Crossbow Commander is a lightweight promotional game developed by Firefly Studio.
Overview[]
Designed to advertise Stronghold Crusader, Crossbow Commander pits the player in small desert arenas, where you must control a small squad of crossbowmen in order to eliminate the enemy opposition. Squad members can be individually moved around on your half of the map, and they can be commanded to fire a volley in sync. You complete the level when the enemies are vanquished.
Gameplay[]
Crossbow Commander has a series of levels with increasingly difficult enemies. The levels are cut in half by a river or impassable stone deposits, where the fords are also pathable. The two squads fire volleys at each other from two opposite sides of the arena, dealing damage.
You can move one troop at a time via drag-and-drop, revealing a red reticule which shows the trajectory of your projectile. Troops can reload even when relocating, allowing you to constantly have them 'grabbed' right after a shot is taken. Troops instantly stop when they are to be moved at impassable terrain.
Points are awarded as you damage and kill enemy units. At the end of each level, you are also awarded points depending on the number and remaining health of your troops.
Enemies[]
The enemies predictably move small distances off their position and they shoot as soon as they can. The following enemies are presented:
- Crossbowmen - 3 health. Deals 1 damage with a shot. Medium rate of fire.
- Arabian bowman - 4-5 health. Deals 2 damage with a shot. Slightly high rate of fire.
- Horse archer - 8-9 health. Deals 2 damage with a shot. High rate of fire. Can't fire on the move.
- Fire ballista - 14-15 health. Deals 2 damage with a shot. Can't move. Fires large bolts.