Stronghold (series)
Video game series / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stronghold is a series of real-time strategy video games developed by Firefly Studios known for its detailed graphics and its deep and complex gameplay. Set in medieval times, players take on the role of a lord or lady who must build and defend their castle, as well as conquer their enemies.
Stronghold | |
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Genre(s) | Real-time strategy |
Developer(s) | Firefly Studios |
First release | Stronghold 2001 |
Latest release | Stronghold: Warlords 2021 |
The series consists of three main titles built on the Vision Engine, each with their own unique and drastically different game engine, as well as a number of expansions or spin-offs built on the same game engine.
The first main title Stronghold (2001) was built on a 2D isometric game engine, which was used to build three additional spin-offs: Crusader (2002), Crusader Extreme (2008), and Kingdoms (2012). Like Age of Empires II, The game was later released as an HD remaster (2013) and a definitive edition (2023).
The second main title Stronghold 2 (2005) was released on an ambitious yet lackluster and buggy 3D engine, followed by numerous patches to fix the bugs, culminating in Stronghold 2 Deluxe which was a fully stable and patched version released six month after the main title. Soon after, a spin-off titled Stronghold Legends (2006) was released, adding more content to the title.
The third main title Stronghold 3 (2011) was released by a new parent company based on a new game engine. Years later, Stronghold Crusader II (2014) was released based on this game engine as a story sequel to Crusader (2002), and Stronghold: Warlords (2021) was released as a separate spin-off.