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Total War: PHARAOH
Released On: Oct 11, 2023
74
5.8
All Platforms
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 50 Critic Reviews
74
62% Positive
31 Reviews
31 Reviews
30% Mixed
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
2% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 50 Critic Reviews
74
62% Positive
31 Reviews
31 Reviews
30% Mixed
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
2% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Total War games spent so much time trying to do more. There are countless clever strategy games out there, but this series always prided itself on having a massive scale. Pharaoh totally changes that formula as it scales down and rethinks the gameplay flow of the series. Everyone has their favorite Total War game (mine for the record is the original Rome Total War). I’m sure that someone out there will be quite unhappy with some of the Total War changes. But from where I sit as a long-time player, Pharaoh is a total blast, and has me more excited for the future of the series than ever before.
The multitude of systems can add so much variety and variation to the same gameplay that it's actually surprisingly easy to get overwhelmed by them. [Issue#330]
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 48 User Ratings
5.8
44% Positive
21 Ratings
21 Ratings
19% Mixed
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
38% Negative
18 Ratings
18 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 48 User Ratings
5.8
44% Positive
21 Ratings
21 Ratings
19% Mixed
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
38% Negative
18 Ratings
18 Ratings
The game has an enormous amount of depth and simply cannot be mastered within a reasonable time. Every element is very granular and can be played around in multiple ways.
The Ancient Legacies let you build your empire in any way you want, along with the court and pharaonic/great king **** battles are excellently paced and I have to say I found a good use for the chariots, which are the only type of unit, that's hard to micro.
Sometimes the AI on the campaign can behave unexpectedly, but is nonetheless very reasonable and for example on Legendary difficulty Merneptah suddenly attacking you with his vassals is a rare and refreshing event, forcing you to use all of your wit.
The outposts bring a lot of strategical depth, especially the fort.
The local deities system mish-mashes a lot of power effects, sometimes making province management irrelevant, but is customizable and fun to play around with nonetheless.
The royal decrees look hard to grasp at first, but as you play more and more, you realize why they were ordered that way, that is to create many opportunities to change your path on the go because priorities change within a campaign. You cannot get only military or only economic decrees. You need to choose whether you want to focus on melee or ranged infantry or chariot military decrees. You need to choose whether your end-game economy will thrive on lvl 5 buildings or on max workforce. You have many sub-decisions, that are designed to provide replayability with a straightforward system.
Overall, it is my favourite total war in the series!
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PC
I've played all historical Total Wars since the beginning and I've been playing Pharaoh about 25 hours when writing this.
Pros:
- many interesting mechanics in the game and the playable leaders feel very unique in their playstyle
- regional recruitment is fantastic
- many unique landmarks and buildings to conquer
- the court mechanic and the ability to become Pharaoh with access to royal units in genious
- the combat feels just right and fun to play
- campaign customization is amazing and helps keeping the game fresh
- The overall performance is unbelievable good, best running Total War ever!
Cons:
- I really need the Blood Pack DLC now
- I guess I wouldn't mind if the map was a bit larger and there was a couple of leaders more to choose from. I'm sure the DLC's will fix that.
Buy the game, play it, have fun - you won't regret it. And support CA and the Sofia studio for making such a great game.
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PC
Total War: Pharaoh introduces a number of great new systems and mechanics for the long-running strategy franchise, and there's plenty of fun to be had staving off an ancient apocalypse, but a large number of bugs bring down the experience.
We believe that this sibling studio has the potential to create equal or better products in the future. Every new title we test is a step forward in both design and execution.
It's a beautiful and enjoyable game, but I see no reason to prefer Pharaoh over any other Total War.
Total War: PHARAOH presents an interesting window into the time and place of a tumultuous historical period while handing you the reigns to make your own story out of it.
Total War Pharaoh is a fun game, but one that lacks ambition. It squanders its potential with meagre gameplay, story, soundtrack, and performance, and fails to add anything of note to the Total War series, or leave an impression of its identity.
Quite frankly, the people leaving any below a 5 for a game are straight-up trolls and overdosed on the "HateTube" phenomenon that has taken over the Total War community on Youtube.
This is a labor of love from CA Sofia that has brought a very in-depth campaign to a great period in history. The battles may seem bland, but the new tactical options you have make things interesting and you always have something new or unique to deal with thanks to dynamic weather and environmental obstacles.
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PC
The review concludes that Total War: Pharaoh is a jewel along the Nile, successfully blending historical accuracy, strategic depth, and immersive gameplay. While acknowledging minor bugs and a focus on Egypt, the game's brilliance in empire management, challenging campaigns, and diverse unit mechanics make it a standout addition to the Total War series. Pharaoh manages to capture the essence of the Late Bronze Age while offering a fresh and engaging experience for both series veterans and newcomers.
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PC
too many bug, some system likeable
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PC
Total War games have become a cash cow for CA to fund other projects that they truly want to make[Hyenas]. They do the bare minimum and expect you to pay full price, and buy inevitable DLC's as well. This is the new installment in Total War series. Over priced DLC that they call a full game. Most of what you see is taken from their other games. I would advice against buying anything from them.
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PC
Pharaoh Total War had potential. The Bronze Age collapse had so much going on, from Greece to Persia. Unfortunately Creative Assembly only gave us Anatolia to Egypt, with other factions locked behind a paywall that we may not even get in the future.
Naval battles have been removed, family tree is removed, the game lacks so much content from previous Total War games.
Creative Assembly are clearly being lead by people who don't know what they are doing, hopefully the lay offs have targeted the problem.
This was the most expensive Total War, with the least amount of content. I do not recommend.
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PC
Summary Total War: PHARAOH is the newest entry in the award-winning grand strategy series from the developers at Creative Assembly. Experience Ancient Egypt during the vibrant and tumultuous era of the Bronze Age Collapse and master dynamic real-time battles and turn-based empire management to rise above your adversaries and become Egypt's last ...
Rated T
for Teen
Platforms:
- PC
Initial Release Date: Oct 11, 2023
Developer:
- Creative Assembly
Publisher: Sega
Genres:
