Europa Universalis vs Stronghold
Europa Universalis
Europa Universalis is a historical real-time grand strategy game that includes all aspects of world history in the Early Modern Europe era, a period of time between the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Due to the game's meticulous need to be accurate in its historical accounts (period monarchs, known military leaders, and technological advancements), the game can, in some way, be doubled as an educational game since you can learn quite a lot simply by playing it.That said, the gameplay in Europa Universalis is just incredible for its time. The game is played on a huge world map that is divided into around 1,500 provinces where you can literally govern your nation the way you like. You can get involved in your nation's colonization efforts, explore new lands, trade with neighboring countries, wage war when they renegade on that very trade deal, spread the religion you've adopted far and wide, and of course, navigate the tricky political waters of diplomacy.
Not to mention, instead of using a turn-based format, the game has opted for a pauseable real-time format, so you can pause the game, issues orders and plan out strategies, before unpausing the game and let the world events play out. There are even tons of historically-based missions and events which may affect the world based on your actions and decisions.
When it comes to grand strategy games, there are only a handful that truly embodies the genre, and obviously, Europa Universalis is one of them. However, being the original game in the franchise, the graphics might be a bit worn for wear, but if you don't really mind, you can definitely pick this game up from GoG.com.
Stronghold
Stronghold is the original castle simulation game and it's not shy to let you know about it. Back when it first came out, the game was incredibly popular among fans of the real-time strategy genre and it is pretty obvious to why. The game not only let you build and design your own castle in its combat-free economic campaign; you also get to engage in medieval warfare against AI enemies in the game's single player campaigns or against up to 8 other players via the multiplayer mode online. You can even besiege actual historical castles, set up typical catle defenses to stump invaders and make sure your people are well-taken care of.Stronghold is a classic when it comes to castle sims. In fact, until today, there still isn't any game that managed to achieve a similar depth in terms of its gameplay. If you love castle-building and real-time strategy, this is a game you'll most certainly enjoy. Do give it a try!