Release Date: October 30, 1999
A cult economic strategy game created by Impressions Games and published by Sierra Entertainment. Pharaoh takes place in the Nile valley, several hundred years B.C., and spans from the era of the great pyramids to the New Kingdom period. As the pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, you have to transform local villages into great cities, take care of your people's needs, and make your country the greatest of them all.
Pharaoh is a city-builder economic strategy developed by Impressions Games, the veterans of the genre. The game was published by Sierra.
The player's job in Pharaoh is to manage a small settlement and carry out tasks assigned by the titular Egyptian ruler. Completing the tasks lets us ascend the national hierarchy, up to eventually taking the throne ourselves.
The game takes place in 3500-1279 BC, that is, over five periods of ancient Egypt's functioning: Genesis, Archaic, Old, Middle and New Kingdom. The game's campaign is partly non-linear and sometimes lets us choose which city to take over. Both options are always quite extreme - one focuses on expanding a safe, prospering settlement, with the other being more military in nature.
Pharaoh is a typical isometric city builder. The player's job is to expand the city while keeping the citizens happy, keeping their finances stable, defending themselves against enemies and fulfill requests from other cities or the Pharaoh himself.
Each city revolves around roads. Without them, settlers and traders can't reach the city, thus preventing it from functioning.
Some settlements heavily depend on the Nile overflowing. Farms constructed on floodplains provide the city with food. If the river floods poorly, the fields will be dry and the people may starve.
In addition to housing, the player must develop infrastructure and industry. The game features dozens of different buildings, often tied together or having additional requirements (as an example, papyrus makers need reed gatherers to function). The game also features a religion system. Each city has several gods attributed to it, who must be kept happy by building temples and holding festivals.
The city's layout is extremely important. A citizen must be able to reach a workplace from their house to employ themselves there. Industrial buildings detract from the area's aesthetics, slowing down the growth of neighboring farms. This means the player must compromise between aesthetics and functionality.
The city also needs money to function. Constructing new buildings costs money and workers expect to be paid for their work. There are two ways to earn money - trading with other cities and collecting taxes.
Pharaoh A New Era, an all-time classic, was released 2 days ago with very positive reviews. We have asked Théophile Noiré, the project director, a few questions about future plans and the process of developing this game.
video games
Kristian Smoszna
February 17, 2023
In a few hours, Pharaoh: A New Era, a remake of the classic city builder that enables us to take on the role of a Pharaoh and build cities in ancient Egyptian times, will be released on Steam.
video games
Adrian Werner
February 15, 2023
Pharaoh: A New Era, a remaster of the classic economic strategy game Pharaoh, was announced. The project will offer refreshed graphics and improved gameplay mechanics.
video games
Adrian Werner
August 28, 2020
Top downloads for Pharaoh Video Game:
System Requirements for Pharaoh Video Game:
PC / Windows
Recommended System Requirements:
Pentium II 266 Mhz, 32 MB RAM.
List of Game Expansions for Video Game:
Expansion
July 28, 2000
Strategy
An official expansion for the Pharaoh game, a cult economic strategy by Impressions Games and Sierra Entertainment, once again set in the ancient Egypt. This time, as the title Cleopatra: Queen of the Nile implies, the expansion takes place in a slightly later period, during the rule of Queen Cleopatra, the most famous woman in the history of Egypt. Your task is to fight back the Romans, developing great cities, and building historical monuments, such as the Library of Alexandria or the Pharos of Alexandria. The expansion features 14 new historical scenarios (e.g. fighting side-by-side with Marcus Antonius against Octavian) and introduces new branches of the industry, buildings, and inventions. You also have to face rival nations, such as Persians, Macedonians, and Romans, as well as ordinary thieves. Another novelty introduced in the expansion are natural disasters in the form of hailstorms and locust.
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