Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition stands out as one of the best Strategy/Simulation titles in recent memory.
91
Verdict
92%
Steam
—
IGDB
Verdict score based on confidence-adjusted Steam reviews?
Very Positive on Steam (92% positive from 10K reviews)
Healthy player count of 1,480 concurrent
Rich open world to explore
Engaging multiplayer/co-op experience
Limited professional critic coverage
Stronghold: Crusader is a 2002 real-time strategy video game developed by Firefly Studios and originally published by Gathering of Developers for Windows. It is a sequel to the 2001 video game Stronghold. Crusader has much in common with the original Stronghold, but differs from its predecessor in the fact that the game is no longer set in England, instead being set in the Middle East during the Crusades. Another prominent addition not found in its predecessor is a skirmish mode in single-player, allowing customized battles with AI opponents instead of the linear campaign. The game was also released as Stronghold Warchest. This version was a compendium of Stronghold and an enhanced version of Stronghold: Crusader, containing additional characters and an additional Crusader Trail.
Runs well on modern hardware.
Last updated 1d ago
Despite being a re-release of a 23 years old game as a "graphics upgrade" the devs somehow managed to implement bugs that were not present in the og version. The height system is turned off - a archer on tallest tower that is placed on top of a tallest mountain will have same attack range as a archer that is shooting him on the plains. - its crazy and sad that the 23 y old version of the game is way more polished than this which basically took the old game and upscaled it... There are couple other annoyances that weren't in og - like hunters totally ignore enemies even when idle. In og they used their bow to shot at the enemy which was logical and immersive. There's a couple more minor bugs/changes which I won't list here but they sadly make the game feel way less immersive than its source material (Stronghold Crusader 2002) -Good things well couple new campaigns, the bedouin units and probably best thing is the custom AI editor which also is kind of buggy and unintuitive but totally usable... I'd change this review to positive only if the height bug is fixed and if its not, I wont even consider buying Stronghold 4 - if the dev team makes such bugs on a ready product I don't even want to waste my time and money to personally QA a product that's fully made by them. Cheers
"Oh! Please, Your Highness! Not the rack again..." The nostalgia hit me almost instantly. Building your first castle, carefully managing your food supply, launching diseased cows over enemy walls, and then sending in a handful of Assassins to finish the job... somehow, it's every bit as fun as I remember. The best part? It still feels like Stronghold Crusader. FireFly didn't try to reinvent the game. Instead, they took everything that made the original special and polished it. The classic gameplay is still here, but now it's backed up by modern visuals, quality-of-life improvements, plenty of new content, and finally a co-op mode. Compared to the original release, there's a lot more to sink your teeth into. New campaigns, additional historical trails, three playable factions, brand-new units, improved AI, and a wealth of little improvements make this feel like the definitive way to experience Crusader. And yes... the AI Lords are still as entertaining as ever. Hearing the Rat desperately try to sound intimidating, the Pig insulting your entire bloodline, or the Caliph setting half the map on fire never really gets old. Stronghold has always had its own unique sense of humor, and I'm happy to see it preserved here. The economy is still one of my favorite parts of the game. There's something incredibly satisfying about watching a tiny settlement slowly grow into a thriving fortress, with farms, workshops, markets, and industries all working together like clockwork. Then, after hours of preparation, you finally unleash your army and watch everything come together. ...Unless Coop-Mission 6 has other plans. Let's just say that mission humbled my friend and me more than once. If you're a fan of RTS games or strategy games in general, I can wholeheartedly recommend Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition. Whether you enjoy building an impenetrable fortress, optimizing your economy, or simply overwhelming your enemies with an absurd number of troops, there's something here for you. Some games don't deserve a remake. Stronghold Crusader absolutely did. And this Definitive Edition proves exactly why. Cheers!
Some games come and go, but this one will always have a place in my heart. I've been playing it since I was a child, and no matter how much time passes, I'll always come back to it. What an incredible experience—one I'll never forget. ❤️🎮
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