Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition Review (PC) – The Desert Awaits

A year and half on from the expertly remastered Stronghold: Definitive Edition, Firefly Studios have upped their own game by giving arguably their most popular title the same spruce up treatment. Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition takes the heralded 2002 original and overhauls the visuals, includes various gameplay improvements and even hosts a wealth of new content to swing your axe into.

Stronghold Crusader vanilla is the best in the series for me, as well as being my most played and adored real-time strategy game of all time. That’s a whole lot of hype for the developers to honour, restore and improve upon. I’ve played hundreds of hours of it as a kid, for the second time at university and now, in my adult years, for the third time. Can Firefly work their magic and restore this barren desert into a bountiful oasis ripe for conquering? Time to lead our own crusade to find out.

Whatever Floats Your Moat

As a full remastering, it’s firstly important to know what returns, and what’s been newly added to Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition. All four historical campaigns (comprised of five missions each), both the vanilla and Crusader Extreme skirmish trails, the sandbox mode and online multiplayer are back in their full shining armour. They’re exactly as you remember, which is precisely what I’d have hoped for. Getting to relive missions I’ve completed dozens of times in my younger years was blissfully nostalgic, and I imagine that’ll be the same for any returning fan.

However, Firefly Studios have gone above and beyond what’s typically expected of remasters nowadays. Two new historical campaigns slot smoothly into the roster, with a focus on either taking control of, or battling against, a new faction of 8 brand new Bedouin units. These two fresh sets of missions do an excellent job in introducing the faction, while also providing some seriously challenging mission scenarios to overcome. Plus, for history buffs, it extends out and finishes the full crusades era, which I appreciated.

Moreover, skirmish trails have been hugely expanded. New AI opponents brings all-new trails with dozens of new scenarios to best, as well as leaderboard scoring for the Sands of Time Trails, for those with a competitive streak. That’s alongside a host of quality of life improvements such as the troop limit being lifted to 10,000 (trust me, that’s a lot when you see it on-screen), the graphical overhaul (which I’ll come on to), and the 10-mission co-op trail, which can be completed with a companion or with an AI.

The new content included could likely be sold as its own standalone expansion or title. Considering what’s typically offered in remasters in the current gaming landscape, Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition is ludicrously generous. Bit like a Lord offering double rations and no taxes. Unheard of.

This Armour’s Heavy!

How do all of these freshly brewed hops fare once they hit the inn and the local castle dwelling peasants is the pertinent question. I can safely say – extremely well. I enjoyed figuring out how to set armies of spearmen alight with Ambushers, or learning how to hold fast against waves of Heavy Camels. The Sapper, for example, can cave in your entire fortress if you’re not quick to deal with their threat. The new campaigns and units slot straight into the ensemble like they were always there.

For the skirmish trails, it’s very clear that Firefly Studios have focused a lot of attention on crafting intense, brutal scenarios that will give veterans a real test of their speed and knowledge. I’m not afraid to admit I was demolished in less than 5-10 minutes multiple times on some of these scenarios. The new AI opponents are no joke, unlike The Rat or Sultan. Throw them in alongside established AI demons like Saladin and The Wolf, and you can expect headaches that even Aspirin couldn’t solve.

The co-op campaign is a wonderful new addition that demonstrates creative thinking on the part of the remaster, elevating Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition hugely. I’m looking forward to tearing down castle walls and coordinating gatehouse assaults with a friend in future, though the AI did a solid enough job for now. It all left me a little shocked by just how much game is crammed into this one package. There are hundreds of missions, not even counting the sandbox mode, online multiplayer and the endlessly replayable custom skirmish mode.

Once in every stage of my life, Stronghold Crusader takes hold as an addiction, and I couldn’t be more pleased that it’s happening again.

Breaking My Lionheart

In gameplay terms, Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition plays identically to the original and Extreme releases. Most missions or skirmishes involve building up a functioning economy and defences, before venturing out to eliminate enemies, survive waves of attacks, or accrue resources. Naturally, the desert provides some unique barriers, namely a severe lack of farming land. Turns out Bessy the cow can’t mulch sand as she’d like. Good thing I fired her over the Caliph’s wall then.

For existing fans, you’ll feel right at home and the muscle memory should allow you to crack on with the new content quickly. For newcomers, you’ll be met with a veritable fortress littered with layers of increasingly challenging missions and setups, that gradually raise what’s expected of you. As I mentioned before, some of the new scenarios are downright oppressive, even on Easy or Normal. I can see some finding this too over-tuned, an accusation once levelled at the vanilla release, but I can also foresee the incredibly detailed guides coming out and the community pull to overcome them.

This was one of the highlights from the existing version that I believe Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition will be able to draw from, particularly when the masters get to work on the Sands of Time Trails. Once again, I do have to mention that there are some minor glitches and quirks in the AI. Especially on the new scenarios, waves of enemies may freeze instead of attacking, units got stuck in walls or gatehouses, and I had the odd lock-up occur. Nothing to set your kingdom on fire over, but it was noticeably more frequent in the content that’s been built for this release.

(In)Fidelity In The Desert

Let’s talk about those heatwave ripples and glimmering stone walls though, shall we? Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition’s graphical overhaul is, in a nutshell, stunning. Buildings have had entire reworks, with all new details to sell the period. Unit animations appear so much more fluid, adding to the heat of battle as a swordsman falls to my hail of crossbow bolts. Everything looks crisper, cleaner and generally more pleasant to cast your eyes upon.

I’ve said it before in both my Stronghold: Definitive Edition review and my Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition demo impressions, but Firefly Studios have poured so much heart and care into this remaster, it’s difficult not to be impressed. Importantly, the essence and visual style of Crusader is left untouched. No adding awful filters that drown out the atmosphere of the game, no painting over creative direction in service of just looking better for the sake of it.

This is a bold, vibrant and enhanced version of the game I know and love, and it’s hard to adequately describe just how important that is. The framerate was locked at a serenely smooth 300 or so FPS for me. No crashes, no game-breaking bugs or busted AI. Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition sets a gold standard of what should be expected of remasters. A fortress in the desert that’s been recaptured and fortified to withstand any assault.

The Holy Land

When Stronghold: Definitive Edition was first announced in 2023 I was ecstatic to be getting a gloriously revamped and improved version of my favourite RTS series. However, I was stung with the hope that one day, it would mean Crusader received the same treatment. It’s the hope that kills you, as they say. Thankfully, that hope wasn’t to be my end, though it has certainly seen The Rat and The Caliph meet their ends plenty of times.

For long-time Stronghold fans, Crusader was the Holy Land. The Kingdom in the sands that had to be reclaimed to make all the previous crusades worth it. It fills me with great fulfillment to report that Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition is the adorning keep I hoped for. Barring the odd technical hiccup or gameplay quirk, this is the standard bearer for both the Stronghold series and for how all remasters should be handled.

Whether you’re a returning veteran or a fresh-faced archer descending into the desert for the first time, Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition is a bountiful harvest. An oasis in the desert brimming with hours upon hours of content, stellar graphical improvements and the kind of quality-of-life enhancements that a mere peasant could only dream of. Have no fear sire, your knights in shining remastered armour are here. Now, I must go and attempt to beat all seven AI opponents with nothing but a wheat farm and five spearmen, good day.

Stronghold: Definitive Edition is available July 15th on PC via Steam (review platform).

Developer: Firefly Studios
Publisher: Firefly Studios

Disclaimer: In order to complete this review, we were provided with a promotional copy of the game. For our full review policy, please go here.

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