Pharaonic

Pharaonic is an action role-playing game set in a fictional and mythological version of Ancient Egypt. Players control a nameless prisoner who escapes captivity and embarks on a quest to uncover a dark truth behind the Red Pharaoh. The game features challenging side-scrolling combat inspired by Dark Souls, with mechanics including attacking, dodging, parrying, and rolling, all set against a richly detailed 2D Egyptian backdrop.

Pharaonic: A Soulslike Oasis in the Sands of Time

In the vast, sun-scorched dunes of the video game landscape, where countless titles vie for the crown of “The Next Dark Souls,” few dare to translate FromSoftware’s revered formula into a completely different dimension. Milkstone Studios’ 2016 action RPG, Pharaonic, is one such bold endeavor. It is a game of stark contrasts: a visually vibrant journey through a mythologized Egypt that is both punishingly brutal and, at times, technically brittle. It is a title that deserves a deep, historical examination, not just as a game, but as a case study in ambitious indie development, genre adaptation, and the perils of ambition outstripping execution.

Development History & Context

Milkstone Studios, a small independent developer from Spain, entered the development of Pharaonic with a respectable pedigree. Having previously created the well-received first-person dungeon crawler Ziggurat, the team was no stranger to challenging, skill-based game design. Their vision for Pharaonic was audaciously clear from the outset: to create a “Dark Souls in Egypt.” This was not merely an aspiration for difficulty, but a commitment to translating the core tenets of the Soulslike genre—methodical combat, risk-vs-reward progression, interconnected level design, and environmental storytelling—into the constrained perspective of a 2.5D side-scroller.

Built using the versatile Unity engine, the development was a self-funded passion project. The technological constraints of a small team are evident in the game’s focused scope; rather than attempting a sprawling 3D world, they channeled their resources into creating dense, layered paths within a side-view framework. This decision was both a creative and practical necessity, allowing them to craft a visually distinct world without the astronomical budget of a AAA title.

Pharaonic was released on April 28, 2016, for Windows, with ports to Linux, macOS, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One following shortly after. It entered a gaming landscape saturated with Soulslikes, but it stood apart by virtue of its setting. While its peers largely clung to Gothic and medieval European fantasy, Pharaonic offered a vibrant, sun-drenched world inspired by Ancient Egyptian art and iconography, a refreshing departure from the genre’s typical gloom.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

The narrative of Pharaonic is deliberately minimalist, conveyed not through lengthy cutscenes but through item descriptions, environmental clues, and sparse interactions with non-playable characters. Players assume the role of a nameless prisoner who escapes captivity and embarks on a quest to uncover the truth behind the tyrannical rule of the Red Pharaoh, Ahmosis I, a demigod who has plunged the land into darkness.

This setup is a classic trope—the rise of an insignificant nobody against an overwhelming evil—but it is effectively woven into the fabric of the world. The story explores themes of oppression, divine tyranny, and the search for truth in a land shrouded by myth and fear. The player character is a blank slate, their personal journey defined by the player’s actions and perseverance. The Daughters of Ishtar and the oppressed countrymen serve as faint glimmers of hope in a world otherwise dominated by the Pharaoh’s army and mythical beasts.

While the plot itself may not be groundbreaking in its structure, its execution through the Soulslike lens is effective. The lore is discovered, not dictated. A hieroglyphic inscription on a wall, the description of a ceremonial weapon, the desperate plea of a dying slave—these fragments slowly build a picture of a society in collapse. The narrative’s weakness lies in its characters, who, beyond their functional roles as merchants or quest-givers, lack the deep, tragic pathos that defines the most memorable NPCs in the genre. They are signposts in a dangerous land, not fully realized inhabitants of it.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

At its core, Pharaonic is a faithful and often successful adaptation of the Soulslike blueprint into a 2D space.

• Combat: The combat system is its greatest strength. It is a stamina-driven dance of death that requires precision, patience, and pattern recognition. Players have access to light and heavy attacks, blocking, parrying, and a crucial dodge roll. Each weapon type—from swift khopeshes to heavy maces—feels distinct, with different wind-up times, damage outputs, and move sets. The combat’s strategic depth is remarkable; choosing to don heavy armor for poise at the cost of mobility, or opting for light gear to maximize evasion, creates tangible playstyle differences. Success hinges on managing your stamina bar more than your health bar; a mistimed combo or an overly greedy attack will leave you vulnerable and likely dead.

• Progression & Loot: The RPG systems are robust. Defeated enemies drop experience, used to level up core attributes like Strength, Agility, and Vitality, and gold. Death causes you to drop your accumulated experience, which must be retrieved upon respawning—a classic Souls mechanic that creates immense tension. The loot system is expansive, featuring “hundreds of equipment parts” for different body slots, allowing for significant visual and statistical customization. Finding a new shield or piece of armor feels impactful, constantly incentivizing exploration into dangerous territory.

• Level Design: The world is a non-linear, interconnected web of paths. The map loops back on itself, with unlockable shortcuts that reward thorough exploration and provide safer routes upon death. This design philosophy is a direct and welcome import from its inspirations, encouraging players to learn the layout of the world and creating a satisfying sense of discovery.

• Flaws & Repetition: However, the mechanics are not without flaw. The 2D plane, while a creative constraint, inevitably leads to a sense of repetition. Enemy variety is limited, and the combat, while deep, can begin to feel like a grind, especially when forced to re-fight the same groups of enemies to reclaim lost experience. Furthermore, the game was plagued at launch by significant technical issues. Critics like Cyril Lachel of Defunct Games reported game-breaking crashes, particularly in areas with specific background elements like lattices, which could corrupt save files. These issues severely marred the experience, transforming a challenging game into an unfairly frustrating one.

World-Building, Art & Sound

Pharaonic’s most immediate and striking achievement is its aesthetic presentation. Rejecting the desaturated browns and grays of both its genre and its historical setting’s typical media portrayal, Milkstone opted for a vibrant, colorful visual style directly inspired by Ancient Egyptian art. The 2.5D perspective allows for beautifully rendered, three-dimensional backgrounds that the player moves past on a 2D plane. The result is a world that feels both expansive and intimate.

Temples are adorned with hieroglyphics and gold, deserts shimmer under a harsh sun, and underground tombs are cloaked in ominous shadows. The art direction is cohesive and unique, successfully selling the mythological tone. The enemy and character designs, from the armored soldiers of the Pharaoh to the mythical beasts, are creatively anachronistic, feeling both of the era and fantastical.

The sound design is functional, with the clang of metal on metal and the grunts of combat selling the impact of each blow. The music, composed by Carlos Viola, sets an appropriate tone, though it rarely rises to the level of the iconic scores that define the genre’s greats. It is atmospheric more than memorable, content to support the visuals rather than dominate the experience.

Reception & Legacy

Upon release, Pharaonic received a mixed to average critical reception. Aggregator Metacritic scored the Xbox One version a 71, based on four reviews. German magazines MAN!AC and Gamer’s Palace gave the PlayStation 4 version scores of 74% and 69% respectively, praising its challenging Souls-inspired combat while critiquing its design choices and technical problems. Player sentiment, as seen on platforms like Steam, was often more positive, with many praising its depth and rewarding gameplay, assuming they could bypass the technical hurdles.

Its legacy is that of a flawed but fascinating cult classic. It did not redefine the genre nor achieve massive commercial success, but it demonstrated a crucial proof of concept: that the Soulslike formula could be compellingly translated into a 2D space with a unique setting. It stands as a precursor to other highly acclaimed 2D Soulslikes like Salt and Sanctuary, proving there was an appetite for such experiences.

For Milkstone Studios, it was a valuable, if imperfect, follow-up to Ziggurat. It showcased their willingness to experiment with genre and perspective, a trait that would continue to define their work. The game’s reputation has been partially rehabilitated by post-launch patches that addressed the most severe technical issues, allowing new players to experience its strengths without the game-breaking flaws that haunted its launch.

Conclusion

Pharaonic is a game of admirable ambition and undeniable passion, caught in a struggle between its lofty goals and the practical realities of its development. It is a title that deserves recognition for its bold artistic direction, its successful translation of deep Soulslike combat into a 2D format, and its refreshing setting.

Yet, it is impossible to ignore its shortcomings: the repetitive enemy encounters, the underdeveloped narrative characters, and the significant technical problems that plagued its initial release. These flaws prevent it from standing alongside the genre’s masterpieces.

Ultimately, Pharaonic secures its place in video game history not as a perfect gem, but as a rough-hewn monument—a testament to what small, dedicated teams can achieve when they dare to reinterpret a beloved formula. It is an oasis in the desert for those seeking a challenging, visually distinct Soulslike, but one where travelers must be prepared for the occasional mirage and unstable ground. For historians and enthusiasts of the genre, it remains an essential, deeply interesting artifact.