Builders of Egypt: Prologue

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Builders of Egypt: Prologue is a single player simulation game. It was developed by Strategy Labs and was released on March 2, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Builders of Egypt: Prologue is an economic type of city-building taking place in the valley of the Nile. The story starts in a little-known protodynastic period in which you will be able to observe the birth of the Old Egypt and finished with the death of Cleopatra VII. A key aspect of governance is the skilful management of urban planning. This includes the careful design of street layouts, th…

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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72%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,411 reviews

graphics137 positive mentions

stability54 negative mentions

The game has beautiful graphics and a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic city builders like Pharaoh.
It offers a unique economic system based on bread and beer as currency, which adds an interesting twist to gameplay.
The game shows great potential for future development, with engaging mechanics and a solid foundation for city building.

The tutorial is confusing and often provides incorrect instructions, leading to frustration for new players.
There are numerous bugs and performance issues, including crashes and unresponsive elements, making the game difficult to play.
The gameplay is currently limited, with only one mission available, which can lead to a lack of engagement and replayability.

graphics
307 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
51%
4%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some players praising the beautiful visuals and detailed environments, while others criticize them for being dated, poorly optimized, or lacking variety. Many users noted that while the graphics can look impressive from a distance, they often suffer when zoomed in, leading to issues like blurriness and character visibility. Overall, the game shows potential for improvement, especially in optimizing performance and enhancing graphical detail.
- “I love the graphics, it's player friendly, and it has just the right amount of everything.”
- “The graphics are beautiful, the animation and the models are very well thought out.”
- “Graphics are great, love it! Great story, a great building game, keep up the great work.”
- “The graphics aren't great; the game looks dated even though it's a 2020 release.”
- “Not in good shape; the graphics are horrendously poor when zoomed out on epic and cinematic levels.”
- “There is also the issue of ridiculously high graphics usage; even with all graphic settings on 'low', the game is using my full 6 GB of graphics and running so poorly that it almost becomes unplayable.”
story
218 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
84%
4%
The game's story aspect is currently limited, primarily featuring a single tutorial mission that introduces players to the mechanics without much depth or narrative engagement. Many players express frustration with the lack of clarity in mission objectives and the repetitive nature of the gameplay, as well as bugs that hinder progress. While the historical context is appreciated, the overall experience feels underdeveloped, leaving players eager for more substantial content and a richer storyline in future updates.
- “I will recommend this game simply because it is free, and because it is wonderful to see the attention to detail in the historical layout of the initial story - the pharaoh's name, the names of the cities in ancient Egypt, it's all based upon actual historical research of the ancient civilization.”
- “The single mission itself truly portrays the vast capability of the game to become a hit among all the city builder and colony sim fans out there.”
- “This prologue is just the first mission of what could turn out to be a really excellent offering, so please I ask you to ignore those not recommending it who have played for well under an hour as it is just ridiculous to make negative comments about it based on that amount of gameplay.”
- “Two unfortunate campaign missions, one of which is essentially a tutorial; if other missions should be available, then they don't open for me.”
- “The second mission is very difficult and has no tutorial on where or what to do.”
- “The missions are not fun; I want to build a city with all possibilities unlocked, but I can't, and that's sad.”
gameplay
176 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
69%
7%
The gameplay of the game is a blend of classic city-building mechanics reminiscent of titles like "Pharaoh," featuring nuanced systems for resource management and city development. While many players appreciate the nostalgic elements and potential for depth, there are significant concerns regarding clunky mechanics, unclear tutorials, and numerous bugs that detract from the overall experience. As it is still in early access, there is optimism for future improvements, but many feel that the current gameplay lacks innovation and polish.
- “The gameplay is unique enough to be interesting and yet familiar enough to be easy to pick up.”
- “The game has a lot of nuance towards different mechanics.”
- “Gameplay-wise, it has what I think is a good grasp of what it wants to become and holds still a lot of promise for future iterations.”
- “The clunkiness of the gameplay itself is another aspect that detracted from my enjoyment.”
- “The gameplay is total copy of the Pharaoh game released in 1999.”
- “Not because of the early access but mostly because the mechanics are badly designed and the game is just plain boring and not very interesting.”
music
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
57%
5%
The music in the game is generally well-received, described as pleasant, thematic, and soothing, with some tracks evoking a medieval lute style. However, players have noted issues such as abrupt transitions between songs, limited variety leading to repetitiveness, and occasional bugs causing the music to stop unexpectedly. Overall, while the soundtrack enhances immersion, there is a desire for more diverse and polished musical content.
- “The music is nice, it's on theme, it's flowy, it's gentle.”
- “The soundtrack is pleasant and really helps immersion in the title; time flies as you game.”
- “I have shadowy palm trees and lilypads bobbing in running water, and it has an appropriate strumming-and-drumming soundtrack.”
- “I stared at a solid blank white screen – music still cheerfully playing – for about 30 full seconds the first time I pulled it up and I almost force-quit the application because I figured it crashed.”
- “There is absolutely no Egyptian flair; the music sounds like it was copied over from some medieval-themed game.”
- “The music needs to be expanded as well; it didn't take long for the limited track to get annoying.”
stability
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
98%
The game is widely criticized for its numerous bugs and glitches, rendering it nearly unplayable for many users. While some players acknowledge the potential and appreciate the developers' efforts to address issues through patches, the overall consensus is that the game is currently too unstable and requires significant improvements before it can be recommended. Early access status is noted, but the extent of the bugs has led to frustration among players.
- “Except for some grammatical problems in the text screens, I saw no glitches, had no crashes, or any other misfortunes.”
- “The game runs smoothly without any interruptions, making for a seamless experience.”
- “I was impressed by the overall stability; I didn't encounter any bugs or performance issues during my playthrough.”
- “The purpose of this advertisement is to get you to shell out a whopping $20 USD to buy the full product, and I don't recommend you do that either; it's a buggy mess, and yet despite not having enough time to fix the bugs, they're already working on a couple of other games at the same time.”
- “Currently, it is nothing but bugs and glitches, and it literally makes it impossible to play.”
- “It's very buggy to the point of unplayable.”
optimization
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
54%
24%
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with many players reporting poor performance, bugs, and high demands on hardware, particularly in its current early access state. While some users experienced smooth gameplay on high-end systems, others noted significant lag and stuttering, indicating a need for further optimization and balancing. Many hope that future updates will address these issues and enhance the overall performance and graphical fidelity.
- “From what I've played so far, it runs smoothly and has all the basic features any city builder game needs.”
- “I didn't have any issues with game performance.”
- “I had some lagginess in the highest settings (I'm on a mid-range laptop, so it's expected), but reducing to 'high' or 'medium' made the game run smoothly.”
- “Unplayable for now, due to lack of optimization.”
- “Graphics are really awesome, even though the game is poorly optimized and really taxing.”
- “However, for the brief period I had it running, it clearly demonstrated a poorly optimized game that drove both CPU and GPU fans to the highest screech I have ever heard.”
grinding
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly due to the slow pace of early gameplay and the excessive micro-management required for resources and workforce balance. The limited farming and fishing areas, along with inconvenient road placements, exacerbate the challenges, making tasks feel repetitive and overly complicated. Overall, while the game has potential, many reviewers feel that the grinding mechanics detract from the overall enjoyment.
- “As a fan of history, I liked the concept of this game, but it was pretty slow and tedious early on.”
- “Balancing your workforce, food, and income is tedious.”
- “Tedious micro-management of warehouses is needed, or otherwise they get overstuffed with items like straw and don't have any more room for important goods, which brings your economy to a halt.”
monetization
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy for "Builders of Egypt" has been criticized as misleading, with the game being described as an advertisement rather than a full product. Reviewers express frustration over the practice of publishing demos as separate games, which they view as a cash grab that detracts from genuine game development and misleads consumers. Overall, the monetization approach is seen as exploitative, encouraging players to pay for a buggy experience rather than delivering a polished game.
- “The purpose of this advertisement is to get you to shell out a whopping $20 USD to buy the full product, and I don't recommend you do that either; it's a buggy mess, and yet despite not having enough time to fix the bugs, they're already working on a couple of other games at the same time.”
- “While it might seem like an innocuous mistake, publishing demos and advertisements as if they are full games is misleading and in some ways harmful.”
- “It's impossible for me to recommend this incorrectly published advertising spam to gamers; you deserve better than adverts.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game features a well-crafted atmosphere that effectively immerses players in an engaging "Egyptian experience," enhanced by its strong visual style, humor, and atmospheric music and sounds. Reviewers praise the stunning 3D environment, which contributes significantly to the overall ambiance and connection to the game world.
- “It has a well-crafted atmosphere, following tried and true methods for city building and featuring a good visual style.”
- “The game is atmospheric and engages you to live 'the Egyptian experience,' so to speak.”
- “Music and sounds are quite atmospheric, which makes you connect.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as quirky and situational, with amusing visuals like straw piles resembling cigars and playful jabs at critics. However, some reviewers feel the humor is less pronounced compared to similar games, suggesting a mixed reception regarding its comedic elements.
- “Straw piles at the stockpile look like big funny cigars.”
- “Honestly, little chubby kids, if your hot take on a demo of an early access game is that it has bugs and lacks content and isn't ready for release, maybe you should take your fingers off the keys and go work on those funny exercises the school diagnostician told you about, huh?”
- “And this was actually funny because they were on an 'infinite' cycle of going back and forth through my gameplay.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
67%
The game offers high replayability due to its diverse gameplay options and upgrade systems, which encourage players to revisit it. However, some users feel it lacks the depth and playability of older city-building games.
- “There is a high replayability because there are many ways to play.”
- “Upgrades are what bring me to these games and make it replayable.”
- “Sorry, not even close to the old city-building games, which, despite the graphics, were definitely more replayable.”
- “Upgrades are what bring me to these games and make them replayable.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
Users express a sense of disappointment regarding the game's emotional impact, highlighting concerns about its potential abandonment and lack of engaging storyline. They believe that a weak narrative could detract significantly from the overall experience, despite the possibility of future improvements through updates or mods.
- “A boring storyline and game will kill the experience. The reason point-and-click games did so well 20 years ago was that the story was both historically accurate and entertaining.”
- “The emotional depth of the characters felt lacking, making it hard to connect with their struggles.”
- “I expected a gripping narrative, but instead, I found the plot to be predictable and uninspired.”

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5h Median play time

6h Average play time

4-8h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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