The WhatsNext verdict
If you want to design a medieval castle, manage its working economy, and watch that design survive a large siege, Stronghold still delivers a distinctive kind of satisfaction. Expect rough controls, uneven missions, and a simulation that is more evocative than consistently deep.
What it does best
Build and make it yours
Every fight is a tactical puzzle
A deep, believable simulation
What might put you off
An awkward interface and uneven campaign
Siege balance can push players toward exploits
The setup
What you are walking into
Stronghold is a historic real-time strategy game developed by Firefly Studios. While the game focuses primarily on conquest and expansion through military pursuits, Stronghold does provide space for economic strategy and development: there is both an economic and a military campaign to be played and both are discussed in the game manual. The game takes place in Medieval Britain around the time of AD 1066, though, since there is sometimes no time limit, scenarios can continue to hundreds of years beyond this date.
Where it lives
Genre
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