A Criminally Overlooked Strategy Game Is Getting the Remaster It Deserves
Gather your troops.
Few strategy experiences are as satisfying as a castle builder, perfectly placing both your walls and town to create a thriving medieval society — one that can withstand any siege anyone throws at it. Castle builders are a hyper-specific sub-genre of strategy that has continued to thrive for decades, even while other strategy games faltered and failed. No franchise has been more influential for castle builders than Stronghold, and now a fan-favorite entry is finally getting a second shot at life. Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition brings back the classic strategy game with not just a fresh coat of paint, but a wealth of additions that make it practically feel like a new game.
Stronghold Crusader was originally released on PC in 2002, as a sequel to the very first Stronghold. While the general structure and gameplay of Crusader were the same, the sequel transported players from medieval England to the Middle East and the sandy battlefields of the Crusades. It’s a perfect setting for a castle builder and one that we don’t often see explored very often. Of course, keep in mind that while Crusader is based on history, it’s more of an irreverent take on it than something striving for true historical accuracy, just like the first Stronghold. You’ll be fighting alongside the likes of Saladin and Richard the Lionheart, while playing major battles like the siege of Jerusalem.
There were a few interesting innovations that Crusader made when it released, most of which revolved around dynamic new units based on the Knights Templar and Middle Eastern armies. Horse Archers have far more speed than any units in the original game, and Fire Throwers can quickly cause a blaze to engulf your little town. But the game also makes brilliant use of its setting, forcing you to mold your strategy around the harsh landscape you’re playing in, like how farms can only be placed on oasis grass — forcing you to fight with other players for food, or seek other options.
The original game featured several campaigns that each comprised of several battles, on top of a new mode called Crusader Trail — which featured 50 linked missions that you’d play in order, with hand-designed maps and AI opponents. That’s already a lot to digest, but Firefly Studios isn’t just updating what’s already there with the Definitive Edition.
Firefly Studios has already released some comparisons showing off the graphical update.
This version includes everything found in the original as well as two new historical campaigns, four new “Sands of Time” skirmishes, a new co-op Crusader Trail, and eight new units based on the nomadic Bedouin people. On top of that, there are countless bug fixes, larger maps for custom scenarios, re-recorded voice acting and music, and more. Firefly Studios did a lot with the 2023 release of Stronghold: Definitive Edition, but in all regards, this looks like an even more drastic reimagination — a way to create something new for the franchise, while also releasing one of its pivotal games.
“We have tried to go beyond what our players expect,” says Firefly Studios head Nick Tannahill in a press release, “We would not be doing this were it not for those still playing multiplayer, designing maps and creating mods, like the awesome Unofficial Crusader Patch, so I can’t wait to hear what they all think of our upcoming public demos.”
Things can get hectic quickly in Stronghold Crusader, which is why careful planning is vital.
That first free demo is already available now, letting you get an early taste of those new Sands of Time missions, and all of the myriad of improvements. It should also be noted that Firefly Studios supported Stronghold: Definitive Edition with months of free updates and improvements, so there’s every expectation the studio is dedicated to making meaningful improvements to this game too.
Stronghold Crusader has always been an overlooked gem in the realm of strategy games. It makes fantastic use of its setting to not just support its strategy gameplay, but heighten it. With a cornucopia of fixes and additions, Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition could be poised to be one of the very best strategy games of 2025.
