Stronghold: A Hero’s Fate

Choice of Games LLC

Contains adsIn-app purchases

About this game

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?

• 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.

Ratings and reviews

Very satisfying experience with memorable characters. I really appreciated the nonbinary inclusion. I did encounter one bug where some text was messed up and the person I was courting accidentally got me into a three person relationship somehow! But it didn't detract from the overall experience. It was a lot of fun trying to carefully pick my way to a nonviolent ending, and I can see there's a lot of potential paths and replay value here.

Really cool story, good game, only one issue: it's kind of annoying you don't have the option to undo your last choice, or rewind to the beginning of a chapter. You can only restart the ENTIRE game, which is annoying as all hell when you accidentally click the wrong button. I'll give it a higher rating if an Undo and/or Restart From Chapter option is added :)

A very interesting story that really draws you in. The variety of endings are nice but replaying to see all of them quickly gets repetitive. I wish it was longer and that there was more interaction with the different buildings possible to build. I greatly enjoyed how inclusive the game was, it is fantasy as it should be.

What's new

Bug fixes. If you enjoy "Stronghold: A Hero’s Fate", please leave us a written review. It really helps!