Stronghold HD

Prepare yourself for epic medieval battles, full of brave charges and well-planned sieges. Stronghold HD is a marvelous combination of an old-school RTS, castle sim, and city builder rolled into one. Released in 2001 by Firefly Studios, its contemporary incarnation supports modern screen resolutions, thanks to which you may either oversee a whole ongoing battle with the new HD battleview or sneak a peek at how your troops are crashing the gates of enemy castle. But there’s more.

The Plot

As a son of an English military leader, you are betrayed by the four foul lords, who killed your father and threw your beloved country into the throes of civil war in the process. Your task is to gather up all available forces, unify divided England, and avenge your father’s death, crushing your enemies and overthrowing the evil warlord known as The Wolf.

The Gameplay

The main chunk of the game consists of a 21-mission military campaign. Its objectives range from breaking sieges and capturing castles to holding up attacks and destroying enemy forces. The economy mode of play requires you to acquire goods and produce weapons on time. ‘Siege That’ challenge mode allows you to defend or siege various historical as well as fictional castles and strongholds. In freeplay mode you get to create your own perfect castle with no time limit. So, pull down your visor, dispatch your forces wisely, and don’t ever forget to place the archers on the turrets.

Key features

• Unify medieval England and defeat 4 evil lords using your sieging and military skills
• Employ siege machines and deploy your troops to take and/or defend castles
• Siege the most famous castles like Gluecksburg, Monteriggioni, Camelot, or Minas Tirith
• Experience countless hours of castle sim fun during a freeplay mode