Stronghold

 PC
User Score
8.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 398 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 353 out of 398
  2. Mixed: 38 out of 398
  3. Negative: 7 out of 398
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  1. alanas4201
    Oct 21, 2013
    10
    My old favorite spend every day playing multiplayer at home after school good memories. glad they bring back these great games Games is hard and challenging mission better than crusader, but multiplayer went back a bit.
  2. NMan7496
    Sep 23, 2014
    10
    Bottom line, one of the best RTS games I've played. The campaign is engaging, there is a lot to do in free build, also with HD you have access to some maps created by other players which is pretty awesome. This is still tied with the original Stronghold Crusader for being the best in the series (I am writing this right after the release of Crusader II). This is Firefly's masterpiece,Bottom line, one of the best RTS games I've played. The campaign is engaging, there is a lot to do in free build, also with HD you have access to some maps created by other players which is pretty awesome. This is still tied with the original Stronghold Crusader for being the best in the series (I am writing this right after the release of Crusader II). This is Firefly's masterpiece, and I am saying this almost 13 years after its release. My one objection is, if you finish the Military and Economic Campaigns, there is not much else to do except free build and sieges, but Firefly fixed that with the addition of skirmishes with Crusader. But even with that objection I have been replaying the military campaign a lot, because it is that engaging. So, in conclusion, this is an amazing game, and makes the Stronghold Pack from Steam (Stronghold 1, 2, Legends, Crusader, and Crusader Extreme) an amazing deal.… Expand
  3. Vonathan
    Jul 13, 2014
    10
    One of the best RTS games of all time. Stronghold offers a somewhat complex gameplay experience as resource gathering and processing is done in greater detail than in most of the other RTS games. Never have I played an RTS where I've had more fun developing my economy. The only negative thing I can really say is the lack of being able to play against an AI opponent like in the expansionOne of the best RTS games of all time. Stronghold offers a somewhat complex gameplay experience as resource gathering and processing is done in greater detail than in most of the other RTS games. Never have I played an RTS where I've had more fun developing my economy. The only negative thing I can really say is the lack of being able to play against an AI opponent like in the expansion Stronghold: Crusader. And while there could have been a bit larger variety in the troops of the game, the game offers a fun and challenging combat system. You can defend your castle with things like moats, pit traps and boiling pitch which you dump on your enemies from the top of your walls.

    Outside of the gameplay Stronghold shines even brighter. For a game that is over 10 years old, the graphics aren't dated and it has one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard. One of those games where you just want to play it because of the great atmosphere.    … Expand
  4. JamesD.
    Mar 18, 2003
    6
    Cool game, which is addictive for a while, but eventually gets stale. Most levels "de-volve" into testing the pc's AI, and exploiting it's glitches. The resource management is average at best, and the isometric view can be very frustrating at times, especially when you leave a tiny "invisible" gap in your castle wall that the enemy instantly bee lines to from miles away. That Cool game, which is addictive for a while, but eventually gets stale. Most levels "de-volve" into testing the pc's AI, and exploiting it's glitches. The resource management is average at best, and the isometric view can be very frustrating at times, especially when you leave a tiny "invisible" gap in your castle wall that the enemy instantly bee lines to from miles away. That said, if you don't mind restarting levels often, the game can be somewhat fun.… Expand
  5. iddqd4
    Jan 27, 2018
    8
    Вы молодой лорд, ваша задача отбить страну, подавить бунт. Стратегия удачно сочетающая в себе как и экономическую часть, так и военную.
  6. SsaMlol
    Oct 1, 2014
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. great game......i love this game.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................… Expand
  7. BadReloader
    Jul 28, 2015
    10
    Ok guys, please bow to one of the greatest games on Earth. I'm not much into the reviewing thing, but this game made me go: "Ok, I have to, I must, endorse it." This castle sim is not just the average simulator: it's a complex and prefect mix of all the possible aspects a medieval game needs: immersion, realism, sarcasm, playability, longevity. Seriously: I'm a medieval times addict andOk guys, please bow to one of the greatest games on Earth. I'm not much into the reviewing thing, but this game made me go: "Ok, I have to, I must, endorse it." This castle sim is not just the average simulator: it's a complex and prefect mix of all the possible aspects a medieval game needs: immersion, realism, sarcasm, playability, longevity. Seriously: I'm a medieval times addict and love pc gaming, I've tried a lot of medieval pc games and this one, even if its graphics are not that flabbergasting 3D thing, is among the best I found. Why?

    1) Immersion.
    If I had to be sincere, in, say, 20 years of PC gaming, this is, to me, the most successful game as to immersion. From music and sounds (often sadly neglected in other games), preciously crafted by Robert Euvino (a great modern composer, who used a mix of ancient medieval instruments and everyday working tools to recreate ingame effects and one of the most evocative soundtracks ever) to the GUI (skillfully crafted to reflect the medieval society and its rules), to the characterization of the peasants (reflecting all of the spectrum of medieval common sense and its contradictions, with a slight accent on sarcasm) and the choice of colors (the color palette they used captures pretty much the flavour of those times).
    Believe me, you won't find any other game much immersive than this.

    2) Realism.
    Here we have no inventions nor have we the feeling they chased the spectacle at all costs. They sticked to reality, and here you go: a game where you have men with low morale and a spiky staff, armed just with their courage; ye have plenty of archers who will die through the flames, while the few armored troops you can afford (either for you're poor and for the lack of iron) slowly advance, under the weight of their cuirasses. No movie-like units with weird anachronistic equipment (like the elephant with a mounted bombard in pseudo-historical Medieval II total war), no ultra-heroic stats or shiny glitsy gears coming from a fantasy world. You have the fatigue, you have wood and rock and a little of iron if God wills. You have hope and courage 'cause hey! this is not Hollywood - this is medieval times. For real. Here you will hear you attendant advising you that the near villages report an enemy approaching. Here you will hear the babies cry and their mothers taking them away, frightened by the incoming army, disappearing in their poor huts as the enemy approaches. You will see the hunters fight back the enemy even if they're not soldiers, you will see their hounds attack as well, you will experience the advantage of an elevated shooting position and that of the cover you get thanks to the apple trees. I could go on and on for ages.
    This was a game made by people who really know what Middle Ages had been. (It's not a surprise it was made in Europe, where the Roman Empire and its fall took place.)

    3) Sarcasm and irony.
    In Stronghold 1 you will experience a crude world, as it necessarily was in medieval times, constantly sugarcoated by latent irony, by wisely chosen punchlines on sentences and exclamations. Everything has been thought to ease and balance the crudeness of the Middle Ages, and sums up to a great feeling. You can feel it's a game, but still you feel it's not.

    4) Playability, longevity.
    You can have single player skirmishes with decent AI. You can have multiplayer matches. You can have eye-candy building matches, where all you fear are fires, famines and pestilences. You can build nearly whatever you want: the walls of your castle are totally in the hands of your creativity. Every brick can change the shape, every shape can impede your enemies in their path to your keep. You can even decide to put battlements or not. Forget about 3D graphics: this kind of games never truly needed 'em. Here you have the forest growing (and possibly invading you settlement), you have the fauna reproducing: you'll see the effects of blindly pressing on resource collection against trying to coexist with Mother Nature: will you try to dominate her (and condemn yourself to sour economic problems) or will you be annihilated by her slow but relentless power?

    5) Yeah but what about WAR?
    Ah, the neighbors. This game has been the first one to implement a full and realistic siege equipment. I mean: you have siege ladders, siege towers, catapults, trebuchets, ballistas, great siege shields and so on. The enemy dag a moat around his castle? You can always send your low-armoured troops to fill it up while being shot by the enemy archers. Your engineers fail to aim properly to the walls? You can send your sappers to mine a gallery to make the walls crumble. (Look out, though, as the galleries may collapse as well - and there's no insurance on workers...) Trying to ram down the gates? Good idea, but beware of the boiling oil they're pouring from above! And... what about traps?

    Guys, if you're truly into the Medieval thing, give it a try. It's a must-have. It's definitely worth while.    … Expand
  8. Nekellor
    Aug 1, 2018
    7
    Интересная система развития замка. Реалистичная боевая система. Интересная экономика. Красивая музыка. Дух средневековья. Неплохая сюжетка. А самое главная - полная воля для креатива в партиях.
  9. ColinP.
    May 13, 2003
    10
    It rocks!
  10. Mursu
    Nov 26, 2012
    9
    I just can't wrap my head around some people giving this game such a low score. The musics are really epic and fit the tone of the game really nicely. The battles get huge towards the end of the campaign. One of my favorite RTSs of all time.
  11. Bolrakk
    Sep 22, 2014
    10
    This game set the benchmark for Sandbox RTS games. Sadly I have yet to see any game surpass its standards.

    The campaign is brilliant and its multiplayer features, however the sandbox mode can keep you busy for months and that's only on one map!

    10/10 cult classic
  12. dryerlint
    Aug 31, 2015
    10
    There's just something about this game that touches my heart. The way it takes you from being just another lord of a small holding, sending out hunters to feed your demesne, to the leader of a full blow loyalist rebellion. Dumping oil on people is pretty fun too. RIP in peace Lord Woolsack.
  13. Akelaar
    Dec 13, 2012
    10
    Legendary game with amazing detailed processes. This is what really deserves to be called economic development in RTS. Resource gathering/food production details are incomparable. Old RTS that has deserved its place in hall of fame.
  14. daarthreview1
    Dec 8, 2011
    10
    great game...........................................................................................................................................................................
  15. ValentinoW.
    Feb 1, 2002
    10
    This game is the best.
  16. RoderickC.
    Sep 29, 2003
    9
    One of the best strategy games I ever played.
  17. TheSandmann
    Dec 5, 2001
    9
    Pikemen ready! I love the battlecry of my troops when they pass through the gates. A must have.
  18. JamesH.
    Feb 18, 2002
    10
    Very good, needs more cheats!
  19. Carsten
    Mar 29, 2002
    10
    Great combination of fun, strategy, and education. A lot of opportunities when deciding your strategy.
  20. Sungwing
    Jul 9, 2002
    9
    Great game with realistic graphics. Bad thing is no different unit formation. Otherwise its a must have.
  21. BonifacioT.Jr
    Oct 29, 2003
    8
    Great game and lots of fun. Controls are easy to learn. The only bad part is that as it was said before the castle walls can be tricky at times. It can be easy to miss a spot and leave a gap in the castle wall.
  22. JoeM.
    Jan 17, 2002
    9
    Great game and lots of fun.
  23. llamma5
    Jan 3, 2002
    7
    Good. Game unit control is too simple. About time a game replaced "Lords of the Realm 2."
  24. [Anonymous]
    May 15, 2002
    10
    Lost many hours of sleep over this kick A** Game.
  25. AdeC.
    Jun 7, 2002
    10
    I cant tack my face from the screen "dead" class military missions as good as Grand Theft Auto 3
  26. DennisDunk
    Jun 21, 2003
    9
    It's a good game and can keep you on your pc for ages, but i feel that when you have completed the campaigns, we should get 1 extra and a lot more things to achive!!!!
  27. ChrisS.
    Mar 9, 2004
    9
    Good multiplayer - Nuff said!
  28. NineteenShadow
    Dec 11, 2002
    10
    Very addictive and the map editor makes it so u can play it 4ever plus there r plenty of ready made maps and missions 2 download. It is great 4 multiplayer 2.
  29. JacobM.
    Feb 14, 2002
    10
    It's better than "Age of Empires."
  30. gracjanski
    Oct 12, 2018
    9
    Even today this game is fun and if you are a really gamer, you should get to know this classic game. I like the gameplay, that is a bit unique in comparison to other strategy games. The happiness of the citizens is the most important ressource and you need to keep an eye on it all the time. The AI is not so good btw.

    The atmosphere is great, so you feel you are in the middle age and    Even today this game is fun and if you are a really gamer, you should get to know this classic game. I like the gameplay, that is a bit unique in comparison to other strategy games. The happiness of the citizens is the most important ressource and you need to keep an eye on it all the time. The AI is not so good btw.

    The atmosphere is great, so you feel you are in the middle age and everything fits well together. The intro is very funny btw..

    The economic campaign is short and very hard. Unfortunately it has a trial and error element, because there are many scripted events. Yes, they are frustrating and you need to manage them. So loosing is part of the gameplay here.
    The military campaing is much longer and the beginning is much easier, so it is better to start that.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

40
#40 Best PC Game of 2001
9
#9 Most Discussed PC Game of 2001
9
#9 Most Shared PC Game of 2001

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. Media and Games Online Network
    90
    Before now there have been some strategy games set in medieval times, but none has captured the essence and flavour of the period like the superb Stronghold.
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  2. GameZone
    83
    Stronghold is an intriguing and ‘fresh’ perspective on the civilization genre. It is filled with great graphical elements and sound, and plays well. This is a solid and enjoyable outing.
    Read full review
  3. Game Over Online
    82
    Stronghold is a very interesting game; a game which has no equals, not because it’s that outstanding, but because there’s been so few games that can fight for the title of castle sim champion.
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