Pharaoh: A New Era

The return of a classic isometric city builder that’s criminally underappreciated, Pharaoh: A New Era revitalizes a genre classic with some fancy next-gen tech that’s sure to impress veterans of the original game. With gorgeous 2D graphics, an impressive array of mechanics, and a modernized interface, this remake should be at the top of your list if you loved the original.

For a city-building game, Pharaoh: A New Era looks positively gorgeous. Dotemu, in collaboration with Triskell Interactive, has done it again: they’ve completely revitalized an aging franchise that was long overdue for a makeover.

Build and Prosper

The main gameplay mechanics of Pharaoh: A New Era will be quite familiar to you. Your task will be to create a prosperous empire along the Nile, starting from small villages and expanding on your way up the social ladder (or pyramid).

This remake includes all of the content found in the original Pharaoh, and also incorporates the Cleopatra: Queen of the Nile expansion pack into the mix. With its focus on real-life history and culture, this game feels unlike any other city-builder of its era.

The game features a lengthy campaign mode that takes you through Ancient Egypt in the time of the pharaohs. As you progress through the game, you'll establish your own dynasty by building temples, pyramids, and more. You'll also have to deal with various challenges as you're tasked with conquering neighboring kingdoms and defending yourself against enemies.

One of the peculiarities of Pharaoh: A New Era is that water is a valuable resource that has to be managed cautiously well, especially compared to other city-building games. A lack of water means food shortages, which can lead to famine in your kingdom. Water management is essential for prosperity, so be prepared to expand your city slowly.

4K And Beyond

In terms of visuals, this is not the same Pharaoh that was released in 1999 – not by a long mile. The game has been skillfully remastered to support ultra-high resolutions, bringing the scenic Egyptian scenery to life like never before.

The games’ sprites and tile art now look much more detailed than they ever did, featuring sharp edges and clean lines that give them a certain aesthetic appeal. I am personally a huge fan of this change, and even if it doesn't suit everyone's taste, it certainly improves upon the old-school aesthetics of the original game. Some of the original games' more obscure mechanics have also been reworked to fit with modern standards. Along with a new and more powerful map editor, the game also has some new and much more clear menus that are a blessing for new players that are aiming to give this classic title a go.

It’s clear that a huge deal of dedication and attention to detail went into the creation of this remake. I doubt anyone will deny that, but there still remains one question: does it succeed? It certainly does – far better than expected. More than anything, this remastered version of the game only proves that the basic mechanics of the 1999 original were so solid, that they, like the Pyramids, have stood the test of time.

Pros

• Remade graphics feature tons of impressive detail
• Addictive campaign mode
• Tons of missions and scenarios to tackle

Cons

• No multiplayer