Stronghold: Warlords

63%
Game Brain Score Based on 2,007 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • story
Stronghold: Warlords Game Cover
Boasting classic mechanics that have aged like a fine wine, the few additions to the formula make Stronghold: Warlords a worthy entry into anyone's RTS library.
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In Stronghold: Warlords, players command Mongol hordes, imperial warriors, and samurai clansmen in the siege of Japanese and Chinese fortifications. With 31 campaign missions, 45 skirmish trail scenarios, and multiple multiplayer and sandbox modes, the game offers a rich historical RTS experience. The Ultimate Edition includes special edition content, 24 DLC campaign missions, and additional DLC warlords with unique perks and upgrades.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

63%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,007 reviews
gameplay95 positive mentions
stability64 negative mentions
  • gameplay382 mentions

    The gameplay of "Stronghold: Warlords" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that it retains the core mechanics of previous titles while introducing the new warlord system, which adds some strategic depth but is often criticized for being clunky and underwhelming. While some appreciate the nostalgic elements and the economic systems, others feel that the gameplay lacks innovation and can become repetitive, with issues such as poor AI, bugs, and a lack of polish detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the game is seen as a competent entry in the series, but it struggles to meet the expectations set by its predecessors.

    • “I like the economy systems and the influence mechanic for interacting with different warlords in different sections of the maps.”
    • “The introduction of warlords adds extra strategy to the gameplay that gives different approaches, giving you an extra asset to consider conquering, defending, or defending from.”
    • “The gameplay is fun, it does everything that a stronghold does, it's true that sometimes the walls fail, but it's not as fatalistic as other reviews say, you have special units, resource management like in stronghold 2, new units, some new mechanics like the functioning of the church and the faith buildings or the warlords, which are like the provinces in stronghold 2, you capture or buy them with diplomacy and then you can improve them and now you can give orders to the provinces, like planning an attack on another province or your enemy, or sending you resources or gold.”
    • “The key selling point of this game - the warlords system - simply doesn't work, and the economic aspects of gameplay which made Stronghold 2 so replayable are dumbed down so much they feel absent.”
    • “The warlord mechanic just from the first 5 missions of the first campaign are clunky and just an overall hassle to work around.”
    • “Gameplay is incredibly repetitive with the flow of most missions working exactly the same.”
  • graphics315 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that while the visuals are an improvement over previous titles in the Stronghold series, they still feel dated and lack the polish expected from a modern game. Some appreciate the artistic style and the representation of feudal Asia, but others criticize the low-quality character models and textures, describing them as reminiscent of games from a decade ago. Overall, while the graphics are considered decent by some, they fall short of contemporary standards, leading to disappointment among fans who expected more from a 2021 release.

    • “Graphics are wonderful, and the stylistic choice describes feudal Asia perfectly.”
    • “Great game, excellent graphics and lots of fun.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful, the details of the characters, etc. perfect, the gameplay is great, the music sets the mood well.”
    • “The graphics are terrible, tutorial is even bugged if you do something before being told it will never advance.”
    • “Graphics are poor for this day and age; at least with Stronghold 3 they tried.”
    • “The graphics are outdated and I don't know why they released a game like this for PC now; they were never top-range strategy games, but they had interesting stories and some potentially good systems, and this just feels like they've given up.”
  • story293 mentions

    The story in "Stronghold: Warlords" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a lack of depth and engagement compared to previous titles in the series. While some appreciate the historical context and the introduction of the warlord mechanic, others find the missions repetitive, poorly designed, and lacking a compelling narrative. Overall, the campaign is seen as more of a series of disconnected objectives rather than a cohesive story, leading to disappointment among long-time fans of the franchise.

    • “The histories of China, Mongolia, and Japan make a good source for missions; the Asian-style castles look nice and the lord and peasant concept of Stronghold works just as well in feudal Asia as in medieval Europe.”
    • “I really enjoyed the storylines and the new warlord/diplomacy system.”
    • “The campaign consists of 5 storylines, each with 6 or 7 missions.”
    • “The story is rudimentary and not captivating.”
    • “I'll admit, the story aspect has really suffered this time around; they've never quite recreated the majesty of the rat, snake, pig, and wolf since the first Stronghold.”
    • “The real big disappointment in this game is the lack of campaign or missions/any proper story-driven campaign/map feels empty and hollow.”
  • music72 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the soundtrack as immersive and beautifully composed, particularly in relation to the game's Asian setting. However, many players find the music to be forgettable or mediocre, lacking the charm and variety of earlier titles in the series. Overall, while the soundtrack has its highlights, it often fails to leave a lasting impression on players.

    • “The soundtrack is the highlight of the game.”
    • “Overall this game is a fun, 30-40 hour experience with beautiful imagery, music, and sound design.”
    • “The music and sound design is awesome and soothing.”
    • “The music is mediocre or only somewhat good, and there are only a few songs.”
    • “The music is forgettable, even though the first games had some legendary soundtracks which subsequent games often reused.”
    • “The gameplay itself is not fun, the pathing and AI for units is bad, the soundtrack is generic as hell, the missions are extremely uninspired except for one or two, and there is a stupid difficulty curve.”
  • stability67 mentions

    The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with many users reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and various bugs that hinder gameplay. While some players have experienced fewer issues, the overall consensus is that the game is plagued by instability, particularly in multiplayer modes, making it frustrating and often unplayable. Despite some fun elements, the persistent technical problems detract significantly from the overall experience.

    • “The Warlords is an interesting spin, and while the graphics are very good, the game runs great on lower settings on older computers too.”
    • “As for the cons, I've had it freeze on one specific part of one mission a couple of times; otherwise, no freezes or crashes.”
    • “It's a buggy, broken mess, unplayable.”
    • “Unfortunately, the game glitches and crashes constantly in a variety of ways.”
    • “The game freezes, or goes black screen, the UI disappears, or the game just completely shuts itself down with zero error warning.”
  • optimization58 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization has been widely criticized, with many users reporting severe performance issues, including lag, stuttering, and crashes, especially during large-scale battles. Despite some players experiencing acceptable performance on lower settings, the general consensus is that the game is poorly optimized compared to its predecessors, leading to frustration among users with various hardware setups. Many hope for future updates to address these significant stability and performance concerns.

    • “The game seems well optimized and is a refreshing take on the Asian genre.”
    • “Also maybe ignore reviews complaining about optimization, or don't 100% trust them, this game runs flawlessly on ultra 1080p on my 7 year old gaming rig, and looks damn good at the same time.”
    • “But at least performance is better.”
    • “Absolutely horrendous performance.”
    • “The most poorly optimized game in the series yet.”
    • “When I purchased the 'full' game on release, it was no more than an early beta full of game-breaking bugs, performance issues, and more.”
  • humor24 mentions

    The humor in "Stronghold Warlords" is a mixed bag, with many players finding the game's castle-building mechanics and battlefield encounters to be entertainingly absurd. While some aspects, like quirky unit animations and unintentional AI dialogue, elicit laughter, others criticize the humor for feeling forced or lacking the charm of previous installments. Overall, the game offers a blend of comedic elements that can be hit or miss, leaving some players amused while others feel disappointed.

    • “This game takes castle-building to a whole new level, with a hilarious twist that will keep you entertained for hours.”
    • “Well, get ready for some hilarious and unexpected encounters on the battlefield.”
    • “In conclusion, Stronghold Warlords is a game that combines strategy, humor, and epic castle-building into one unforgettable experience.”
    • “The whole system is a joke; the mechanics are a not funny joke, the economy is a joke, the temples are a joke. None of the finesse that made Stronghold 2 a daily play for me from 10 till 18. I'm just so sad at the fact this was their future. I would have never imagined we could go so far backwards in 20 years.”
    • “Not funny at all and forgettable.”
    • “I'm thinking the game developers are zoomers who have nothing to do with the past game's glory (my favorite is 2 and Legends). The reason to believe this is because the face of their company right now is an unfunny woman with dyed hair. Her voice also heavily pollutes this installment and ruins the atmosphere of epic medieval Genghis Khan war for me.”
  • atmosphere23 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its immersive graphics and soundtrack, while others feel it lacks charisma and depth. Many users highlight the strong aesthetic appeal but criticize the storytelling and mission design for failing to capture the dynamic atmosphere of earlier titles in the series. Overall, while the game offers a visually appealing environment, it struggles to deliver a cohesive and engaging atmospheric experience.

    • “Good atmosphere and upgraded gameplay.”
    • “Graphics and soundtrack create a really beautiful, immersive atmosphere.”
    • “A well designed game following the stronghold series with a fantastic score and atmosphere.”
    • “I'm not quite sure what is missing, but the setting and atmosphere simply miss the mark 100%.”
    • “Mixed feelings; the aesthetics and atmosphere of this game are amazing, yet it lacks charisma and personality at the same time.”
    • “There's no atmosphere here.”
  • replayability22 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the potential for varied playstyles and the inclusion of sandbox and multiplayer modes, many criticize the lack of depth and variety in gameplay, particularly due to a simplified economic system and predictable AI. The campaign's short length and limited custom skirmishes further detract from replay value, leading to a consensus that it falls short of the replayability found in earlier titles like Stronghold 2.

    • “It comes with a lot of content and replayability.”
    • “Infinite possibilities, and way more replay value.”
    • “Campaign missions will also be replayable (and replayed) thanks to the high difficulty of some of them, similarly, again, to the previous titles of the Stronghold series.”
    • “This makes the game feel very cookie-cutter and unvaried, and really damages the replayability of the game.”
    • “The key selling point of this game - the warlords system - simply doesn't work, and the economic aspects of gameplay which made Stronghold 2 so replayable are dumbed down so much they feel absent.”
    • “Warlords has some okay content but the campaign was really short and the custom skirmishes are fairly limited and boring as far as replay value for the game.”
  • grinding21 mentions

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, with many campaign missions lacking engagement and often feeling repetitive. The need for extensive grinding to progress, coupled with issues like crashes that result in lost progress, detracts from the overall enjoyment. While some appreciate the strategic elements of resource management and combat, the overwhelming consensus is that the grinding mechanics are a significant drawback.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Now I do understand later in the campaigns different warlords act differently and can make castles, defenses, etc., but why make the first campaign so boring and tedious without showing off the cool aspects of the warlord mechanic?”
    • “It's just a tedious mechanic and doesn't add to the enjoyment of the game.”
    • “The campaign missions are often tedious, resorting to limiting your options instead of increasing the challenge.”
  • monetization7 mentions

    The monetization of Stronghold Warlords has been widely criticized as a low-effort cash grab, with reviewers expressing disappointment in its perceived lack of originality and focus on profit over quality. Many feel that the game is primarily aimed at the Asian market, particularly China, rather than catering to the original Stronghold community, leading to a sense of betrayal among long-time fans. Overall, the sentiment is that the game's monetization strategy reflects a lazy approach to game development.

    • “I have never written a review, but I took the time just to say do not buy this disgraceful cash grab.”
    • “Overall, this looks like a cash grab.”
    • “The whole thing strikes me as a lazy cash grab by a studio that is out of ideas and oblivious to the way video game development has changed in the last decade.”
  • emotional6 mentions

    Players express a mix of frustration and emotional investment in the game's mechanics, particularly regarding the challenges posed by fire and resource management. The experience of losing units and buildings evokes a sense of heartbreak, highlighting the game's ability to create a strong emotional connection, even for newcomers. Overall, the emotional responses range from annoyance to a heartfelt appreciation for the game's design and its impact on players' strategies.

    • “I would even say that out of all the other Stronghold titles, none has made me feel this much like there was a specific use and/or time for every individual unit like Warlords does now.”
    • “It is heart breaking to send in a force and be annihilated.”
    • “A heartfelt letter from a long-time fan to Firefly... (no toxicity/hate, I promise).”
  • character development1 mentions

    Reviews highlight that the character development is enhanced by well-crafted character designs and engaging voice lines for the AI lords, contributing to a more immersive and relatable experience.

    • “The character design and voice lines for some AI lords are incredibly well-crafted, adding depth and personality to the game.”
    • “I love how the character development allows for meaningful choices that impact the storyline and relationships.”
    • “Each character feels unique and evolves throughout the game, making the journey truly immersive.”
    • “The character development feels shallow, with little to no growth or change throughout the game.”
    • “Many characters lack depth, making it hard to connect with their stories or motivations.”
    • “The dialogue options are limited, which stifles meaningful interactions and character progression.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

73% average critic score

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Play time

19hMedian play time
27hAverage play time
5-50hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 24 analyzed playthroughs

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