Stronghold 2 Review – Free Download on Steam

Stronghold 2

Stronghold 2 promised to be an exciting continuation of the beloved series, but it ultimately disappoints on multiple fronts. As someone who cherished the original game, I approached this sequel with enthusiasm, hoping for an enriched experience filled with strategic depth and engaging gameplay. Unfortunately, what I found was a game riddled with bugs, missing features, and a lack of compelling mechanics. From the outset, the game struggles to capture the same magic that made its predecessor a classic. While patches were released to address some issues, players without internet access are left to contend with a host of problems that dampen the overall experience.

For those who can connect, the updates provide only slight improvements, which are not enough to salvage the game from mediocrity. The gameplay itself feels stagnant, failing to push the RTS genre forward. The mechanics are clunky, and the overall pacing leaves much to be desired. The combat lacks the thrill one would expect from a strategy game, reducing battles to tedious exercises rather than the exhilarating confrontations they should be. Players who revel in the intricacies of strategy will find themselves frustrated by the limitations imposed by the game’s design.

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Stronghold 2 review by VpeSports

The game is not impressive. I was excited about the first part, but the second one spoiled the experience with numerous bugs, missing features and generally mediocre gameplay. This sequel hardly moves the RTS genre forward and is not up to modern standards. Although a patch was released at the time of release that fixed some issues, those without internet access will be left without help. For those who are connected, the gaming experience has improved slightly, but even that does not save the Firefly sequel from failure.

Stronghold 2 is the sequel to a game that holds a special place in my heart. I am a “turtle” by nature: I love building impregnable fortifications and watching the enemy crash into my defensive walls, then going on the offensive against the remnants. The Stronghold series reflects this passion, offering gameplay focused on defense.

Stronghold 2 review by VpeSports

Stronghold 2 also introduces a system of managing the economy and the mood of the inhabitants. While not entirely bad, the controls are slow and not fun enough to make the game worthwhile. The combat elements also feel flat and unsatisfying, making for an overall mediocre experience. Both aspects are presented to players in the form of campaigns. You can choose either the Path of Peace or the Path of War. The Path of Peace focuses on economic strategy and city building, with an emphasis on the livelihoods of the inhabitants.

For example, villagers need to eat and have a place to sleep. They, in turn, will work diligently for your benefit. In addition to basic needs, the villagers need to be happy. This includes a clean environment, low crime, religion, and beer. To have beer, you will need barley, breweries, and a hotel. Religion will require bees, candlemakers, and a church (without candles, there will be no church). Reducing crime is a more difficult task. Some of your subordinates will suddenly start committing crimes, despite the general prosperity of the castle. This is especially annoying, because at certain points in the campaign, crimes occur more often. Sometimes, before my blacksmith (who seems to have the highest crime rate, although his profession is respected and well-paid) has time to start working, he will already be trying to steal something. Why are they so frustrated? I don’t know.

When Citizens’ Happiness is at Risk: Stronghold 2 Analysis

The worst thing about the happiness rating in Stronghold 2 is that if you forget to assign a key worker (like a gong farmer or a merchant), your citizens will start to run away while you try to defend the city from angry bandits that your trained Spartans can’t handle. Disgruntled citizens aren’t a big deal in themselves, as they encourage you to create healthy cities from the start. The problem, however, is that there’s no warning system to let you know when they’re angry, and no timeline to show when they’ll start leaving. You’ll return from battle to find that all of your citizens have deserted you, leaving your castle useless. This isn’t a slow drain that can be stopped; it’s a mass exodus.

  • Lack of warnings about citizen discontent.
  • Mass exodus of the population during battles with enemies.
  • Unable to assign new roles to employees.
  • Limited ability to manage industry.
  • Strange restrictions on building and placing warehouses.

Worse still, it’s the very people who do the trade and service that are leaving the city, turning it into a dirty, sickly ruin that only makes things worse. You can close down some industries in the hopes of moving the remaining citizens into these essential roles, but they will eventually leave or switch jobs, leaving you forced to close down everything except a few essential ones.

When Citizens' Happiness is at Risk Stronghold 2 Analysis

You can’t specifically tell a worker to change jobs, and there’s no way to close down a single building without shutting down an entire industry, which is completely illogical. As a result, your city just leaves you. Pretty much everyone. And, aside from giving out gold as gifts, there’s no real way to get them back. Why they didn’t just make citizens work slower until the problems are fixed, I don’t know.

Building cities can also be weird. You can’t place warehouses anywhere, and you can’t tell certain buildings where to deliver their products. They’ll automatically take them to the nearest house, which doesn’t always suit your needs. Some buildings can be rotated, while others can’t. Forests also cannot be cut down for new industrial zones, which can be extremely annoying, as castle walls and buildings materialize at your will.

Challenges and drawbacks of military gameplay in Stronghold 2

One of the innovations in city life that I like is the concept of living as a lord. While this idea doesn’t have the depth I would like to see (it’s a problem that negatively affects the game as a whole), it’s still a step forward. Your lord not only leads the troops (although he doesn’t provide any morale bonuses), but also becomes the center of your community. The more he lives like a true lord, the more “honor” he receives. Living as a lord means consuming better food, throwing feasts, holding tournaments, having a wife, etc. The honor earned allows you to buy estates outside your territory.

Unfortunately, these estates operate independently. You get money and maybe some cargo, but that’s it. Enemies can capture these estates militarily, similar to capturing control points in Battlefield 1942. Most importantly, honor allows you to hire troops, including expensive knights. These special units are able to see any other enemy in the game, and even have the ability to ride horses, which gives them extra health points (the horse dies first) and speed.

Challenges and drawbacks of military gameplay in Stronghold 2

One of the main differences between the military part of Stronghold 2 and the original is that players must actively go out on the map to capture territory and attack enemy castles. In both the “Path to War” campaign and the “King” mode, players will feel like both defenders and attackers.

Unfortunately, if you are not playing against a live opponent, it can be quite a boring exercise. The artificial intelligence in Stronghold 2 is not particularly complex in the “King” mode and only becomes a little more of a challenge when a large number of enemies oppose your small army. The problem with the AI ​​is that they will not sit back and let catapults and trebuchets break down your walls, forcing you to attack. They also won’t come out of their castles when you fire on them. This makes both defense and attack very easy if you have a siege camp for catapults and trebuchets. You can take turns taking out enemies and destroying their buildings and they won’t budge.

Funny Moments: Artificial Intelligence in Stronghold 2

What amuses me the most is the AI’s behavior during sieges. Enemies, appearing on the scene, rush madly with ladders, placing them against the wall, while their troops slowly approach from behind. At the same time, the soldiers on the walls decide to throw down only a few ladders, leaving the others standing – this must be a challenge for them. Some even go down the ladders to go outside the walls and fight the enemies on a flat field. Why is that? And if there are other ladder carriers following them, they will climb up the already placed ladders, continue to carry their own, and place them on the inside of the wall.

  1. Strange AI behavior during sieges: ladders and chaos.
  2. Soldiers on walls drop ladders, leaving others behind.
  3. Strange behavior: going down outside walls to fight.
  4. Ladders on defenses destroy them.
  5. Soldier attack organization needs improvement.

Again, why is that? And even more interesting, ladders placed on a section of the wall where you have placed defenses (such as log rolls) cause those defenses to disappear completely.

Funny Moments Artificial Intelligence in Stronghold 2

What was done quite well is the ease of building walls and defenses. Firefly introduced a top-down view to make it easier to place walls and check if you’ve created a truly solid structure (which was a problem in the first game). While they added a bunch of other unnecessary view modes, this particular one is really useful for planning your city.

However, getting your soldiers to attack in an organized manner can be a real challenge. A feature that lets you give different orders to your units and then press a key to execute them (like in Empire Earth II) could solve this problem. What’s really impressive is how your troops just pounce on targets. It’s not very interesting to navigate a fight when there are a lot of units attacking each other, even with the ability to pause and give orders. And, on top of that, your soldiers won’t even get into sensible formations (melee in front, rangers in the back) without downloading the 26MB patch.

Disappointment in Stronghold 2: Is it worth playing?

Even after the patch, the game can’t shake off its terrible production values. No amount of updates will fix this. First, the story is a bit lacking. The acting that accompanies it is perhaps even worse. The animations in the cutscenes, and indeed in any part of the game, look clunky, slow, and soulless. Honestly, the visual quality of this game has no positive aspects. Technically and stylistically, Stronghold 2 needs a complete overhaul to even come close to being average.

  • Poor production values ​​even after the patch.
  • Weak plot and terrible acting.
  • Poor visual style and slow performance.
  • Lack of depth in gameplay mechanics.
  • City building systems need improvement.

It’s surprising that a game that doesn’t have anything special in terms of visuals still runs so slowly. Regardless of the patch, this is a big problem. I’m running the game at 1024 x 768 resolution on a computer with a 3.2 GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM, and a Radeon X800 graphics card, and it still has serious performance issues. While Stronghold 2 has some good ideas, they are implemented in a way that I can’t support. For every positive point, there is something unpleasant that overshadows it.

How to Play Stronghold 2 for Free on Steam via VpeSports

Even with the patch, this game is not one I would recommend to my friends, and therefore I can’t recommend it to my readers. It’s best to avoid it unless you’re a true fan of the series or simply want to build castles in a sandbox mode. The story is a mess, the visuals are soulless, and the gameplay has many flaws. Hopefully Firefly can fix this with the next game. Another disappointing issue is the lack of depth in the gameplay. While the game looks promising at first glance, the reality is very different. Many of the mechanics feel superficial, and the strategic elements are not very satisfying. For example, commanding troops often becomes a test of patience, as your units don’t always react the way you expect. This results in you simply trying to cope with the chaos on the battlefield instead of tactical planning.

In addition, the city building and development systems need improvement. While the concept is interesting, its implementation leaves many questions. Players often feel that their efforts do not lead to the desired result, and this can lead to a feeling of futility. Having a variety of resources, but without the ability to use them effectively, only exacerbates this problem. In summary, Stronghold 2 did not meet my expectations. The game has potential, but the implementation leaves much to be desired. Hopefully, in the future, Firefly will be able to fix the mistakes and give players a truly worthwhile product.

System Requirements for Stronghold 2

Before diving into the medieval world of Stronghold 2, it’s essential to ensure your system meets the necessary requirements for an optimal gaming experience. This strategy game combines city-building and military tactics, and having the right hardware can significantly enhance your gameplay. The minimum requirements will allow you to run the game, but you may experience performance issues and limitations in visual quality. For those looking to enjoy Stronghold 2 at its best, it’s advisable to meet the recommended specifications. These ensure smoother gameplay, better graphics, and overall a more enjoyable experience.

System Requirements

Minimum Requirements Recommended Requirements
OS: Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10/11 OS: Windows 7/8/10/11
Processor: 1.6GHz Intel or AMD Processor: 2.3GHz Intel or AMD
Memory: 512 MB RAM Memory: 1 GB RAM
Graphics: 256 MB Video Card Graphics: 512 MB Video Card
DirectX: Version 9.0c DirectX: Version 9.0c
Disk Space: 3 GB Disk Space: 3 GB

Meeting these requirements will allow you to engage fully with the strategic elements of the game, build your medieval castle, and manage your resources effectively. Whether you’re laying siege to enemy fortifications or developing your own thriving settlement, ensuring your system is up to par will greatly enhance your medieval experience in Stronghold 2.

How to Play Stronghold 2 for Free on Steam via VpeSports

Are you eager to dive into the medieval strategy of Stronghold 2 without spending a penny? You’re in luck! There are easy ways to access the game for free through our platform. We offer shared Steam accounts that come with Stronghold 2 pre-installed via our Shared Steam service.

To embark on your castle-building adventure, head over to the VpeSports website and create an account. After logging in, navigate to the Shared Steam section where you’ll discover a collection of shared accounts. Look for Stronghold 2 and click on its review page. Here, you’ll find a download button that leads you to a detailed guide on accessing the game.

Disappointment in Stronghold 2 Is it worth playing

We encourage you to share your feedback on our review by leaving a comment! Just remember that comments are moderated, so if yours isn’t approved, consider adjusting it to fit our guidelines. Once approved, our moderators will send the account details to the email you registered with.

For another quick access option, join our Telegram channel, Shared Steam Accounts VP. By subscribing, you’ll receive updates and can gain access to a Stronghold 2 account for free play. This method is perfect for staying informed about patches and new releases while enjoying the game. If you encounter any challenges, a detailed guide is available on our website here: How to Play for Free – Detailed Instructions!

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