After a not indifferent break from the series, which lasted about 7 years, and a couple of new titles that have gone slightly muted, Firefly studios has finally brought to the public a new chapter of their flagship brand: Stronghold warlords. Over the years the Stronghold series has grown, suffered variations and changes significant, but despite the various improvements, the standards - between quality and attracted public - that we had seen at the time of Stronghold Crusader back in 2002. There have been many experiments, between MMOs and new IPs, but with this Warlords it seems that in some ways the London studio wanted to take a step back, dusting off some immediate mechanics that became legendary with the aforementioned Crusader (the first , not the second), and inserting some small big differences dedicated to this new setting: East Asia.
Between rice fields and tea rooms
After having made us shed enemy blood on the European battlefields, and then move on to the desert areas of western Asia during the Crusades, this time Firefly Studios imprints its new game in the most famous part of Asia, where uses and customs are decidedly different from those we have been used to. So here we are playing with indigenous peoples Vietnamese, but also with the most famous populations Chinese, Japanese e Mongolian. In this setting it is clear that some things are different, and these changes have contaminated both some gameplay mechanics (with some new ones being introduced), and the actual raw materials with which we will have to support our population. The standard campaigns that Stronghold Warlords puts in front of us are in total 4, with 6 missions each, for a total of 24 story missions that you will not mind playing at all. Where the troops between the various countries do not see particularly exaggerated characterizations to distinguish them, the presence of real historical characters helps to give flavor to your games.
In addition to these 4 dedicated each to a faction, there is a fifth campaign with 7 missions, called "Walk of Peace“, Which sees it as a reference point Scribe, in which in its guise we will have to do our best to manage the properties: in short, we could call it one economic campaign. Unlike the classic missions, in which the objectives are more disparate, these often require us to accumulate supplies within a certain period of time, under penalty of failure.
In addition to the Tutorial and the section of the aforementioned narrative missions, the game obviously also has other modes. First of all we point out the Skirmish, which will allow you to create custom games, choosing as usual both the map, the enemies, and the disparity and balance of the initial resources. The classic is then confirmed Free Construction, where to train and make your city thrive on a pre-established map, managing its economy and production in the way you prefer. Last but not least, we find the Multiplayer. In multiplayer matches the challenge will be decidedly difficult, especially because the faithful of the Firefly series remember well how to play ... and being very fast in managing resources and creating your own defenses will be essential in order not to be brutally defeated in lightning battles. Obviously, as tradition has it, it will be possible to download and play the maps created by the community.
Honor, blades and fireworks
The Vietnamese campaign will be the simplest one with the shortest missions, and will introduce us to basic game mechanics, both the more classic ones, and the more peculiar ones included in Stronghold Warlords. If you have already had the opportunity to play the previous titles of the Stronghold series, or even just the first Crusader, you will not have too much difficulty in getting used to the gameplay, but know that it will be so even if you are new players: the management menu is quick and intuitive, as is the rapid construction of buildings (immediate).
This, however, presents several goodies not to be underestimated, especially when you think about the game setting. As always for be popular we will have to provide food in quantity and variety, but where for the side dish we were accustomed to only spirituality and beer, here different primary goods come into play to enrich the chessboard: for example, we will also have tea crops e tea salt, but also silkworms e clothing shops, all factors that will influence the popularity of the sovereign for better or for worse. Furthermore, for the first time in the brand, we come into contact with weapons that make use of gunpowder, a small but important detail that you will learn - in principle - soon to exploit to your advantage.
But what is the real and big news introduced in Stronghold Warlords? Just them, the homonyms Warlords. As is well known, the Asian lands in the feudal period were scattered with lords and masters with different possessions, or properties, or dynasties. Within the missions we will therefore not only be able to deal with the enemy on duty, but also with them, who we can make allies - using force or diplomacy - or who can be conquered by our opponent. There diplomacy is in fact another pivotal point in this game as well as a kind of currency: we will gain from it over time, but also with special buildings (such as the Consulate), and we will be able to use it for haggling o support the Warlords who will be on our side. On a map that we can check at our convenience, we will be able to manage both the status of possessions and these transactions. You will soon find that such domain locations on the board of the game will be nothing short of essential.
As you have also seen from the photos, the whole experience is completely translated into Spanish, and flawlessly, we would like to add. It is a pity therefore to note that a dubbing of the same type has not been approached, as the one that at the time became iconic precisely among the desert lands of Crusader. The voice of our Scribe will therefore be the same in English for all factions, as well as that of important characters and simple troops (who will always have something to say when they move, attack and so on). The audio sector of the game closes with sound effects and musical themes that do their job without infamy and without praise. The technical one does not present excessive problems, even if on a graphic level you could push even more on the accelerator (although there is the possibility of manage the camera in a totally free way at 360 ° and with the zoom).
