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. PC_Tester
    Oct 26, 2011
    3
    The skirmish for me isnt a huge problem, however things like selecting troops to attack, weighting of various building types, the terrible mini map, small map sizes, poor widescreen/multi screen support (the list goes on) are just unacceptable for a full price release.

    A very dissapointing release and Firefly should be ashamed of themselves.
  2. Slider
    Oct 26, 2011
    2
    OMG so many bugs needs lots of patching, dang and I just got crushed by how bad RAGE was then I start this unfinished "steamer" thinking to myself I was in for a long and wonderful night of building my castle and crushing my enemies not worth $50. UGH I'm just going to wait for the patches and hope they finish the game and maybe i'll come back and raise the score but a 2 is the best I canOMG so many bugs needs lots of patching, dang and I just got crushed by how bad RAGE was then I start this unfinished "steamer" thinking to myself I was in for a long and wonderful night of building my castle and crushing my enemies not worth $50. UGH I'm just going to wait for the patches and hope they finish the game and maybe i'll come back and raise the score but a 2 is the best I can give for now.… Expand
  3. Ludvink
    Oct 26, 2011
    1
    This game looks and feel like a student project. A nice feeling of retro seeing as they are still using the same uninspired HUDelements as the first RTS games did, nothing in this release feels fresh, maybe some people likes this retro feeling, felt a bit like starting up Heroes 2 again. But its nothing for a new game that demands a full price for purchase. Im deeply disappointed
  4. Anarchy
    Nov 13, 2011
    0
    Immense disappointment. As a long-time fan of the series I am nothing but let down by this unfinished, unpolished, incomplete travesty. Seriously, how hard is it to code Stronghold 1 in 3D with graphics from this decade? Too hard apparently. It's rough, crude and lacks any sophistication or substance. There isn't even a skirmish mode to justify playing it after the pathetically threadbareImmense disappointment. As a long-time fan of the series I am nothing but let down by this unfinished, unpolished, incomplete travesty. Seriously, how hard is it to code Stronghold 1 in 3D with graphics from this decade? Too hard apparently. It's rough, crude and lacks any sophistication or substance. There isn't even a skirmish mode to justify playing it after the pathetically threadbare campaign. Do not give your money to these losers. Not even worth picking up from a bargain bin. WOLVES CLIMBING LADDERS.… Expand
  5. demandquality
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    It was advertised as having coop. There is no coop. Therefore, they are dirty, dirty, liars. It's full of bugs and quality of life issues. Avoid this game!

    And to the apologists claiming we should take it easy on them because all new games are buggy...no thanks. The gaming industry consistently rakes consumers over the coals on everything from release dates, missing features and    It was advertised as having coop. There is no coop. Therefore, they are dirty, dirty, liars. It's full of bugs and quality of life issues. Avoid this game!

    And to the apologists claiming we should take it easy on them because all new games are buggy...no thanks. The gaming industry consistently rakes consumers over the coals on everything from release dates, missing features and buggy/broken gameplay. I say this is unacceptable. Name one other product you would pay full price for that was missing parts or broke down 30 seconds after you used it. Why should developers get a free pass? Their mistreatment of us will continue so long as we (the consumer) allow it. Stand up for yourselves. Speak with your wallets. And stop giving money to designers who are half-assing it.

    Demand quality.    … Expand
  6. goshnya
    Oct 26, 2011
    2
    What the reviews say is sad but true -- this game is buggy, and just plain unpolished. It doesn't have the fun of the first one, nor the skirmish mode of the second one. It's also unbalanced -- for example, a single wolf can kill several soldiers. So it's hard to recommend it at this time, maybe in the future when it's heavily patched.
  7. aliptay
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    Oops, I gave this a 10 accidentally.

    My bad, please forgive me.

    I probably wouldn't have been disappointed had I paid $10 for it.

    Still not at 150 characters.

    Are we there yet?

    Nope not quite.

    Check out my review below.

    I have to be pretty close now.

    Is this really worth adding a new score?

    Any day now...
  8. DrJest
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    Don't like this at all. I'm sorry I pre-ordered through Steam. Now I can't get my money back. Just uninstalled and I'm pretty bummed out about this.
  9. feda1
    Oct 26, 2011
    0
    This game is not even worth pirating. It is so poorly designed and full of bugs. This game is not even worth pirating. It is so poorly designed and full of bugs. This game is not even worth pirating. It is so poorly designed and full of bugs. This game is not even worth pirating. It is so poorly designed and full of bugs.
  10. EastonReviews
    Nov 13, 2011
    0
    Castle building? Again and again? You've gone too far this time! You don't need to to cause more pain again and again and again until we're all dead. No one's gonna buy it, so go make another game at least a handful of people will find interesting.
  11. VergilAF
    Nov 11, 2011
    4
    They could do better. As the concept of play is not bad, but failed to create a beautiful game. It is boring, lacks consistency and incomplete, because even in the building free once built the main structures, the game stops. We find ourselves saying: "ok I built everything, now I turn off". A real shame, because the concept is really nice. Fail!
  12. Arkh
    Nov 25, 2011
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. En resumen, un juego muy simple para el siglo en el que vivimos... según mi criterio los chicos te strongnord no trabajaron en lo que tenian que trabajar, mas opciones, mejor gestion de los castillos, cosas nuevas, inovaciones. muy mal, Si me dieran la oportunidad no lo compraria… Expand
  13. EE061003
    Nov 14, 2011
    4
    Bottomline:Stronghold 3 is a colossal disappointment for the die hard fans who have been waiting for this game for almost 7 years.Instead of improving and building on what made the original so successful they take many steps backward.First of all let me be very specific Firefly did release their game imcomplete(tat was obvious)with a price tag of 1 would imagine of high profile titles likeBottomline:Stronghold 3 is a colossal disappointment for the die hard fans who have been waiting for this game for almost 7 years.Instead of improving and building on what made the original so successful they take many steps backward.First of all let me be very specific Firefly did release their game imcomplete(tat was obvious)with a price tag of 1 would imagine of high profile titles like call of duty or Bethesda "Elder scrolls" series(i regret each single penny that i lost).The game is broken full of Bugs,unplayable,extremely tiny map and CAN U BELIEVE IT THE SKIRMISH MODE IS GONE..SIGH! I seriously thinkwhat Firefly was thinking while omitting those features in the game...GRAPHICS are the worst part...extremely dated graphics(of one you'd imagine back in 2002)...An imcomplete and incompetant product for 50$(seriousy guys i threw my money off)........STROGHOLD 3 IS A COMPLETE FIASCO… Expand
  14. yoyopuppet
    Feb 26, 2012
    6
    Well first of all! I like this game! I just buyed it and played true the campaign and 1-2 online matches and loved it! Itâ
  15. ReBootEd
    Feb 29, 2012
    0
    An insult to Stronghold Crusader.
    Let's not even talk about this game, let's talk about a good Stronghold - Crusader, a classic 2D RTS with excellent gameplay mechanics and serviceable graphics, 3 is terrible in every aspect, it doesn't have as much content to be terrible at.
  16. Riotguards
    Jun 14, 2012
    0
    do not listen to the person called "Lucifercrow" for was hired by firefly to try and get as many sales for this abomination of a game that is called "stronghold 3" his main goal being to sell as much **** as possible before running away

    the reason why this is called for is because of one thing, the game upon 6 months after the disastrous launch it faced (similarly to swords in the stars    do not listen to the person called "Lucifercrow" for was hired by firefly to try and get as many sales for this abomination of a game that is called "stronghold 3" his main goal being to sell as much **** as possible before running away

    the reason why this is called for is because of one thing, the game upon 6 months after the disastrous launch it faced (similarly to swords in the stars 2) is still broken in many areas or missing many features which would be a standard copy and pasting (in terms of design, etc)

    where to begin

    multiplayer
    although multiplayer is not a selling point for many people it should be said that if a game announces that it will have it then it will stick to it's promise, what we got instead was a mutliplayer game which cannot even be played because it has extremely poor performance issues which essentially break mutliplayer (not to mention latency spikes when more than around 80 units are on the screen

    Skirmish
    a stronghold game without a skirmish mode? well this isn't really stronghold (just stronghold slapped on as a title) stupid designs
    who the hell though it would be a good idea to have every unit (except ranged units) be able to destroy stone walls? i can understand wooden but not stone, walls from not only being rendered useless in stopping an attacking force (without siege units) from entering but they also made walls provide NO BENEFITS to those are stationed on them that's right your archers can be killed even in the tallest tower that is available there are many reasons why this game shouldn't be bought but the biggest reason upon all is provided by Firefly themselves, for the simple reason that will censor anyone whom may speak ill of there game, they have even locked there own forms to prevent people from putting others off this game (or perhaps to prevent them from taking responsibility for the game anymore?)

    and the best thing about firefly, as of the new DLC that was added to the game they have publicly announce they will not SUPPORT it anymore, that's right, they will not fix multiplayer or any other bugs which have been reported numerous amounts of time by the community

    so in all i hope this tiny review helped put you off this abomination, the money can be put towards something else (anything better, even nickleback)    … Expand
  17. skoob
    May 26, 2012
    0
    this game is definitely a zero. From the first underdeveloped slew of garbage that entered my computer, it was a nightmare. My primary reason for being so annoyed was that there was no skirmish mode. You could "re-enact historical sieges", but you couldn't generate a skirmish mode? With that aside, I created an account here to complain about the dlc, and how you couldn't just buy it- youthis game is definitely a zero. From the first underdeveloped slew of garbage that entered my computer, it was a nightmare. My primary reason for being so annoyed was that there was no skirmish mode. You could "re-enact historical sieges", but you couldn't generate a skirmish mode? With that aside, I created an account here to complain about the dlc, and how you couldn't just buy it- you had to purchase the game again. So, at 31.99 with 20% off they are trying to re-sell their underdeveloped game, with one addition campaign that nobody will ever play. I have nothing against dlc, but to charge for a whole game that still doesn't contain the basic components of a castle building sim is just ridiculous.… Expand
  18. topender
    Jun 9, 2012
    2
    Really dissapointing sequel. Is it even a sequel. Nothing seems to have changed. Maybe the graphics are a little better. Bland picturecard story telling. Poor line of sight mechanics. Poor troop control.
  19. bwheatley
    Jun 11, 2012
    0
    I love the stronghold series but i freaking hated StrongHold 3. It was a complete bugged mess that was so hard to beat it was virtually UN-enjoyable. I hear there is a new patch out that i will try and if it helps the game i will give a better review.
  20. Vizition
    Jun 12, 2012
    5
    The Stronghold series has a deep hole in my heart. I have always loved the series. Stronghold 1, Crusader are far the best, SH2 was buggy and ugly too, but still a new fun way to play. Now, Stronghold 3 tries to be original, from its former releases. It failed. Stronghold 3 fell in the same trap as Command and Conquer 4. A big failure. The game is too slow. Multiplayer fails. And noThe Stronghold series has a deep hole in my heart. I have always loved the series. Stronghold 1, Crusader are far the best, SH2 was buggy and ugly too, but still a new fun way to play. Now, Stronghold 3 tries to be original, from its former releases. It failed. Stronghold 3 fell in the same trap as Command and Conquer 4. A big failure. The game is too slow. Multiplayer fails. And no Skirmish or Trail. This was the most important factors in the earlier games, why throw them out? And granary and taxes interfaces, is now narrowed down to an action bar. The MUSIC! ooh the music does not fit the Stronghold series at all. So unorthodox, and wrong. It's not Stronghold anymore, and it has not been succeeding. Still, i give it a 5, because it still has the old Stronghold peasant voices. GG… Expand
  21. SeverinK
    Jul 15, 2012
    5
    Alright, the game is fun, and it has all the right mechanics. But it's broken beyond belief. The graphics are glitchy, the animations are retarded and then enemy attacking is just as bad.'

    I had a group of spearman spawn behind me while I was attacking their lord. What the hell.
  22. Kardian
    Jul 18, 2012
    7
    I don't know why this game has netted such bad ratings. Yeah, they scrapped skirmish mode (which consequently scraps kingmaker). No one would argue that that was a good decision. However, if you take this game for what it does well, i.e. it's single player campaigns, then for Stronghold vets like myself, this game has many improvements over its predecessors. Ignore Firefly's attempt atI don't know why this game has netted such bad ratings. Yeah, they scrapped skirmish mode (which consequently scraps kingmaker). No one would argue that that was a good decision. However, if you take this game for what it does well, i.e. it's single player campaigns, then for Stronghold vets like myself, this game has many improvements over its predecessors. Ignore Firefly's attempt at a multiplayer, and just stick to the single player campaign. Don't pay the $40 asking price though - wait til it goes on sale on Steam.… Expand
  23. Blue_Affinity
    Oct 14, 2012
    1
    It pains me to say this because of how much I loved the first game. But everything magical about stronghold was ruined when they went 3-D. Firefly mastered 2-D settings... but.... I can't even play this game without it crashing in the first ten minutes. Besides that.. there is hardly anything resembling an online community..... and they scraped half of the settings that made us all fall inIt pains me to say this because of how much I loved the first game. But everything magical about stronghold was ruined when they went 3-D. Firefly mastered 2-D settings... but.... I can't even play this game without it crashing in the first ten minutes. Besides that.. there is hardly anything resembling an online community..... and they scraped half of the settings that made us all fall in love with SH1… Expand
  24. Broyax
    Apr 22, 2020
    2
    Tiens, un jeu de stratégie en termps réel avec des châteaux-forts ! ça peut être rigolo... et ça l'est plutôt au début en tout cas... via une campagne assez bien scénarisée malgré des "cinématiques" du pauvre puisque cionstituées entièrement de **** dessins crayonnés, de brouillons ou d'esquisses ou ce genre de truc préparatoire qui ne fait clairement pas sérieux dans un produit "fini" !Tiens, un jeu de stratégie en termps réel avec des châteaux-forts ! ça peut être rigolo... et ça l'est plutôt au début en tout cas... via une campagne assez bien scénarisée malgré des "cinématiques" du pauvre puisque cionstituées entièrement de **** dessins crayonnés, de brouillons ou d'esquisses ou ce genre de truc préparatoire qui ne fait clairement pas sérieux dans un produit "fini" !

    Etonnant, car les voix françaises sont agréables et fort convaincantes et le jeu sans être exceptionnel (loin de là, Seigneur !) graphiquement parlant reste des plus corrects dans l'ensemble. L'interface s'avère en outre assez efficace et bien présentée malgré quelques manques d'informations flagrantes sur ce qu'on produit ou ce dont on dispose... ou pas.

    Mais le gros problème de ce machin, c'est qu'il semble qu'il n'y ait qu'une seule méthode pour venir à bout des missions, ce que je trouve particulièrement regrettable... la faute évidemment à des mécaniques rigides qui ne pemettent alors pas le moindre... "mauvais choix" de gestion qui entraîne alors par effet domino la catastrophe.

    De toute façon, on a jamais assez de pierre, assez de paysans, ni assez d'argent, impossible de réparer un mur (trop près de l'ennemi ? c'est une blague ! il est loin, putain, ton ennemi de merde !) et ainsi de suite comme pas pouvoir faire une caserne, du coup pas de soldats et tu l'as dans le baba... parce que t'as pas cliqué sur le bon bâtiment au départ.

    Dans ces conditions, je désinstalle et je balance tout dans la fosse... et le reste aux oubliettes, mon Seigneur !    … Expand
  25. charlie412
    Nov 4, 2012
    1
    nerdiest game ever loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool
  26. Lexicroft
    Nov 14, 2011
    0
    My english is bad , but this game is far more bad than my english
    Dis game must have 0 score, people is giving score 9 and 10 is just marketing people, dont trust them
    Even in my Country this game suck a lot , fail game, people in my country buy pirate version and they still want refund it to the pirate store (what a mess, not even worth a penny they say) Why this game bad? dis like asking    My english is bad , but this game is far more bad than my english
    Dis game must have 0 score, people is giving score 9 and 10 is just marketing people, dont trust them
    Even in my Country this game suck a lot , fail game, people in my country buy pirate version and they still want refund it to the pirate store (what a mess, not even worth a penny they say)
    Why this game bad? dis like asking "why sea water is salty?"
    1. BUGSSS with triple S (means a lotssss) even spartan cant throw spear through walls but spearmen here can, cant build walls , units can freeze and block , even worse, it can make another units freeze when its close to the freeze unit, i called it refrigerator effects, cant build stair to the walls , cant build mount to the walls (wooden shield dat mounted to the walls, make ur archer Invunerable from enemy spear and archer), when night time , enemy can shoot ur acher from darkness , but ur archer dead from below do nothing , until bales of fire thrown to light the way, many buttons dont works
    2. Graphics and Music - suck a lotsssss i hate seeing female villager out from house when built , its so UGLY , gimme beatifull lady better than wretched hag
    3. NON-Sense - pikemen / halberdier can survive spike traps and only injured a very very bit, like the traps was designed by playground child or firefly teams and pikemen was ironman
    Wolves is very very strong and ur soldier no match for them, ur soldier is wimpy retired veteran from stone age war, who in the stone age war was fled , not fighting just pretend dead and recruited by stronghold 3, wolves should has a new name, Godzilla should suit, and even better they can multiply
    4. SADIST , default difficulty is impossible, get out here noob & new player , play a barbie instead stronghold 3 , its too sadist.
    There is a level with a new technology (wooden shield in the wall, make ur archer invulnerable) but next level it is not available, and enemy get stronger, like fighting an army with a stick and harsh languange Enemy Army spawn from the sky, i attack enemy army with small army but can handle entire castle and new enemy army spawn in front of my army and my army just go picnic to the graveyard, you gonna rushed to produce weapons, ur peasant regenerate very slowly and ur army dead faster, and firefly very sadist , when you are attacked by enemy and busy fighting them , disaster come , such as apple blight , wolves come , cows dead heart attack, giving a lots minus in happiness, its just like God doesnt side with the good people, maybe ur enemies was the good people and ure the evil , so God doesnt side you in stronghold 3, and I dont side with stronghold 3, take that 0 , this was bloody hell, hummiliation embarassing crappy worse than hello world programming
    5. EXCITEMENT the only part of this game is make me laugh of joy is when see my peasant with weapon(militia) and my spearmen fighting a group of spearman and enemy militia in the bushes, in the hill , enemy troops just flying out of the bushes and go down hill when dead , like in the roman army in the asterix comics, and dat not gonna worth 1 points, too bad    … Expand
  27. 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
  28. 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
  29. 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
  30. 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
  31. 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
  32. 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.
  33. 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
  34. 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
  35. 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
  36. wizegamer
    Feb 26, 2012
    7
    Game originally was not all that good. unbalanced food system, wall bugs, and a ai that kick your ass. this is no longer the case though i say you should check this game out now with the last three updates they have fixed many of the bugs and glitches that made this game bad. strongholds allways done this and any good stronghold fan knows this.
  37. 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
  38. andy2020
    Apr 2, 2012
    7
    I've been playing stronghold for over ten years now, and Stronghold 3 is still not as good as the first. That said, it improves a lot on stronghold 2 and as the game continues to get patched and updated it improves. For anyone who, upon reading older reviews, decided not to get this game perhaps you may consider it again. They've improved it a lot, I actually enjoy playing the game now.I've been playing stronghold for over ten years now, and Stronghold 3 is still not as good as the first. That said, it improves a lot on stronghold 2 and as the game continues to get patched and updated it improves. For anyone who, upon reading older reviews, decided not to get this game perhaps you may consider it again. They've improved it a lot, I actually enjoy playing the game now. Sure there's no skirmish mode, but they have random events in free build (controllable random events at that) and they have a good campaign to play. If you let yourself get into the game it's really quite nice, the sound and graphics pull you into the castle mood. I played this game for the first time in months this past weekend and it sucked me in for hours. I was quite pleased with the work Firefly has done to improve it.… Expand
  39. 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
  40. 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
  41. 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.
  42. 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
  43. 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
  44. 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).
  45. 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
  46. 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 :) )
  47. 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
  48. 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.
  49. 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
  50. 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.
  51. 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)?
  52. 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.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................
  53. 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.
  54. DrCola
    Nov 19, 2011
    6
    All the bugs have been fixed, the one problem I have is that they made the wall building more like age of empires (the best part of stronghold was making a customizable castle) the maps are kind of tiny, but in most cases that does not matter because you dont need a huge map to do the mission. They tried somthing new with the drawn art work cinematics, respsect them for that. StrongholdAll the bugs have been fixed, the one problem I have is that they made the wall building more like age of empires (the best part of stronghold was making a customizable castle) the maps are kind of tiny, but in most cases that does not matter because you dont need a huge map to do the mission. They tried somthing new with the drawn art work cinematics, respsect them for that. Stronghold has always been a non noob friendly economic castle builder, most the people downrating this game are a console generation that want fast action in everything they play, stronghold will not be a direct hit instant love for most players, but for a small amount of us you will be reminded of the old stronghold (all the bugs got fixed, if they just had better walls this would be at least an 8) But sadly, it is no measure to stronghold 1, but you COULD say that if you just want to play stronghold 1, then play stronghold 1 right? wrong, it took on an age of empires resemblance which is not what its supposed to be, kingdoms took on a starcraft like stance (which is not what it is) stronghold has always been unique and should not try to blend itself with other genre's… Expand
  55. daarthreview1
    Dec 8, 2011
    0
    I'm going to receive a lot of hate for this but i liked the game. sure it had its fare share of bugs and it was a bit slow i enjoyed it and the game is being patched every week and its getting better all the time.now the reason i didn't give it higher marks is it is not excusable to send out a buggy and unfinished game to the consumers sure its getting better every patch but firefly shouldI'm going to receive a lot of hate for this but i liked the game. sure it had its fare share of bugs and it was a bit slow i enjoyed it and the game is being patched every week and its getting better all the time.now the reason i didn't give it higher marks is it is not excusable to send out a buggy and unfinished game to the consumers sure its getting better every patch but firefly should have checked the game for bugs i wouldn't of minded this game being delayed to finish it. Collapse… Expand
  56. 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.
  57. 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.
  58. BlackWidow
    Nov 22, 2020
    3
    This game has been sitting in my Steam Library for 6 months or more. So, on this lazy Sunday, I decided to fire the game up. Ugh, what a joke. I loved the other Stronghold games, but this one is horrid. First off is the story. The Wolf? Are you serious? I mean, out of all the stories Firefly could have came up with, they decided to bring back the Wolf? Complete joke.

    Secondly, is the    This game has been sitting in my Steam Library for 6 months or more. So, on this lazy Sunday, I decided to fire the game up. Ugh, what a joke. I loved the other Stronghold games, but this one is horrid. First off is the story. The Wolf? Are you serious? I mean, out of all the stories Firefly could have came up with, they decided to bring back the Wolf? Complete joke.

    Secondly, is the voicing. Once again, Firefly was too lazy or cheap to hire decent voice actors. Most of the AI voicing is copy and paste from previous titles. And the women? They are male voices trying to sound female. What a crock. They did this in other titles as well. I believe Stronghold 2 is the only title that has proper female voice actors. Come on Firefly. Really.

    Lastly are the campaigns. Not much depth here. Either too easy, too bland, or just too boring. Move here, move there, kill this dude, kill that dude, grow some apples, gather some wood; rinse and repeat.

    In closing, the graphics are not too bad, and I love the weather effects and night/day cycle; something I always wanted in the Stronghold games, but even that does not help this game in the least. I'm glad I got the Gold Edition for like 10 bucks, because the game is not worth more than that. Maybe 5 actually. But any ways, try thinking up a better and original story Firefly for the next game. The Wolf was dead in Stronghold 1. I give this terrible attempt a 3. Yuk!    … Expand
  59. Tomcan
    Dec 20, 2015
    3
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  60. Voyou
    May 23, 2021
    5
    Another Real-Time game that isn't in real time at all, and as a result is more arcade than strategy. Game makers still haven't connected enough of their gray cells to add a pause key. 5 minutes of coding that would triple their player base. I loved the 1st Stronghold, but I don't have the reflexes I had 20 years ago, and while players devolve, games should evolve. At least they kept theAnother Real-Time game that isn't in real time at all, and as a result is more arcade than strategy. Game makers still haven't connected enough of their gray cells to add a pause key. 5 minutes of coding that would triple their player base. I loved the 1st Stronghold, but I don't have the reflexes I had 20 years ago, and while players devolve, games should evolve. At least they kept the ability to save, which makes the arcade gameplay more forgiving.
    Real disappointment though, is that 4 or 5 scenarios into the military campaign, I'm still unable to build fortifications. If you want to know why I chose to play a game called Stronghold, the clue is in the name. Also, I believe that the interface was better in the earlier titles. In particular, I can't find my own troops on the map, and sometimes can't see the enemies either.    … Expand
  61. Kristianswag122
    Aug 16, 2016
    6
    It`s not a bad game is`t just a littel different then the most of the strongholds to me it reminds me of the first Stronghold and dat is a good thing but it`s also a disappointment but all in all it´s a okay game.
  62. IamNader
    May 9, 2023
    4
    Graphics are nice but I must tell you that this is a trash in whole franchise - 4/10
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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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