Stronghold Kingdoms Castle Sim
- August 17, 2017
- Firefly Studios
- 1h median play time
Get on Play Store
Get on Apple Store"Stronghold Kingdoms Castle Sim" is a strategy game that boasts good gameplay and pretty visuals, although it can be quite buggy. In this castle MMO, players can join a faction, engage in medieval sieges, and strive to become a crusader in a feudal setting. The game offers a unique and immersive experience for fans of the genre.
iPad
iPhone
Phone
Android
Mobile Platform
Tablet
Reviews
- The game captures the nostalgic feel of the original Stronghold series, making it enjoyable for long-time fans.
- The gameplay offers a mix of strategy and resource management, providing depth and engagement.
- The mobile adaptation allows players to manage their kingdoms on the go, which is a great convenience.
- The game is plagued with bugs and performance issues, making it frustrating to play.
- Many features are locked behind a paywall, leading to a pay-to-win environment that discourages free-to-play users.
- The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, making navigation and troop management difficult.
- graphics81 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the nostalgic old-school 2D style, while others criticize the dated and poor quality visuals, describing them as clunky and in need of significant improvement. Many users express a desire for updated graphics to enhance the overall experience, indicating that the current visuals detract from the gameplay. Overall, while some find the graphics charming, a substantial number of reviews call for enhancements to meet modern standards.
“I love that this game still has the PC graphics I adore!”
“Amazing graphics, stunning cutting-edge combat technology, a must play for all strategy fans!”
“Brings back great memories with these original graphics.”
“The graphics are ridiculous and the setup of the overall game is poor.”
“Graphics are horrifying and glitchy.”
“The graphics are dated, the gameplay is repetitive, and it requires an insane amount of time for the fighting class.”
- gameplay57 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying its mechanics and addictive nature, while others criticize it for being slow, repetitive, and heavily reliant on pay-to-win elements. Many users express frustration over confusing mechanics, poor user interface, and the need for significant improvements to enhance the overall experience. Despite its potential, the game often falls short due to these issues, leading to a lack of engagement for some players.
“If you can get at least a small grasp on how the game actually works, then you will have no problem enjoying the addicting gameplay.”
“Great gameplay and everything is good except one problem in cheese count; however, I produce cheese, it doesn't appear even for a moment of time.”
“Glad this game finally came out; great graphics and gameplay, just a few minor adjustments overall 5 stars!!!!”
“Very cool concept but falls flat due to poor glory race mechanics and strong pay-to-win incentives.”
“The gameplay is stale and the MMO idea is neat, but in this execution, it's terrible. When I saw this game, I thought, 'yes!'”
“The graphics are dated, the gameplay is repetitive, and it requires an insane amount of time for the fighting class.”
- stability50 mentions
- 6 % positive mentions
- -4 % neutral mentions
- 98 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern among users, with frequent reports of freezing, bugs, and glitches that hinder gameplay. Many players experience issues such as unresponsive UI, crashes during tutorials, and problems with game mechanics, particularly on mobile devices. While some users note that the game can be enjoyable, the overwhelming presence of technical issues detracts from the overall experience.
“The game runs smoothly without any bugs.”
“I haven't encountered any stability issues during my gameplay.”
“The performance is consistent, making for a seamless experience.”
“The UI will not load now, or the loading screen loads with elements of the map over it and freezes.”
“I loved this game on the computer, but it freezes way too much and I get way too many bugs. For example, when you start out, I went quad rations early and then all of a sudden it tells me to raise them to triple when I already did, making it impossible to progress in the game. I had to restart the whole account because I was frozen.”
“It's very buggy; quests don't work and menus sometimes won't open.”
- story29 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- 83 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is criticized for its lack of clarity and coherence, with many players reporting significant bugs that prevent quest completion and reward collection. Users express frustration over the inability to activate multiple quests simultaneously and the absence of a compelling narrative, leading to a disjointed gameplay experience. Overall, the quest system is seen as flawed, detracting from the potential for an engaging story.
“You lost the plot this time.”
“Not a story mode but an offline mode?”
“Unclear direction in the story, many early game mistakes that I'm still trying to fix.”
“None of the quests or advisor quests give me the rewards when completed, they simply vanish making it much harder to start out.”
“The quest system is bugged out and doesn't work.”
- monetization10 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been widely criticized for heavily relying on microtransactions and wait times, leading many to view it as a cash grab rather than a genuine continuation of the Stronghold series. Players express disappointment that the game prioritizes profit over a unique and enjoyable experience, with frequent ads and in-app purchases detracting from gameplay. Overall, the monetization approach has left a negative impression, overshadowing the game's potential.
“If you really love the game and the fans who love the game you made, don't put microtransactions in it.”
“While the app does extremely well using elements from the Stronghold series, it plays too much like a typical mobile game, especially with the microtransactions and wait times.”
“To further ruin the experience, there is a heavy incentive for microtransactions.”
“This is a terrible twist on a good game for the purpose of a cash grab.”
- music10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The music in the game evokes nostalgia for fans of the original Stronghold series, featuring familiar tracks that enhance the experience. However, some players express disappointment with the limited variety, citing repetitive background music and a lack of new compositions. Overall, while the classic themes resonate with long-time players, the music aspect could benefit from more diversity and innovation.
“The music is pretty good; the textures, music, and art are all from the original game.”
“The woman's voice in the song is one of the things that makes Stronghold special.”
“It has all the best Stronghold 1 songs, so I'm still feeling nostalgic even after uninstalling.”
“Very unstable, poor UI, same 10-second background music, FPS drops.”
“Same songs and same props.”
“Where is the other half of the song named 'The Maiden'?”
- optimization7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Overall, users express significant concerns regarding the game's optimization, citing issues such as battery drain, lag, and inconvenient controls. While some improvements in performance have been noted, many players still experience choppy gameplay and urge for further enhancements to both performance and user interface.
“Performance is greatly increased from what it was before, still a bit choppy in some places though on my Google Pixel.”
“Just like the real Stronghold... but you guys please improve performance and controls. It's really laggy and the controls are just inconvenient.”
“User interface should be fixed and also some game optimization.”
“Just like the real stronghold...but you guys please improve performance and controls. It's really laggy and the controls are just inconvenient. And no, it is definitely not my phone or internet.”
“My number one complaint at this time since the update is the performance issues.”
“However, performance is lacking; it lags a fair bit.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players have mixed feelings about the grinding aspect of the game; while some appreciate the strategic depth and teamwork involved, others find the farming and gathering processes to be slow and tedious, detracting from the overall experience. The game's current beta state also contributes to issues like lag and bugs, further complicating the grinding experience.
“It turned the perfect masterpiece into a tedious waiting game.”
“Laggy, buggy and tediously slow to load.”
“Still in beta but I'm all in!... I just started 2 days ago so I have not yet seen it all and still understanding the whole concept. Farming, gathering, marching are all quite slow.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviewers express a desire for a more immersive and robust atmosphere that evokes a sense of stronghold or fortress-like presence, indicating that the current environment may lack the depth and intensity they were hoping for.
“The atmosphere in this game is incredibly immersive, making you feel like you're truly part of the world.”
“Every detail contributes to a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere that keeps you on the edge of your seat.”
“The game's atmosphere is rich and layered, drawing you in with its stunning visuals and haunting sound design.”
“I'm missing the atmosphere of a stronghold.”
“The game lacks a compelling atmosphere that draws you in.”
“The overall ambiance feels flat and uninspired.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional impact of the game is overwhelmingly negative for some players, leading to a strong aversion to revisiting it.
