Not a bad game overall, story and enviroments are kind of boring and repetitive but the shooting is enjoyable, gore is very very good to this day, once you get used to its old charm you will love it. +point for the Random Level Generator, there is infinite fun to be had with the inclusion of that.
This is one of the darkest and most atmospheric, story-rich, madhouse of an adventure game to ever be created. It is a surreal experience that I would strongly recommend to any newcomer or veteran of the genre. It is, simply put, a masterpiece. Oh, and that soundtrack..
So to start off, Stronghold HD is basically a castle-and nearby areas- simulator. It is a strategy game, but it's neither a game like Civ, where you control whole regions, neither like AOE where you basically control citys /towns and neither is it Real Time Strategy. I would most closely compare it to AOE, but it's still very different. You have to take care of a much smaller space, you don't really have to explore and the map is relatively small, but you are also set pretty close to enemies on the map, so combat happens quite often. It's a mix between townlife management and Real Time Strategy, basically. And a really good one at that. The game is just good all around, sounds & visuals are perfect for a game like this, atmosphere is spot on, combat/management modes are all handled with great care, and the whole bunch of gamemodes give huge amounts of replay value. Instant Classic.
When Crimsonland Classic came out in 2003, it blew my mind of how arcade-like and amazing it was. Now in 2014, we got this 'HD' Remastered version of the game, with more weapons, perks, maps and EVEN more BLOOD. Oh, and hours and hours of fun to be had. With this edition, it became a Diablo II of SHMUP-s. Should I say more?