Rest assured, there's still plenty of that. The formula works well here because it helps Pillars avoid falling entirely into the cliché trap of the predictable Western fantasy RPG, in which a cocky young hero arises from humble origins and kills whatever dragons and bandits need killing. Pillars of Eternity casts you in the reluctant role of a Watcher – essentially someone who can "read" the souls of those around him or her (living or dead) for insights into their past lives or motives. That "reaching out to their soul" bit isn't stylistic cheesiness. It'd be a roleplayer's dream come true, if it weren't for the slight annoyance that some of the characters are voiced and others aren’t. Reach out to their soul, and you're slapped with a personal story that spills out over fascinating walls of text but has nothing to do with the main story, and the quality of writing involved is such that these moments never entirely lose their appeal. Pillars of Eternity is something of a welcome novelty, in that such elaborate characterizations aren't just reserved for main characters they extend to everyone, even random folks found on cobblestones of Defiance Bay or dozing drunkenly in the corners of weathered taverns. That being said I found it a solid game offering hours fun building castles in the sand.Countless other characters crossed my path in the coming days, each with their own stories and personalities and each usually (but not always) voiced by a competent actor. I think a lot of players would turn their nose up at the game’s retro feel. Stronghold Crusader II was a bit of a nostalgic trip down memory lane, for me, and really doesn’t have much of a contemporary feel about it. There’s also a multiplayer option, but sadly no one was playing the game. There’s also the option to just peacefully build your city in the Sandbox mode. I was also able to set up my own battles using the custom skirmish mode.
#Stronghold 3 review 2015 series#
Skirmish trails are a series of scenarios pitting the player against multiple AI foes. The campaign had me playing as Richard the Lionheart and then switching over to play his nemesis, Saladin. There’s a multi-part learning campaign to ease new players in. It wasn’t long before I had a thriving and self-sufficient fortified citadel. It’s also essential to consider defence by building walls, fortified gates and towers. With the required material in the stockpile I could build hovels to gain more peasants and barracks for conscripting troops. Wood camps, quarries, apple orchards and farms provide the essential items to proceed. From there it’s time to collect the resources needed to sustain and advance your settlement. The first order of the day is set up a stockpile and a granary to store materials and food respectively. The main aim is to build a castle capable of supporting your mission goal, usually to expand your influence by taking out the nearby enemy. Thankfully the game doesn’t stray far from the genre’s usual mechanics. Some tool-tips or other pointers would also have been helpful, especially in the beginning. Whilst I found the interface uncluttered, it would have been nice to have had a little more information immediately available, like resource stock levels. For most of the scenarios I started with a lord standing atop his tower. The game is based around a series of scenarios that together make up a campaign. Apart from a nice depth of field blur effect, the graphics look like they’ve been plucked out from a decade ago. Don’t get me wrong, it looks OK, but comes a poor second when compared to the likes of the Rome II: Total War. When I say modern, the game still has a very retro feel about it. Using the graphics engine from Stronghold 3, replaced the 2D visuals of the original with a more modern 3D look. 2002’s Stronghold Crusader was a series spin-off that shifted the setting from medieval Europe to the Crusades in the Middle-East.įor the recently released sequel, Stronghold Crusades II, developer Firefly Studio have this time opted to self-publish their game. The game was quite popular and over the year spawned a number of sequels- the last of which, Stronghold 3, was released in 2011. Games like The Settlers and Age of Empires had us collecting resources and nurturing tiny little societies into greatness.Īnother of those games was 2001’s Stronghold, whereby players took on the role of a medieval lord charged with building kingdom with strong economic and military might in order that it may flourish and survive. Back in the day, before 3D graphics afforded us immersive worlds to get lost in, the real-time strategy game was king.