First released in 1999, Pharoah was a top-down city builder from Sierra Entertainment released on Windows. Using the same game engine as the Rome-themed Caesar III, Pharoah featued dual game modes: campaign and fre-build.
Announced in 2020, Triskell Interactive and Dotemu’s remake is now available, faithful to the original but with a bunch of new features, including 4K graphics and integration of the Pharaoah expansion pack Cleopatra: Queen of the Nile.
Pharoah: A New Era features
Key features of the remade game include:
● A Cult Classic Remade: Rediscover 4,000 years of History in 4K HD in this remake of the cult classic city-builder Pharaoh and its expansion Cleopatra: Queen of the Nile
● A Rich, Complexe and Unique Experience: Trade and develop your economy with neighboring cities and make your civilization thrive while facing the elements with the flooding of the Niel, the wars with your enemies, the furies of the Gods and the plagues of Egypt
● A Fortune of Fun: Lead your people through a rich 50+ missions and 100+ hour campaign, or unwind and build the metropolis of your dreams in a Free Build mode
● Breathtaking Views: Marvel at the beauty of budding settlements and lively cities sprawling across the Egyptian sands, brought to life through fully reworked, intricate hand drawn art
● Modern Refinements: Overhauled menus, a refreshed UI and various adjustments make Pharaoh: A New Era’s classically inspired fun feel like second nature to play
● A Fully Reorchestrated Soundtrack: Take in stirring recreations of the original soundtrack’s melodies, rearranged and performed with traditional oriental instruments
Meanwhile, the game has various gameplay developments to enhance both playability and the challenge of playing:
● New reworked UI: with overhauled menus and a fully redesigned UI, build your city more efficiently and raise your empire to new heights
● With the New Nilometer Indicator, track both when the Nile floods occur and its quality
● Manage your people more easily and efficiently with new and redesigned mechanics, like the Workers tooltip, the Fixed Worker Ratio or the Global Labor Pool
● Develop your city with ease with the ability to quickly copy-paste buildings
● Enjoy a chiller experience by disabling predators
The game features many other enhancements.
You can buy Pharoah: A New Era for PC on GOG or Steam now.
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Christian Cawley is a writer and editor who covers consumer electronics, IT, and entertainment media. He has written for publications such as Computer Weekly, Linux Format, MakeUseOf.com, and Tech Radar.
He also produces podcasts, has a cigar box guitar, and of course, loves retro gaming.