Total War: Pharaoh Review - Ancient Egypt brought to life amidst the collapse of civilization

Total War: Pharaoh has been developed by Creative Assembly and published by Sega. Unlike its fantasy counterpart, Total War: Warhammer, this one focuses on historical settings based around the collapse of the Bronze Age. It is a welcome change for fans and is filled to the brim with delight and intrigue. It is rare to see ancient Egypt brought alive with such detail.

The game focuses on an era where Egypt and the surrounding kingdoms are in a state of turmoil. Players can take control of one of the three factions at play and try to either subdue the lands with force or political power. That said, it is time to dive into the review.

Total War: Pharaoh - Ancient Egypt brought to life on a grand scale

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After being a part of the Total War: Pharaoh experience since May 2023, I can say with the utmost confidence that things have gone from good to better. From the very first preview, where I got to take part in battles, to reviewing the game itself, things have developed amazingly.

That said, now, with the release of the full version of the game, I got to experience the collapse of the Bronze Age in all its glory. From a tantalizing campaign to over-the-top battles, it has been a rollercoaster ride of epic proportions.

First impressions and gameplay

Tausret is a force to be reckoned with at long range. (Image via Sega/Total War: Pharaoh)

I started my campaign playing as Tausret, who is quite different from Ramessess. As with all faction leaders, she has her own strengths and weaknesses that can be seen on the starting screen. While these nuances will not make a huge difference for casual players, they will impact the game and how certain things function. Veteran players will no doubt look to min-max aspects to get the most out of a leader.

That said, since I wanted to enjoy my time conquering Egypt, I took a quick glance at her traits, shrugged my shoulders, and dived right in. From the very get-go, it is easy to see just how much love has been put into Total War: Pharaoh. The cut-scene at the beginning is a great introduction to what players can expect, and it sort of sets the premises of how things are in-game - total chaos.

Choose your faction carefully. (Image via Sega/Total War: Pharaoh)

Quickly coming back to factions, there are three to choose from: Egyptians, Canaanites, and Hittites. The Egyptians have four faction leaders to choose from, while the latter two factions have two each to pick. Keep in mind while some mechanics are shared between factions, some are unique to each faction. This includes unit types, certain traits, and victory conditions.

Coming back to the game itself, Total War: Pharaoh is a delicate dance of resource management. There's Food, Stone, Wood, Bronze, Gold. Ensuring these resources are kept in the green at all times is essential to even having a chance at lasting for a few turns.

Of course, this can be done by building certain buildings within Settlements, but in Total War: Pharaoh, there are more ways than one to ensure a steady supply of resources.

Outposts are perhaps my favorite part of the game. (Image via Sega/Total War: Pharaoh)

Aside from Settlements, I found Outposts to be useful for ensuring a steady stream of resources. That said, different types of buildings can be built within Outposts as well. Apart from resources, buildings related to military, administration, and religious purposes can be built as well. These provide a lot of buffs to players and force you to ensure they are well-guarded.

Moving on from resources, Royal Decrees have replaced the typical Research Tree you would see in most Total War games. It's an innovative switch from the norm but a well-fleshed-out one, nonetheless.

As always, they are interconnected, with one branch linking up with the other to form a cohesive bond of sorts. It can be frustrating when trying to issue certain Royal Decrees, but that is part of the experience. Although it takes time to unlock certain ones, it's worth the wait.

Unlocking Royal Decrees as soon as possible will affect gameplay to a large extent. (Image via Sega/Total War: Pharaoh)

One of the newer aspects of Total War: Pharaoh is the Local Deities system. Although I have not used it much during my gameplay, it is interesting nonetheless. You can worship certain Gods to gain favor and devote a general to that certain God for buffs. Three such slots can be unlocked and used in-game. On that note, depending on the God chosen, the buffs do vary.

Another interesting mechanic is the Court. Although it is a tad difficult to grasp, when utilized to the full extent, I found myself able to take out opponents without engaging them on the battlefield. Needless to say, it is a complex system, one that needs to be learned through trial and error. Since I'm a player who enjoys battles, I did not use the Court much.

Seasons change the gameplay to a large extent. (Image via Sega/Total War: Pharaoh)

Seasons are another unique concept in Total War: Pharaoh. As they change, various environmental effects occur. These can be both negative and positive in nature. That said, I had to learn to anticipate these changes and deal with them to ensure my factions lived on without issue.

Coming back to the 'Total War' aspect of the game, battles have never felt so real. Units now have armor, which makes them more durable in battle. That said, battles do feel moderately paced. However, the pace of battle all depends on the prevalent weather. Certain weather types can make battles tougher or favor the opponents, but it depends on troop types.

There is much to see and do in Total War: Pharaoh. Be it political intrigue fighting in the scorching desert sand, or just enjoying the campaign map. For what it's worth, the game is beautiful on every account.

Performance and sound

Total War: Pharaoh was played on a system with the following configuration:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
GPU: RTX 3070 8GB
RAM: 32 GB

Over the course of my campaign playing as Tausret, I encountered no lag, hard crashes, or stuttering. I was skeptical about keeping my settings at maximum, but the game ran perfectly. The only 'slow' phase of the game was the loading time it took to boot up a campaign. Other than that, everything ran smoothly.

As for the music and SFX, the team behind it has done a splendid job bringing the ancient world alive. It's an amalgamation of sounds put together to bring to life the Bronze Age Collapse perfectly. As for the sounds of battle, from the clashing of swords to arrows raining down on enemy troops, it's a chaotic symphony to my ears.

In Conclusion

War never changes. (Image via Sega/Total War: Pharaoh)

My time spent in the collapse of the Bronze Age has been both delightful and tense. From having to conquer neighboring factions to understanding the different mechanics at play, it has been a wild ride through and through. That said, Total War: Pharaoh has a lot to offer for new and veteran players. While it may take a while to understand the nitty gritty, it is something worth figuring out.

I, for one, look forward to conquering all of Egypt under one banner, but it is going to take some time. Given how vast the campaign map is, there are a lot of things to take into consideration while trying to expand. From rival powers to internal strife, there is never a moment of peace. Nevertheless, conquering Egypt has been fun thus far, and I expect it to be a jaw-dropping experience moving forward.