ItвЂ™s a small complaint, as in my other engagements with the AI, they demonstrated micro tactics common to human opponents that kept me on my toes. So the warlord healed, rose to his feet again, and the cycle continued. Yet, there were no infantry in the raiding party. In one match, I noticed a group of enemy ranged cavalry repeatedly downing a neutral warlord вЂ“ readying him for capture with infantry. Unfortunately, the AI seems to suffer from some of the same shortcomings common to the genre.

It embraces an indie aesthetic without feeling cheap вЂ“ and thatвЂ™s no small feat. Colorful without feeling like a Saturday morning cartoon. The Asian world of WarlordsВ is beautiful and detailed without being distracting. The art direction on display in Stronghold: WarlordsВ is likewise stellar. Much like the UI, itвЂ™s like the development team behind the gameвЂ™s audio were playing and paying attention to what works and what doesnвЂ™t. Your peasants also offer quippy comments on the state of your administration when selected, evoking memories of WarcraftВ and Starcraft. The larger the army, the louder their battle cries and the thunder of feet and hooves. Image: Firefly Studios via HGGДЇirefly Studios complements warfare with excellent sound design that punctuates the combat. Turning walls and gatehouses to rubble and dust grants access to the juicy insides, and then itвЂ™s all over but the handshake. Sieging castles requires careful planning, rolling siege weapons into a position covered by infantry while your ranged units keep the defendersвЂ™ heads down. While individual units can be rather squishy вЂ“ especially against warlords or heavily armored late-game units вЂ“ you never feel hopelessly outmatched. ItвЂ™s like the folks developing the UI were actually playing this and other RTS games during development. While there arenвЂ™t as many formation options as you might like, itвЂ™s easy enough to micro your cavalry for hit-and-run tactics or split up your forces on the fly. So you draw swords and plant your feet, staring deep into each othersвЂ™ eyes like erstwhile lovers.ДЄnd then the fight starts. As you might imagine, leveraging the opportunities offered by warlords is key to victory.Д¬rawling across the map with your armies, vacuuming up warlords in your wake, is sure to bring you in contact with hostile forces. Subjugating a warlord by diplomacy or by force folds them into your empire, allowing you to spend diplomacy points to manage their holdings, have recruits sent to join your armies or order shipments of resources.

Supplementing the economic and military aspects is the Warlord system, which sprinkles neutral AI-controlled warlords around the map. It was a nice and unexpected touch that made each new stronghold feel unique and handcrafted. Not to mention that buildings adjacent to walls dynamically integrate with them, allowing troops to position themselves on the roof or access the walls by stairs integrated into the design. YouвЂ™ve got walls of varying thicknesses, gatehouses, stairs, and towers in your toolbox. Managing your population through the construction of homes вЂ“ carefully balanced against your rations and popularity вЂ“ provides a strong enough metagame to add context for and facilitate the ensuing siege warfare.Д«uilding an impregnable stronghold is an essential ingredient in the seriesвЂ™ formula. While some players may balk at the lack of control over whoвЂ™s doing what, I never found it cumbersome in practice. Instead, peasants spawn at your keep and automatically fill job openings at production buildings as they become available. Micromanagement of your workforce вЂ“ a staple of RTS games вЂ“ is notably absent. And once the essentials are handled, you can even branch out into tea, fine clothes, spirit-boosting temples, nourishing soul and body.

Increasing rations as supply outpace demand rewards you with increased popularity, a pseudo-resource you can spend to increase taxes and better fund your military ambitions. You have a variety of foodstuffs at your disposal, ready to feed your hungry people. Stronghold: WarlordsВ seems to streamline the mechanics in favor of familiar ground for RTS fans вЂ“ without significantly compromising the castle management aspects. But as a veteran of every Age of EmpiresВ and Shogun: Total War, I found the real-time strategy elements wanting. It certainly scratched a unique itch for a castle management simulator. IвЂ™ll be honest: my only experience with the StrongholdВ series was the very first game all the way back in 2001. What is Stronghold: Warlords?: Stronghold: Warlords is a real-time strategy game with castle management aspects, offering single-player and multiplayer warfare with other AI and human warlords.

Stronghold warlords game