Stronghold Crusader 2 trailers always make me think that building castles surrounded by stalwart walls is inevitably futile. As tough as they are and as safe as you feel inside them, they are really giant targets for catapults and trebuchets. But that’s okay, because I’m the type of chap who used to craft huge castles out of Lego and then smash them to pieces.
The newest footage of the Holy Land at war is no different, complete with towering turrets that within moments become rubble as soldiers and workers run around screaming as they burst into flame. Lovely stuff, is war.
No doubt the mayhem will be enhanced by the skirmish mode where you’ll be able to fight against eight AI opponents across the desert. A multiplayer skirmish mode is also going to be available at launch, with eight players fighting in teams or co-op. “It simply wouldn’t be a Crusader game without a skirmish mode and the kind of replayability that offers,” says Firefly. “This is what we intended to deliver from day one and it’s fundamental to the game’s design.”
Stronghold Crusader 2 is due out this summer, when the heat finally drives you to start slaughtering armies.