Total War: Pharaoh review: more of a pretender than a true heir

It’s pretty wild to consider the ground the Total War franchise has managed to cover since its inception. The Warhammer Trilogy, a fantasy-focused trilogy of games that was released in theaters and on the PlayStation 4, has been a huge success. Three KingdomsCreative Assembly’s massive strategy franchise has been brought to new audiences by the developer. With the exception of the Remastered Total War Rome, this has left many long-time fans of the franchise yearning for a return to Creative Assembly’s historical roots. The While Total War: PharaohThe Bronze Age Campaign and Combat feel dusty in comparison to their larger-than-life equivalents.

The Bronze Age, if you’re like me and only vaguely remember your world history class in high school, is the period of human history when we developed the wheel, wrote language, metalworking, etc. While many civilizations existed during this period, the Bronze Age is considered to be a single time. Total War – PharaohCreative Assembly has concentrated on Hittites Canaanites and Egyptians, as they were around the Bronze Age Collapse circa 1200 BC.

A screenshot of Total War: Pharaoh displaying an overview of the campaign map in the faction select screen — The campaign map really doesn’t do justice to the scope of the Bronze Age in this era.

Total War: Pharaoh Most closely resembles Troy: A Total War SagaIn its gameplay and presentation. PharaohThe series also includes some elements from previous entries, such as Total War AttilaThen, Three Kingdoms. Pharaoh’s campaign is less scripted than some of the more recent entries in the franchise, but it still leans on some long-running conceits of the grand strategy/4X genre. The early campaign stages are spent on a turn-based map, expanding your empire and economy. However, a civil conflict forces you to contend with other pretenders for your faction’s throne. The late game, on the other hand, is focused on withstanding the invasion of the enigmatic “sea people” and ensuring your legacy can persist through the Bronze Age collapse. Total War’s freeform campaign is one of its most recognizable features, but I found myself lost around the 50th turn. The broad victory conditions do offer an alternative in the long game other than “painting the map,” but they don’t lead to anything nearly as compelling as the early game rush.

A screenshot from Total War Pharaoh showcasing the game’s strategic layer — Total War Pharaoh has a similar strategic layer to Troy

Strategic level Total War PharoaThe map is larger than the previous version. Three KingdomsThe following are some examples of how to use Troy, but as a title that’s been touted as the “definitive bronze-age experience” by Creative Assembly, it’s still somewhat restrictive. The truncated version of this map is less intimidating but it leaves very little space for other important players from the time. There’s no denying the importance of the cultures featured in Pharaoh, but it ignores civilizations like the Assyrians, Mycenaeans, and Babylonians, to name just a few. The omissions limit the strategic possibilities and give a false impression of that time period. Frankly, I’m not certain what would be worse — that Creative Assembly forgot about them, or that it left them out to include as post-release DLC.

A screenshot from Total War: Pharaoh showing the faction select screen — Initially, there are eight available leaders. Half of these will be assigned to Egypt.

Total War: Diplomacy features the backroom diplomacy that is so popular in Total War. PharaohThe court system is the most important change. The layer lets you besmirch other leaders behind their backs to gain popularity, legitimacy, or even power as you fight for the position of Pharaoh. Playing your cards right even allows you to call in some well-timed favors, whether that’s filling your coffers, or filling your ranks.

A screenshot of Total War: Pharaoh displaying the court system screen

The pantheons of the three cultures that you can choose from also have a part to play in the shaping of your empire. They provide bonuses proportional to how much reverence your faction shows them. But unlike religious bonuses in Troy, the benefits here are largely passive: Your army of Ra worshippers won’t be able to summon searing beams of light to turn the tide of battle, for instance, no matter how many temples you build. This is understandable, considering Pharaoh’s more grounded approach and presentation, but having more tempting reasons to engage with this system might have been nice.

A screenshot of Total War Pharaoh displaying the religion screen — You’d think the benefits of worshipping the sun god would be better than some additional workers

The tactical level is where real-time strategic planning takes place. Pharaoh The brutality of war in the Bronze Age is captured well. The Bronze Age was a primitive period. Pharaoh The game offers a wide range of options for building your army. These include everything from slingers, archers and charioteers to axemen. Every faction has its own unique units and structures. During a campaign you can add native troops from different regions.

A screenshot of Total War Pharaoh displaying the general screen — Pharaoh features the RPG-lite games from Troy Total War Saga.

Although having unit pools unique to each area of the map may make your overall roster seem a little overstuffed, they will allow you balance out the composition of your army when fighting away from your home base. If you have a nimble army that is well-suited to the open desert but has a heavier armored Hittite force, then your Egyptian army may suffer if it’s not supplemented by some units native to the northern realms.

A screenshot of Total War Pharaoh showing the game’s encyclopedia — It is a staggering list.

Total War has long been known for its weather effects and landscapes. Pharaoh’s dynamic weather drastically alters how you approach a battle. A scorching heat which quickly tires out your unit can be followed by torrential rainfall that slows down ranged attack and causes chariots to bog.

A sandstorm swirls over Mennefer (Memphis) in Total War: Pharaoh

Aesthetically, PharaohIt is a great showcase of technical skills in its strategic and tactical layers. Under the noon sun, golden dunes glisten. The scale of battles feels epic with generals taunting each other amid the chaos.

Hittite soldiers set fire to palm trees in the middle of Egyptian troops in Total War: Pharaoh

The AI and unit collision issues are still present. Units on either side of an engagement can turn into massive blobs, rendering them ineffective — this is especially problematic in settlement battles, which require units to negotiate narrow streets and other chokepoints. Furthermore, the AI can often be plagued with indecision if it’s presented with attacks on multiple fronts, making some rather questionable tactical decisions. During these moments, I’d like to think my strategy is running circles around the AI, but it’s difficult to tell how much of this behavior is a feature, rather than a bug.

Ultimately, Total War: PharaohIt is intended to be an easily accessible version of an abbreviated world history class. The majority of systems are in Pharaoh offer glimpses of greatness, but aren’t deep or refined enough to deliver a memorable grand strategy experience. Creative Assembly’s take on the Bronze Age is not thematic enough to engage a novice, but not accurate or expansive enough to appeal to Total War veterans, leaving us with a Total War title that’s unlikely to stand the test of time.

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