Total War: Pharaoh

Total War: Pharaoh is a strategy game developed by SEGA Black Sea EOOD and published by SEGA, released in 2023 for Windows and Macintosh, set in Ancient Egypt during the Bronze Age. Players engage in turn-based empire management and real-time tactical battles, commanding armies and ruling dynasties in a historical setting of pharaohs, invasions, and grand strategy across the Nile Valley and surrounding regions, blending the iconic Total War series’ mechanics with a focused scale on ancient civilizations.

Total War: Pharaoh: Review

Introduction

Imagine the sun-scorched sands of ancient Egypt trembling under the thunder of chariot wheels, as rival heirs to the throne clash amid whispers of divine favor and impending doom. In Total War: Pharaoh, Creative Assembly Sofia transports players to the heart of the Late Bronze Age Collapse around 1200 BCE, a era of crumbling empires, invading hordes, and desperate bids for power along the Nile. This sixteenth entry in the storied Total War series marks a triumphant return to historical roots after the fantastical detours of Warhammer, blending turn-based grand strategy with real-time tactical warfare in a way that evokes the franchise’s origins in Shogun: Total War (2000). Yet, it refines the formula with intimate scale and novel mechanics, daring to explore a mysterious chapter of history shrouded in archaeological enigma. My thesis: Total War: Pharaoh is a bold, atmospheric revival that captures the fragility of Bronze Age civilizations through innovative systems like dynamic weather and court intrigue, but its constrained scope and uneven execution prevent it from ascending to the pantheon of Total War masterpieces, positioning it instead as a solid, if flawed, stepping stone for the series’ future.

Development History & Context

Total War: Pharaoh emerged from Creative Assembly Sofia (formerly Black Sea Studios), a Bulgarian outpost of the main UK-based Creative Assembly team, which has helmed the franchise since its inception. Founded in 2006, Sofia specialized in expansions like Rise of the Republic for Total War: Rome II (2013) and contributed to Total War Saga: Troy (2020), honing expertise in ancient Mediterranean settings. Game director Todor Nikolov, with over 15 years in the industry including lead design on Troy, envisioned Pharaoh as a “grounded and historically authentic” experience amid the Bronze Age Collapse—a period of societal unraveling that Nikolov described in interviews as a “compelling Total War story” of multi-sided conflict, where stable empires like Egypt and the Hittites teeter on the brink.

Development began around 2020, post-Troy, amid Sega’s push to diversify the series beyond Warhammer‘s fantasy dominance. Technological constraints played a key role: the Aspyr engine, shared with Troy, prioritized detailed environments over vast scales, limiting the map to a focused region from Nubia to Anatolia (roughly 1.5x the size of Troy‘s Aegean). This was a deliberate choice to emphasize depth over breadth, avoiding the sprawling, resource-hungry campaigns of Three Kingdoms (2019) or Warhammer III (2022). The 2023 gaming landscape was saturated with grand strategy titans like Crusader Kings III (2020) and Civilization VI (2016), but few tackled the Bronze Age’s obscurity. Pharaoh filled this niche, drawing from sparse historical sources—Egyptian inscriptions, Hittite annals, and theories on the enigmatic Sea Peoples—to craft plausible narratives. Nikolov consulted historians and books to balance authenticity with fun, introducing anachronistic fire arrows (plausible but unproven) to enhance tactical variety in an era lacking cavalry or gunpowder. Released October 11, 2023, for Windows (with Mac support), it launched at $59.99 amid high expectations for a historical resurgence, only to face backlash over its “Saga”-like scope, prompting post-launch pivots like price reductions and free updates.

Vision and Challenges

Nikolov’s team aimed to recapture the “classic historical Total War feel” of older titles like Rome: Total War (2004), emphasizing fewer but impactful choices in slower-paced battles. Constraints included the era’s limited unit diversity—no heavy cavalry, just chariots and spearmen—forcing innovation like armor degradation to simulate wear-and-tear realism. The COVID-19 pandemic likely influenced remote collaboration, evident in the polished but occasionally buggy launch. Sega’s business model, post-Warhammer‘s 40M+ sales, demanded a mid-tier release to test historical waters without Empire II‘s (upcoming) ambition. Ultimately, Pharaoh reflects a studio eager to prove itself, blending Troy‘s mythological flair with rigorous research to evoke the Bronze Age’s “puzzle” of fragmented records.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

Total War: Pharaoh eschews linear storytelling for emergent narratives driven by player choice, yet its historical backbone weaves a tapestry of ambition, fragility, and apocalypse. The core “plot” unfolds during the 19th Dynasty’s succession crisis following Pharaoh Merneptah’s death, as heirs like Seti, Tausret, Amenmesse, and the young Ramesses III (future defender against the Sea Peoples) vie for Egypt’s double crown. Northward, Hittite kings Suppiluliuma II and Kurunta fracture their empire in civil war, while Canaanite opportunists Bay and Irsu exploit the chaos. The overarching theme is the Bronze Age Collapse—not mere invasion, but a cascade of disasters eroding the “Pillars of Civilization,” from cult centers to trade routes.

Characters are richly flavored historical figures, reimagined with personality. Ramesses embodies the “Young Conqueror,” his falcon motifs symbolizing Ra’s watchful eye, starting as an outsider clawing legitimacy through military prowess. Seti, the brutish crown prince, contrasts Tausret’s cunning strategist-wife; their half-sibling marriage evokes pharaonic incest traditions, with dialogue like Seti’s impatient roars (“Let them bicker—I’ll crush them!”) highlighting Red Oni/Blue Oni dynamics. Amenmesse, the exiled vizier of Kush, schemes with Nubian archers and gold mines, his ram motifs tying to Amun’s patronage. Bay, the Egyptophile diplomat, slithers through court intrigue with espionage perks, while Irsu, the “Old Crocodile,” revels in Rape, Pillage, and Burn as a chaotic foil. Hittite leaders pit Suppiluliuma’s defensive loyalty against Kurunta’s opportunistic brutality, their bull and stag motifs underscoring imperial decay.

Dialogue, sparse but evocative, draws from ancient texts: Merneptah’s bombastic opening cinematic chews scenery with titles like “Great Pharaoh, Beloved of Amun,” choking dramatically on a grape for ironic pathos. Themes delve into hubris versus resilience—pharaohs as god-kings falter amid famine, plague, and Sea Peoples hordes, mirroring real inscriptions like Ramesses III’s victories at Medinet Habu. Subplots explore cultural fusion (Canaanites allying with empires) and heresy (Akhenaten’s legacy allowing pyramid-building or pantheon overhauls). The Sea Peoples, added in free updates like High Tide, introduce refugee motifs; Walwetes fights for a homeland with ox carts, while Iolaos’s zealotry burns the world. Overall, the narrative’s strength lies in procedural drama—civil wars for thrones generate emergent rivalries—but it lacks Three Kingdoms‘ biographical depth, relying on tooltips and events for thematic weight.

Plot Structure and Themes

The campaign arcs from prosperity to crisis: Early turns build legitimacy via court positions (e.g., Vizier for economic boons), mid-game unleashes Sea Peoples invasions tied to collapsing pillars (damaged cities darken the sky with red stars), and late-game demands survival against hordes. Themes of order versus chaos dominate—Irsu’s anarchy accelerates collapse, while Tausret’s diplomacy preserves civilization. Dynastic succession in Dynasties adds inheritance crises, emphasizing legacy’s fragility. Though not dialogue-heavy, the lore feels authentic, filling historical gaps (e.g., Irsu’s villainy from Harris Papyrus) with playable intrigue, making every conquest a step toward averting apocalypse.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

At its core, Pharaoh retains Total War‘s addictive loop: Turn-based empire management funds and positions armies for real-time battles, where positioning and unit synergies decide victory. The campaign map, spanning Egypt to Anatolia, emphasizes regional resources—gold from Nubian mines, stone from Sinai quarries—forcing trade or conquest. Factions differentiate via unique mechanics: Egyptians leverage court intrigue for legitimacy (challenge pharaohs in civil wars), Hittites turtle with armored infantry, Canaanites raid with vanguard ambushes. Innovations like “Ancient Legacies” (emulate Akhenaten for monotheism) and outposts (garrison-free forts for reinforcements) add replayability, while modular difficulty lets players tweak aggression, disasters, and AI.

Core Gameplay Loops

The strategic layer shines in customization: Randomize starts for chaos, or slow turns (multiple per year) for granular aging and succession. Resource scarcity drives diplomacy—barter wood for bronze—or espionage, like Bay’s plots sabotaging rivals. Court systems (Egyptian/Hittite positions granting bonuses) integrate politics, but feel gamable via influence grinding. Progression ties to “Royal Decrees,” a tech tree unlocking buffs like faster chariots, balanced by upkeep costs. UI is intuitive yet info-dense; tooltips clarify mechanics, but overwhelming menus (e.g., pantheon management) can frustrate newcomers.

Battles innovate with Bronze Age constraints: No cavalry means chariots as mobile archers or shock troops, slowed by mud in rain. Dynamic weather—sandstorms damaging units, fog enabling ambushes—adds tension; Hittites resist storms, Libyans thrive in heat. Armor degradation wears down heavies over time, promoting mixed armies (light skirmishers harass, elites hold lines). Fire spreads realistically through terrain, turning forests into deathtraps, but unit stances (push/hold/retreat) enable tactical depth. Flaws emerge: Pathing bugs plague archers (endless repositioning), and small unit rosters (150 total, limited variety) make fights repetitive. Performance dips during Sea Peoples waves, with AI chasing raiders illogically. High Tide and Dynasties mitigate this, adding hordes (raze-to-spoil mechanics) and 150+ units across expanded cultures (Assyrians with cavalry).

Innovations like ox carts (Peleset deploy infantry mid-battle) feel fresh, but the loop occasionally drags—raiding feels rote, and late-game Snowball (unopposed expansion) undercuts tension. Still, victories feel earned, rewarding adaptation to era’s limits.

World-Building, Art & Sound

Pharaoh‘s world pulses with Bronze Age authenticity, from the Nile’s life-giving floods to Hittite citadels brooding under stormy skies. The campaign map evokes a fragile web of city-states and trade routes, with 19 “Pillars of Civilization” (cult centers like Thebes) visually degrading as collapse advances—skies redden, disasters ravage, amplifying apocalypse dread. Factions embody cultures: Egyptian opulence (pyramids, obelisks) contrasts Hittite fortitude (bull-horned crowns) and Canaanite opportunism (raider traits igniting buildings).

Art direction is masterful, with stylized hieroglyphic UI and diverse biomes—arid deserts, misty Anatolian hills, marshy deltas. Battles dazzle: Chariots charge dunes as sandstorms whip veils of grit, lightning illuminates duels. Unit models, researched from Medinet Habu reliefs, shine—Sherden horned helmets, Nubian archers’ feathers. The day-night cycle and seasons (floods boost food) enhance immersion, though pop-in occurs on larger maps post-Dynasties.

Sound design elevates the atmosphere: A swelling orchestral score, evoking epic antiquity with flutes, lyres, and percussion, underscores charges. Battle cries—Egyptian war chants, Hittite roars—add visceral punch, while ambient Nile lapping or Hittite thunderclaps immerse. Voice acting, limited to events, delivers gravitas (Merneptah’s hammy flair), but lacks Three Kingdoms‘ depth. Collectively, these elements forge a hypnotic, lived-in world, making empire-building feel like etching history into stone.

Reception & Legacy

Upon launch, Pharaoh garnered solid but polarized reception, averaging 77% on Metacritic (24 critics) and 7.6/10 on MobyGames. Praised for its “evocative campaign” (IGN, 8/10) and “historical authenticity” (PC Gamer, 80/100), reviewers lauded the focused scale as a “refreshing rethink” (COGConnected, 90%), with dynamic weather and Sea Peoples invasions hailed as “Total War magic” (Destructoid, 8/10). Visuals and sound drew acclaim for immersion, while court mechanics added “strategic depth” (God is a Geek, 8/10). Commercially, it underperformed, with mediocre sales (under 500K estimated) amid $60 pricing and Saga-like scope, echoing Troy‘s struggles.

Criticism centered on limitations: “Narrow map” and “monotonous battles” (Metro, 6/10), “lacks ambition” (Videogamer, 4/10), and performance issues (stuttering, AI pathing) plagued reviews. Post-launch, backlash over “incomplete” feel led to unprecedented moves: Price slashed to $40 (with refunds), High Tide (Jan 2024, free Sea Peoples) and Dynasties (July 2024, free map expansion to Mesopotamia/Aegean, 200+ settlements) addressed scope woes. Reputation evolved positively—Dynasties boosted scores (GameStar upped to 80%), with players calling it “a step forward” for replayability. Legacy-wise, it influenced Empire II (2025) by proving focused historical titles viable, inspiring horde mechanics in future games. Though not revolutionary, Pharaoh revitalized historical Total War, influencing industry trends toward modular difficulty and free updates, cementing Sofia’s role as a capable steward.

Conclusion

Total War: Pharaoh masterfully evokes the Bronze Age’s grandeur and peril, blending meticulous world-building, innovative tactics like weather and degradation, and emergent narratives of succession and collapse into a compelling package. Its intimate scale fosters depth in diplomacy and combat, while free updates like Dynasties expand its horizons, rewarding patient players with diverse cultures from Mycenaeans to Babylonians. Yet, persistent flaws—repetitive units, AI quirks, and initial ambition deficit—temper its shine, making it feel like a Saga expansion rather than a flagship. In video game history, it occupies a pivotal niche: a resilient return to form that honors the series’ legacy while paving roads for bolder epics. Verdict: Recommended for history buffs and strategy enthusiasts (8/10), a worthy Nile voyage despite the occasional sandstorm.