghold. The voice acting is awesome, the new features really nice (while still keeping the old ones from the first game). They also kept the interface more similar to 1 (2 was very bad), and the music is also good.

    The bad side is that there is no hard/easy mode, and the game is far too easy. There are also some minor things which could have been improved such as have scenes instead of just images on story, but overrall, the game is very nice. People rating it low have no idea what they are talking about or never played the first stronghold/don't really like this kind of game (which, along with 3, are the best ones).    … Expand
  11. empleXity
    Oct 25, 2011
    10
    There is absolutally nothing wrong with this game. Shame on all the people giving it a horrible rating. Multiplayer worked perfectly right after I finished downloading off steam, the graphics are great, some people most not understand the slightly complicated gameplay. The campaign is interesting and placing your castle in the real life world map is definatly a unique aspect. And by theThere is absolutally nothing wrong with this game. Shame on all the people giving it a horrible rating. Multiplayer worked perfectly right after I finished downloading off steam, the graphics are great, some people most not understand the slightly complicated gameplay. The campaign is interesting and placing your castle in the real life world map is definatly a unique aspect. And by the way, the multiplayer is also very fun. As soon as I opened a 2v2 lobby it was full within 30 seconds. This game is great, beleive me.… Expand
  12. Ricker1990
    Oct 25, 2011
    10
    What the hell is with the negetive reviews? Have they only seen the crappy trailer and not played the actaul game? I have not experianced 1 bug yet! on Win 7 64 bit! The graphics are good, and multiplayer is great! Easy to find a game! And there was a patch released a few ours ago. There is plenty of game modes, including economic and military campaign. This game is actually very good, itsWhat the hell is with the negetive reviews? Have they only seen the crappy trailer and not played the actaul game? I have not experianced 1 bug yet! on Win 7 64 bit! The graphics are good, and multiplayer is great! Easy to find a game! And there was a patch released a few ours ago. There is plenty of game modes, including economic and military campaign. This game is actually very good, its just the trailer is crappy and this seems to be full of trolls that havent played the game.

    And btw it supports 1920x1080 these people must just have bad computers.    … Expand
  13. Tyrant_T100
    Oct 26, 2011
    10
    After playing this for a good few hours I can point out that most of the other reviewers are trolls, the game is fine and I have yet to run into either a bug or a bad gameplay decision, the graphics are nice but the character models could be better, the music is excellent and the gameplay is fine, for those wanting Stronghold 1 go and play Stronghold 1.
  14. kraterous1
    Oct 27, 2011
    10
    Stronghold is a GOOD game! they have been releasing updates and already the game is fixed. People shouldnt review the game the day its released, no.1 because they cant experience it all in that time, no.2 because the game hasnt been patched yet! 2 large patches have been released and the game works perfectly and I love it
  15. LordSolor
    Oct 25, 2011
    10
    Every Troll here cannot wait to tell you how bad this game is, having spent all of 10 minutes playing it on their out-dated computers. It seems everyone would like to be the first to post a poorly written diatribe about how "buggy" or "disappointing" Stronghold 3 is. Don't believe the anti-hype! The game probably needs a patch or two to be perfect, but I can only marvel at the beautyEvery Troll here cannot wait to tell you how bad this game is, having spent all of 10 minutes playing it on their out-dated computers. It seems everyone would like to be the first to post a poorly written diatribe about how "buggy" or "disappointing" Stronghold 3 is. Don't believe the anti-hype! The game probably needs a patch or two to be perfect, but I can only marvel at the beauty and complexity of the gameplay. I'm running a machine with Win 7 and 12 GB of RAM with an ATI Radeon HD 5700 card and the game runs beautifully. Unlike some games on the market today which are little more than click-through-movies, Stronghold 3 is VERY challenging! It has taken me several tries to complete each mission and I cannot wait to start playing with the map editor and making my own multiplayer maps and missions! If you're the type who is prone to uncontrollable fits of "nerd-rage", you may want to spare your poor abused keyboard some banging and just wait a week or two until the patches to fix a few lingering issues come out.… Expand
  16. KrankTank
    Oct 26, 2011
    9
    It is very similar to older titles with some neat new and exciting features. They haven't improved on the path finding but that is ok. I highly recommend this for Stronghold fans. But my God!! This one is HARD! I have experienced no graphical errors (run on high settings).
  17. accountability
    Oct 28, 2011
    10
    Like others, I've created a metacritic account for the first time to warn others. This game is utter dogsh!t. I waited so long for it through lengthy delays, and still didn't get a copy at EB games after the game was delayed again on 27 October. Sadly I rushed in and downloaded it from Steam. I wish I had of waited to get it from EB, so I could have heeded these warnings, or at leastLike others, I've created a metacritic account for the first time to warn others. This game is utter dogsh!t. I waited so long for it through lengthy delays, and still didn't get a copy at EB games after the game was delayed again on 27 October. Sadly I rushed in and downloaded it from Steam. I wish I had of waited to get it from EB, so I could have heeded these warnings, or at least returned it. Yawn. Zzzzzzz.… Expand
  18. Cloaked
    Feb 10, 2012
    10
    STUNNING GAME! runs perfectly well on my machine. no complaints whatsoever. i dont think iv ever bought a game that deserves zero, but this is the type of game i love. (and it plays folk music while u play :) )
  19. daniel7345
    May 2, 2012
    10
    Stronghold 3 has had quite a lot of negative reviews because of the poor game. I completely agreed but after hearing they brought out new patches I decided to give the game ago once again. The game is a lot smoother now and you will encounter much less bugs and it's worthy of the Stronghold game title. I adore this franchise, and I'm glad I can speak good of it again - and I am hopingStronghold 3 has had quite a lot of negative reviews because of the poor game. I completely agreed but after hearing they brought out new patches I decided to give the game ago once again. The game is a lot smoother now and you will encounter much less bugs and it's worthy of the Stronghold game title. I adore this franchise, and I'm glad I can speak good of it again - and I am hoping people will try the game with the patches. Firefly games wanted the game to be good, but they HAD to release it, hence why an unfinished one was released at launch - and you know what, at least it's being fixed. Only complaint: Fix the multiplayer.… Expand
  20. UnionOfFate
    Oct 27, 2011
    10
    stronghold 3 is very good. I havent had any problems and I think the game is very very fun. the grapics look very good, the gameplay is fun and immersive and the sound / music is great. all these negative reviews are probably call of duty kids.
  21. BrutalBoss
    Oct 26, 2011
    9
    Downloaded the game through steam a few hours after it was released. Didn't have a problem at all. The graphics look pretty nice, and the game runs smoothly and I dont have an extreme gaming PC. The game mechanics are awesome, I havent played the previous strongholds but I think I will pick them up because this style of gameplay is great. Maybe its to hard for some people, but it isnt toDownloaded the game through steam a few hours after it was released. Didn't have a problem at all. The graphics look pretty nice, and the game runs smoothly and I dont have an extreme gaming PC. The game mechanics are awesome, I havent played the previous strongholds but I think I will pick them up because this style of gameplay is great. Maybe its to hard for some people, but it isnt to complicated. The campaign is pretty good, I have reached the 7th mission and the first level isnt great but right after that from level 2 onwards the game really picks up. I tried multiplayer and it works fine contrary to what other people have said. There are plenty of matches in the browser and the games run fine. I really cant find many flaws, this is actaully a pretty damn good strategy castle game.… Expand
  22. PINE9PINE
    Nov 4, 2011
    9
    November 3rd PATCH may have just saved this title. At least Firefly Studios cares about the people and the issues they had. Give them a chance they can fix this. They have fixed many issues in the November 3rd PATCH launch in steam and see for yourself.
  23. 1tommo1
    Dec 4, 2011
    9
    After several patches realy a pretty good game- selecting of units much much much better, no more crashes, I am realy enjoying the economic campaign, havent tried military yet. Initialy I waited for patches after my first emo rage. They have made the world of difference- all that remains is to make walls stronger and actualy buildable(is that a word)?
  24. mrcat
    Dec 28, 2011
    10
    You guys have never played a stornghold game and you think that 2007 was the best year for gameing it was not it was the start of crap.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................
  25. VeryLargeBoss
    Oct 29, 2011
    9
    Pretty good game. No bugs. Graphics are nice. Multiplayer is enjoyable. Music is very good. Physics engine is awesome. I think most people havent even played the game fully before reviewing.
  26. ericsme123
    Oct 29, 2011
    10
    Stronghold 3 is good... I dont know why all these kids have marked it down. Theres been patches and there is no bugs or crashes. 1920x1080 RESOLUTION IS AVAILIBLE. Don't beleive those liars. Multiplayer is fun and there is plenty of people playing. The leaderboards after earch level is a fun addition. This is Stronghold 2 but with much better graphics, better story and better multiplayer.
  27. xenbaloch
    Jan 29, 2015
    8
    The game is more realistic as compared to other sequels. One of the reason is it has night effect, rain, sun, sunny etc. Overall, I liked it, but I believe that graphics can be improved further. It should be like Sims 3 or Sims 4 gameplay, I mean we can view from maximum possible angles and degree of rotation should be increased further to look more realistic.

Awards & Rankings

39
#39 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
60
#60 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
47

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 29
  3. Negative: 14 out of 29
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 20, 2012
    40
    Failure of the year – first two games don't deserve such a disappointing sequel as Stronghold 3 did. Few pros cannot hide a pile of bugs and bad design decisions. [Dec 2011]
  2. PC Games (Russia)
    Dec 24, 2011
    80
    A traditional strategy with many elements which are too old. Fans of the series may like it still. [January 2012, p.72]
  3. Absolute Games
    Dec 16, 2011
    30
    Stronghold 3 is boring beyond redemption. The blurb on the retail box should have been written along the lines of "We've run out of ideas, our artists forgot how to draw, and our programmers can't produce stable code anymore, but hey, a long, long time ago we made one really great game!"
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