Stronghold: A Hero's Fate
Choice of Games · 2018 · Adventure, Indie, RPG, Text-Based, Choose Your Own Adventure
PC
Mostly Positive72% · 1881Metacritic
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About Stronghold: A Hero's Fate
Defend your stronghold from invading monsters and lead your people to glory! Rule your territory, punish your enemies, and build your legacy in an epic fantasy tale that spans decades.
Stronghold: A Hero’s Fate is a 250,000-word interactive fantasy novel by Amy Griswold and Jo Graham, where your choices control the story. It's entirely text-based—without graphics or sound effects—and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.
Monsters have plagued your valley for as long as you can remember. But if anyone can destroy them, it’s you: you’ve already killed a powerful undead lich, and your sovereign was so impressed that he gave you a town in return. As the ruler of this new settlement, you’ll fend off invading goblin armies, flesh-eating bats, and feuding warriors in your quest to build a thriving community.
Now that you have your own stronghold, will you raise an army to repel the monsters once and for all? Or will you hold power for a lifetime without ever attacking another soul? Harness your strength, cunning, and even magic to defend your citadel and help your people prosper.
Invest in trade, mining, or farming—but choose your favorites wisely. Show mercy and forgiveness to your enemies, or be bold and aggressive as you expand your realm. Will the burden of governance make you serious and solemn, or will you retain your sense of humor and win fans near and far? Which groups will you please, when you can’t ever please everyone? And when the end draws near, will you be respected, forgotten, or reviled?
Will you triumph as a great leader, or see your stronghold fall?
Stronghold: A Hero’s Fate is a 250,000-word interactive fantasy novel by Amy Griswold and Jo Graham, where your choices control the story. It's entirely text-based—without graphics or sound effects—and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.
Monsters have plagued your valley for as long as you can remember. But if anyone can destroy them, it’s you: you’ve already killed a powerful undead lich, and your sovereign was so impressed that he gave you a town in return. As the ruler of this new settlement, you’ll fend off invading goblin armies, flesh-eating bats, and feuding warriors in your quest to build a thriving community.
Now that you have your own stronghold, will you raise an army to repel the monsters once and for all? Or will you hold power for a lifetime without ever attacking another soul? Harness your strength, cunning, and even magic to defend your citadel and help your people prosper.
Invest in trade, mining, or farming—but choose your favorites wisely. Show mercy and forgiveness to your enemies, or be bold and aggressive as you expand your realm. Will the burden of governance make you serious and solemn, or will you retain your sense of humor and win fans near and far? Which groups will you please, when you can’t ever please everyone? And when the end draws near, will you be respected, forgotten, or reviled?
Will you triumph as a great leader, or see your stronghold fall?
- Play as male, female, or non-binary, gay or straight.
- Enjoy an epic fantasy of adventure, friendship, and city-building.
- Lead your people as a bold warrior, clever diplomat, or fledgling sorcerer.
- Defeat a goblin army or make peace with your people's oldest enemies.
- Rule on blood feuds between your townspeople, or just judge the best pickles at the harvest fair.
- Court a spouse (or two), or found a new family with a sworn sibling.
- Select an heir to continue your legacy.
What Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
“Stronghold: A Hero's Fate” is an interactive novel that I recall enjoying, though the specifics have faded over time. This update is meant to replace the one-line review I had posted years back. What remains in my memory is of a narrative-driven experience that allowed for a decent amount of agency in the choices I made. I do remember being frustrated by the pacing and time skips; they often felt abrupt, jumping over character development and story I would have preferred to play through. In a genre where the feel of the world depends entirely on the prose and the choices, losing that continuity can make the emotional stakes feel disjointed. However, as a fan of interactive fiction and an avid reader, I would not have left a 7/10 had I not enjoyed it, so I will trust that I did. (7/10)2 found this helpful
Sixteen hours in and I still didn't realize some of the things I could build for my town. This game is bold and sweet, with moments that are frustrating and others that are genuinely touching. It's not focused so much on relationships as it is on the world around you, but it's fun to play and a little bit of a power trip. SimCity doesn't let you build catapults, y'know?2 found this helpful
I just finished a complete run-through of the game and I have to say- I really enjoyed it! There were a few issues along the way, but nothing that would make the game unplayable in my opinion. The time skips in the second half felt rushed and broke up what was originally a very flowing and immersive setting. I also had a technical issue where the character I was romancing was suddenly replaced by someone who had approached us (it resolved after one choice click). And although I originally had planned to pursue the mining route, after chapter 2 I stopped getting options to address mining at all. Some choices and options seemed to vanish into thin air- never to be mentioned or offered again. Despite these minor issues, game play was enjoyable. In the vast array of choices and options I think there was only one or two times where I couldn't find a choice I agreed with. There were numerous times where I was torn between two very good options! This opens the door to multiple plays and I will certainly try the game again with a different approach. While I have played many choice-based games, was my first game in this particular style and I really enjoyed it. I feel like this experien…1 found this helpful
love it
Good
Wow, i loved the idea of the game. Starting a little town, choosing what to do and how to do it was very fun. I have planed orginally just one playthrough, before going back to other games, but this is one, as soon as i was done, i went back for more.. a few times. Good game, i like it a lot.
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