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An exciting history-themed game that gives players the opportunity to experience fort defense during the Crusades

An exciting history-themed game that gives players the opportunity to experience fort defense during the Crusades

Vote: (2,197 votes)

Program license: Trial version

Developer: Firefly Studios

Works under: Windows

Vote:

Program license

(2,197 votes)

Trial version

Developer

Firefly Studios

Works under:

Windows

Pros

  • Different characters and each has their own backstory.
  • Take part in historic Crusades and advance your Holy War.
  • Different campaigns take you through historic locations.

Cons

  • The gameplay can feel repetitive after a while.
  • The graphics are outdated.

One of the great RTS games of the past, Stronghold Crusader takes you on a riveting campaign where you have to handle the conflicts from the age of the Crusades. In the demo version, you can also taste the action before you decide on whether or not you want to buy the full game because admittedly, this might not be the game for everyone.

Who This Game Appeals To?

Since the Age of Empires and the Civilization franchises blazed a path, if you liked either of those games, you will probably like how Stronghold Crusader provides you with a game that resembles those two real-time strategy games. You build your armies up to a dangerous size and attack the heathens of the Middle East. Everything takes place from the First, Second and Third Crusades. Your goal is to bring the balance of power back into the hands of the Christian armies against the Muslim heathens. This bitter conflict between the two is one battle, but you will also have to resolve some of the conflicts among your own men and the separate crusader states.

Can You Survive?

You may accomplish all these feats of the Stronghold Crusader franchise, and you can purchase supplies and build your own stronghold to a monolithic size for the towns you have taken control over. As you go on the campaigns, you will visit some of the historic locations like Jerusalem, Nicea and Antioch. You can even take advantage of a game feature known as the "Crusader Trail." This consists of over 50 different missions that have all been connected. You must face off against a number of vicious and cunning opponents who want nothing more than victory over their enemies.

Great Variety of Characters

What separates Stronghold Crusader from its competition is how you have a variety of different characters. In fact, you even have some of the historical figures of the time period, such as Richard the Lionheart. Meanwhile, you also have some interesting fictional characters like "The Rat." This is the boy who was poor in the beginning, but he later inherits the throne, a crown, gold and land. What's cool about Stronghold Crusader is how each of the characters seem to have been built up with a backstory of their own. It serves to immerse you in the game and make it more interesting.

With all the excellent things aside, one of the biggest disadvantages of Stronghold Crusader is how the graphics look terrible. At the time, we had some fairly advanced graphics, but it hasn't aged well in the coming years. Overall, however, it's a great game of the RTS genre, and it's worth checking out.

Pros

  • Different characters and each has their own backstory.
  • Take part in historic Crusades and advance your Holy War.
  • Different campaigns take you through historic locations.

Cons

  • The gameplay can feel repetitive after a while.
  • The graphics are outdated.