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We won't mince words here: the 2Game editorial team are all big fans of Creative Assembly's Total Warhammer franchise, but there's something to be said about the studio's historical grand strategies, too. Contained, immersive, and each unique in its own right, games such as Rome, Three Kingdoms, and the relatively recent Troy stand on their own two feet, and they serve a slightly different audience than Total Warhammer does. To that end, we were absolutely thrilled when CA and SEGA announced Total War: Pharaoh PC!
For the first time, Creative Assembly is getting ready to just its players into ancient Egypt at its very heyday, at the dawn of a new power struggle following the death of Merneptah. If that sounds like the sort of thing you'd be interested in... well, CA's got some very exciting promises to keep. Let us explain!
Why Ancient Egypt?
Naturally, the setting itself is the biggest draw to consider. According to CA's game director Todor Nikolov, the reasoning behind the decision is self-apparent: "There are few periods more iconic than Ancient Egypt; fraught with political intrigue, cataclysmic events, and grand war campaigns, it's the perfect setting for a Total War title," he said. "As Pharaoh, you must save Egypt from the cusp of destruction and guide your people through the calamitous Bronze Age collapse. It is up to you to either survive or fade into history."
A heck of a pitch, we believe. But what do we actually know about the game, in practical terms?
READ MORE: The Total War: Warhammer 3 Content Roadmap for 2023 and Beyond
What Awaits in Total War: Pharaoh PC
It should come as no surprise that Pharaoh won't be nearly as immense and expansive as, say, Total Warhammer 3. This works in its favor, however, because balancing three hundred different factions won't be an issue! We're being cheeky here, but only slightly: this game features eight unique Faction Leaders, each vying for control over ancient-era Egypt. These are - in no particular order - the following:
- Egyptian rulers: Ramesses, Seti, Tausret, Amenmesse
- Canaanite rulers: Bay, Irsu
- Hittite rulers: Kurunta, Suppiluliuma
The game does go beyond just Egypt, then, but the focal point is plainly obvious. The usual repertoire of political ploys and all-out warfare will appear, of course. However, it's up to the player whether they wish to establish themselves as a commercial powerhouse or, perhaps, as a testy, combative trickster.
Creative Assembly's recreation of the Bronze Age Collapse should be fairly interesting regardless. The historical context behind the main campaign will provide phenomenal backing to some classic Total War routing. The addition of several note able new features, in the meantime, should keep things fresh even for franchise veterans.
Pre-order Total War: Pharaoh on PC via 2Game!
New Gameplay Mechanics
Creative Assembly hasn't been sitting on its proverbial thumbs. There are two big (and thrilling!) new features coming with Pharaoh, and they may well usher in a new era of Total War itself. These are the so-called dynamic battles and campaign customization.
Dynamic battles are precisely what it says on the tin: battlefields are now living, breathing environments that react to what's happening on them naturally and realistically. Are your armies duking it out with flames? Firestorms are a real risk. Was there a storm brewing just as you started your latest clash? Violent storms may make your life way more difficult! So far, CA has mentioned:
- Firestorms
- Sandstorms
- Thunderstorms
- Torrential rain
- Wildfires
- Flooding
In other words, disasters await, and it just so happens that you'll be smack-dab in the thick of them all!
Further expounding on this newfound dynamism is the ability to set up custom campaigns. CA is adopting a sandbox mode not unlike what's found in Civilization games, allowing players to fully and comprehensively change the very core of their next major playthrough. Time will tell how far this setting may take, but custom starting positions and natural disaster tweaks have already been pointed out to us.
Fresh, Unexplored Historical Context
Broadly speaking, Pharaoh is set roughly around 1200 BC. While video games at large aren't necessarily outright ignoring Ancient Egypt as a whole, it's a simple statement of fact that this particular part of history is often woefully overlooked by game devs. Heck, now that we think of it, we haven't had a proper ancient Egypt title since Assassin's Creed: Origins came out!
Pharaoh aims to right that wrong, however. Given Creative Assembly's penchant for capturing the true look and feel of the given ancient era (as we understand it), we've no doubt that we're in for one of the most fascinating explorations of this historical era. Gameplay, of course, will be king. Players do need to take up the role of the Pharaoh in some capacity, after all, but this bit of fiction shouldn't step on the toes of real-world history in a meaningful way.
Total War: Pharaoh is Coming Out This October!
According to SEGA and Creative Assembly, Total War: Pharaoh is coming out on PC on October 31, 2023. The studios' approach to game announcements is a much-appreciated change of pace for many players, it's worth highlighting. There's much to love about the fact that we've only got a few months to go between the game's initial announcement and its official release.
We will, of course, have lots more to say about the game in the coming weeks and months: you're going to want to stay tuned to the 2Game Community Hub for more on that. In the interim, just the fact that we're getting an awesome new historical Total War game has got us giddy. Ancient Egypt awaits!
Get in the Game ! 
