Stronghold 2 PC

A full-fledged sequel of Stronghold – a game released in 2001 which proved to be a great middle ages strategy. Similarly to the original game, in Stronghold 2 for PC the main focus of the gameplay is to build, and defend powerful fortresses and castles. Much like in the original, the player can select from two singleplayer campaigns. The first one focuses on military aspect of the game while the second one focuses on economy. The missions are very similar to those from the previous game – players must complete tasks appointed by the AI, for example gather enough resources in limited time, defend the castle from a few waves of attacks etc. In addition to the campaign mode, the game also contains sandbox mode and multiplayer.

Mechanics

The developers greatly expanded battle options. In this installment, breaking through castle walls is impossible for units not equipped with siege machines, towers or at least ladders. Similarly, it is impossible to destroy walls without having catapults. Armies can move in a few typical formations like V shaped cavalry. It is worth adding that in Stronghold 2 for PC there are around 24 unit types, including weakly armored infantry, archers and heavy armored knights.

The economical aspect of the game was improved as well. There are almost 140 buildings and constructions available in the game (including a forgery, a mill, a bakery, a quarry, castle parts etc.) and about 20 different production chains which allow creating basic resources (like wood, stone, iron, and grain) and weapons or food. Stronghold 2 introduces a completely new feature, the cleanliness of the stronghold. It is important because ignoring the hygiene can lead to an epidemic or plague outbreak.

Technical aspects

What noticeably makes Stronghold 2 for PC different from the first game are graphics. This time the game uses fully three-dimensional graphics engine (with a top-down perspective) thanks to which players can watch each part of the life of a middle age city. The player can see people walking through open space and working in closed rooms, houses or workshops. The new engine allows an increased the size of battles and sieges – it allows up to 1000 units to be displayed on the screen simultaneously. The combat now takes place inside various fortifications or towers as well.

Last updated on 10 December 2007