But they add a bit of strategy to the title. If you’re in desperate need of gold, you’ll have to ask each Warlord individually there’s no way to issue a universal decree in the heat of battle. On the downside, issuing edicts is a bit messy. From resources like gold, food, to sending foot soldiers marching toward a rival faction, Warlords can help turn the tide of battle. Once an allegiance is formed, dividends are yielded. The choice is up to you to overtake them with force or use your supply of diplomacy points to win them over. Initially, they’ll be at the top of a guarded citadel. The game’s eponymous chieftains are often positioned in strategic places around each map. Although skirmishes with Genghis Khan employing samurai makes for a fascinating hypothetical, history buffs will be disappointed. While the transition isn’t perfect, with Chinese, Mongolian, Vietnamese, and Japanese factions all having the same units, structures, and tactics, Warlords architecture and environments offer an indispensable respite from Western stylings. Notably, Warlords leaves the timeworn European (and to a lesser extent, Crusader’s Middle Eastern) settings behind, offering a journey to East Asia. But key changes deliver a much-needed dose of invigoration. Some of the franchise’s reoccurring issues, like pathfinding foes and simplistic open field skirmishes persist. Pleasingly, Stronghold Warlords shows just enough creativity to show the series experiencing a reverse of fortune. But between 2011’s Stronghold 3 troubled release and 2014’s Stronghold Crusader’s reluctance to push the formula forward, Firefly Studios seemed to be confronting stagnation. Sure, the series made an auspicious debut, with 2001’s Stronghold tasking players with developing an economy that’s secure enough to support the building of armies and defensive structures. Once a prodigious blend of city simulation and real-time management, the Stronghold franchise has struggled through middle age.

Price: $39.99 via Steam, $35.99 launch discount price

Stronghold 3 review after patches