It’s 2001, Shrek just came out and you’re looking forward to Pixar’s Monsters, Inc around the corner. You sit down at your family computer and boot up the game with the knight and castle on the box. It’s time to build a kingdom from scratch and conquer the lands—it might even be your first experience with a real-time strategy game.

Well, the years kept coming and they didn’t stop coming. Since 2001, FireFly Studios has released 15 stronghold games including sequels, ports and remasters. So what makes Stronghold: Definitive Edition different than 2012’s Stronghold HD? Well, the definitive edition looks to be more of a remake than a remaster with a new campaign, Steam multiplayer, and visuals that look recreated from the ground up.

Players can see every little detail from the blacksmith hammering away to fletchers making arrows. All of this comes together to create a portrait of a massive, interconnected working economy, said Sak Abdi of Firefly Studios.

Firefly Studios worked hard to keep the new content loyal to the original game. They tracked down the voice actors from the original and the new campaign was written by the original co-founders.

Stronghold, a historic RTS game set in medieval Britain was released in 2001 to positive reviews and sold 1.5 million units according to a press release in 2004. The game was praised for allowing players to conquer the country with their armies or focus on creating massive, well-oiled castles.

“If you love city builders, you’ll love this game,” said Abdi;

“It’s made for the modern experience; it’s got 4k screens, new animations, everything that you love is going to look better, cleaner and brighter in this game.”

So if you’re looking to relive your Stronghold glory days or just want a new RTS to jump into, check out Stronghold: Definitive Edition which is set to release on Nov 7, 2023. A demo for the game, which you can download now, is available on Steam.



Kelton Burns
Pax West 2023
Stronghold: Definitive Edition Hands-On Impression + Interview

Kelton Burns is a freelance games reporter and recently graduated with his degree in Journalism. You can find him talking about the latest gaming news on his podcast Press Why. When he’s not writing or recording, he’s usually gaming. His favorite game is Alan Wake.

Posted: Sep 05, 2023 2:37 pm
Last Updated: Sep 05, 2023 4:22 pm
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion