Total War: Pharaoh Review: Exploring the Complexities of Conquest and Carnage

It’s easy to compare each new Total War game to the rest of the series. Generally, each new release sounds less like a standalone title and more like a fresh version of Total War. Oftentimes, when a new entry comes out, I hear players say it’s “Total War, but in Rome” or “Total War but Warhammer.” Now, we have Total War: Pharaoh. Joining the ranks of those players of the past, in this review, I simply have to call Total War: Pharaoh what it is — Total War, but in Egypt. This isn’t a bad thing, as Total War: Pharaoh is a fun and solid entry to the series. Sadly, the stagnation and lack of evolution made Pharaoh feel like a step back.

Total War: Pharaoh Review: This Time In Egypt

Total War: Pharaoh places players on the battlefield of Ancient Egypt. Sporting a civilization management and tactical strategy hybrid style gameplay, Total War: Pharaoh continues the strong tradition that the series has captured since Shogun: Total War in 2000. With such big shoes to fill when it comes to finding its own identity, Total War: Pharaoh has its work cut out for it.

Story: Egyptian History Merged With Total War

The story begins with the looming death of the Pharaoh Merneptah through an oddly comedic cutscene prophesying his demise. Now, all the nobles, generals, and heirs are fighting in a perilous battle to become the next Pharaoh. Starting a new campaign and choosing your faction leader gives us a glimpse at their motivations and specific stories. For example, Ramesses, the character that many players will first meet during the tutorial, is fuelled by the desire to live up to his namesake, Ramesses II the Great. Though following the premise set in each scenario, the story itself is in the player’s hands. Now, the flow of each campaign will dictate how the story ends.

Overall, Total War: Pharaoh places little importance on the overarching gameplay-related story. Instead, the strongest part is the history and culture that the game expresses. Seeing the historical significance of the characters, locations, and figures helps make the struggles and conflicts of your army feel more grounded. Plus, seeing loading screen tooltips that describe each faction leader in a historical context is a wonderful cherry on top.

With that being said, the story of Total War: Pharaoh isn’t anything too outside of the ordinary. It’s passable for a Total War series and a perfect fit for the style of a game like Total War: Pharaoh. Truthfully, players aren’t really rushing to play Total War for its complex stories. Rather, the gameplay takes priority. In this respect, the narrative of Total War: Pharaoh accomplishes its goals.

Gameplay: Complex Systems Push Your Strategic Limits

Total War: Pharoah takes the series into the battlefield of Ancient Egypt. Here, players must lead armies, juggle political enemies, and manage cities to aid in their rise to power. At some point in your struggle for the throne, you’ll run into other groups vying for the same position. Conflict here is inevitable. When two armies clash, they engage in a strategic battle simulator to see who will be the victor. In its essence, the game is split between the balance of these two gameplay styles. With that being said, the latter strategic battles can mostly be skipped with the game’s auto-battle option. Many of these systems return from previous entries, making it a bit hard to make a solid review for Total War: Pharaoh as an individual.

When starting a single-player campaign, players will choose a faction leader. Each leader has unique stats, abilities, units, and scenarios for their rise to the throne. Once entering the game, players will start with some territory and cities to upgrade to gather resources, manage civilian happiness, and create stronger warriors to recruit. Additionally, players must raise armies by recruiting either local warriors or trained soldiers personal to their faction once certain conditions are met. This is where the delicate balance of resource management begins. Since each city only has one main resource it can create, players must expand into foreign turf for the strongest chances. With additional mechanics like alliances, choosing a path of conquest, managing political relationships, and so much more, it could take hours to describe the systems in Total War: Pharaoh.

Battles themselves are relatively the same, allowing players to combat armies through various map layouts and weather conditions. Compared to the management phases, battles are a bit simpler but still have a lot of depth in the strategies involved. Troop placement and management can lead to strategic advantages that turn the battle satisfyingly in your favor. Both these battles and the management phases are the strongest parts of the game. With so much complexity and depth, it’s easy to get lost in Total War: Pharaoh. Perfecting your strategies and discovering how each individual system fits into the overarching quest for the Egyptian throne is enough to keep any fan occupied for hours.

Graphics and Audio: Passable For Each Battle

The graphics of Total War: Pharaoh aren’t a huge focus but are certainly enough to get the job done. The cutscenes themselves look great with vibrant, semi-realistic animations. The large-scale battles also look great, striking a strong balance between quality and performance. Though the game does take place in Egypt, the desert environments can feel a bit empty at times. Overall, the animations and models of Total War: Pharaoh are smooth and clean. With that being said, it is just not anything special or too outside the series’ norm.  

Audio falls into a similar boat as the graphics in Total War: Pharaoh. The music itself fits the Egyptian period well, though it didn’t leave too much of an impression. Voice acting is high quality, though, once again, nothing in the performances set each faction leader apart from the others. Other sound effects, like the echoing war cry of combatants, the clang of clashing steel, and the subtle sounds of the desert landscape, are probably the strongest part of the audio and help each conflict come to life.

Conclusion: Take Arms And Fight For The Throne!

At its very core, Total War is a difficult series to get into. With so many menus, systems, strategies, characters, and resources to juggle, new players may feel a bit intimidated hopping into Total War: Pharaoh. However, this entry is a strong experience overall and should be worth checking out for fans of strategy, history, or Total War. By far, the gameplay is incredible. Once you master the complexities of its systems, pulling off your master plans in Total War Pharaoh is immensely satisfying. The characters are good, though the blend of history and gameplay is bound to satisfy fans of Egyptian history. Besides this, audio and graphics get the job done, though it most likely won’t leave many fans too impressed. Though these factors combined make Total War: Pharaoh a strong game overall, is it enough to set it apart from other entries of the series? Probably not.