Note: This review is for people who have played other Stronghold games and is focused on differences between Warlords and earlier titles. Although this is a 3d game, it is by far the closest thing we have to original Stronghold and Crusader. A 2d grid was added to which buildings and walls adhere while being placed, exactly as they did in original 2d games. This way, building is no longer clunky as it was in other 3d games of the series, and developers really nailed the feeling of castle building in 3d at long last! It's fast, natural and cost-efficient (unlike in Crusader 2 where you had to spend fortune on a single wall). All of the features from originals which were removed in other games (fear factor, religion, mercenaries...) were re-added with exception of moats. With additional Warlords systems, this is THE most complete game in the series feature-wise. The only lacking aspect are skirmish maps (of which there are 9) and free build maps (3) but this is mitigated by the fact that game comes with a powerful map editor. Campaign is very long with over 40 fun and unique missions. Gameplay is polished, smooth and without bugs. The only issue I came across is pathing in very tight spaces (similar to Crusader 1 pathing around gatehouses). No bugs that plagued Crusader 2 are present here though. Balance on release has flaws, warrior-monks are overpowered for their cost (example), but developers heed player feedback on discord and will probably fix it soon. AI does not cheat like in Crusader 2 and on hard mode proves to be a bit more difficult than Crusader 1 AI. Facing multiple AI at the same time is challenging. Warlords are an amazing addon that make most resource-deprived maps more enjoyable and give you tons of tactical options. Overall, this was a very strong release with potential of being the best stronghold game yet with a few tiny tweaks and updates! Worth every penny, and probably the only 3d Stronghold game I'd recommend to die-hard 2d fans!
