Pharaoh + Cleopatra

About

"Pharaoh + Cleopatra" is a city-building game that immerses you in Ancient Egypt, from the age of pyramids to the New Kingdom. Manage all aspects of Egyptian culture, including religion, trading, and agriculture along the Nile river. Construct monumental structures, ensure economic prosperity, and witness your dynasty rule for generations in this historically rich game. Its unique features include a farming model based on the Nile, naval warfare, and variable difficulty levels.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

92%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,489 reviews

story26 positive mentions

stability29 negative mentions

A classic city-building game that has stood the test of time, providing hours of engaging gameplay.
The game offers a rich historical context and allows players to build and manage their own ancient Egyptian cities.
Challenging mechanics that require strategic planning and resource management, making it rewarding to progress through missions.

The game can be buggy and may crash frequently on modern systems, leading to frustration for players.
Graphics and user interface feel outdated, and the game does not support modern resolutions without external patches.
Some gameplay mechanics, such as worker AI and resource management, can be frustrating and lead to unintended city failures.

story
136 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
79%
2%
The story aspect of the game is primarily conveyed through a series of progressively challenging missions that require players to build and manage cities while achieving specific goals, such as constructing monuments or maintaining a thriving economy. Players appreciate the historical context and the variety of mission types, which include military and economic challenges, although some report critical bugs that can hinder progress. Overall, the game is celebrated for its engaging mission design and nostalgic value, making it a classic in the city-building genre.
- “Pharaoh is like evolution itself; every mission shows you how to make greatness from nothing.”
- “There's a storyline to every mission that requires you to meet certain goals in order to move on to the next age and subsequently the next period in time.”
- “The missions are fun and interesting with different and diverse challenges to overcome, from war to economy, from food to housing, pleasing the pharaoh and the gods and everything in between.”
- “This game falls flat; its music, its map design, its narration, its gameplay, it all falls short, very short of other games. It doesn't catch you at all, while other games got me into a 'don't look at the clock, just one more mission' mindset, this one makes me quit every time I finish a mission... so I guess the whole review could be summarized as 'bland and dull'.”
- “It's pretty bad when you pay money for a 20+ year old game and already on the third map there is a bug which makes you unable to complete the mission on the higher difficulties...”
- “Many missions have 'logistical problems' because you just can't build a bridge, for example, and have to circumvent the map. While this sounds impressive, it actually gives massive problems in the longer missions, especially the ones where you have to build monuments. Some of these literally can't be completed within 40 game years because of import limits.”
graphics
99 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
61%
7%
The graphics of the game are generally considered dated but still hold a nostalgic charm, with many players appreciating the aesthetic quality and attention to detail from its original release. While some reviews note that the remastered version has improved visuals, others argue that the original graphics remain superior in certain aspects. Overall, the visuals are seen as a blend of vintage appeal and functional design, making the game enjoyable despite its age.
- “I love this game, and everyone I have ever shown it to has agreed that the graphics are still gorgeous after all this time.”
- “The graphics are very aesthetically pleasing.”
- “The graphics hold up and the soundtrack is cool.”
- “Unfortunately, no effort was done for graphic support, aspect ratios, or even screen size.”
- “The graphics and animation are not up to modern standards; lots of buttons to click which can get confusing at times, bugs which will never be fixed, etc.”
- “But the graphics limitations really annoyed me.”
gameplay
97 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
66%
3%
The gameplay of Pharaoh is praised for its engaging city-building mechanics, which effectively integrate elements of ancient Egyptian civilization and religion. While some players find the learning curve steep due to insufficient explanations of certain mechanics, the overall experience is described as challenging yet rewarding, with a nostalgic charm that holds up well despite its age. The game offers a variety of strategies and scenarios, encouraging players to master its intricate systems for successful city management.
- “They kept the difficulty and mechanical feel from C3, while only perfectly eliminating the BS, so the legitimate difficulty is still there.”
- “The gameplay is a pretty straightforward city-building game that takes you through each era of ancient Egypt, from its pre-historical roots, through the old, middle, and new kingdoms, and then again in the Cleopatra expansion game which takes you through the eras in which Egypt was ruled by the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty and later by the Romans.”
- “The gameplay is well-thought-out and you'll get accustomed to the interface and the buildings bit by bit, following both the 'big' tutorial at the beginning and the invention of new technologies or the emergence of new trends that are also good occasions to give you more information about the new things introduced by the game.”
- “Many strategies today try to say to you: you start using all mechanics from the first second or you will lose.”
- “It is also a real challenge sometimes and game mechanics can feel broken.”
- “As for gameplay - even with one firehouse for every three shacks and plenty of wells, I was getting an annoying pop-up every five seconds that my buildings were all burning to the ground.”
music
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
47%
4%
The music in the game is widely praised for its nostalgic and captivating qualities, with many players considering it one of the best soundtracks in video game history. While some reviews mention that the music may feel dated, the overall consensus is that it enhances the gameplay experience and evokes strong memories, making it a standout feature of the game. Despite a few criticisms regarding certain tracks, the majority of players find the music to be beautiful, atmospheric, and integral to the game's charm.
- “The music is probably some of the greatest music in video game history, and that is not a hyperbolic statement.”
- “The pure feel and style of the music in this game is beautiful, and Keith Zizza and Henry Beckett managed to create some of the most memorable themes I've heard in a video game, with wonderful instrumentation.”
- “The music is absolutely wonderful, sets the mood perfectly.”
- “Awfully rewritten music”
- “Music is a bit dated - you may end up muting it and putting something more appropriate on in the background instead.”
- “I've played this game since I was a child so I am very nostalgic about its shitty graphics and repetitive music.”
stability
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and various glitches that hinder gameplay. While some players have managed to enjoy the game despite these issues, others have found it unplayable, particularly on the Steam platform. Overall, the game appears to suffer from significant technical problems that detract from the experience.
- “The game freezes at the start screen and it is unplayable.”
- “The game crashes and freezes right after loading and playing for a minute or so; cannot get a refund, do not buy.”
- “Do not buy this game, the Steam version is for many people (myself included) completely broken and freezes/crashes at random for no reason.”
replayability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
18%
27%
The game is praised for its high replayability, with users highlighting its variety of missions, challenges, and engaging sandbox elements that keep the experience fresh. Many reviewers appreciate the depth and attention to detail, which contribute to its lasting appeal across different gamer age groups. Overall, players feel that the game offers countless opportunities for replay, ensuring it remains enjoyable over time.
- “An old-school city-builder with surprising depth and great replayability.”
- “Although this game is old, the depth and breadth of this game has a lot of replayability value.”
- “It is truly a work of art when one sits back and looks at the details and care put into this particular game, with that attention to detail translating to countless replayability, as well as transcending gamer age groups.”
- “The game also has a variety of missions and challenges to complete, adding a layer of replayability.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
20%
30%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its captivating music, sound effects, and immersive settings, particularly evoking the feel of ancient Egypt. Many players fondly recall how the game's ambiance kept them engaged for hours, despite some noted flaws. Overall, the unique atmosphere is considered legendary and a key reason to experience the game.
- “The game's music and sound effects are also well done, adding to the atmosphere.”
- “There is a fantastic atmosphere to this game that truly hammers home the feel of ancient Egypt.”
- “Whereas the atmosphere, music, and mission settings are still great, looking at it now there are some glaring errors and mistakes in the game.”
- “This is a game I like to whip out every summer: maybe it's the sunny atmosphere, maybe it's the hypnotic music, maybe it's the lethargy brought about by waiting for the pyramids to be built.”
- “I had so much fun playing this game back then; the music, the atmosphere, the graphics, the game itself, it is just amazing. It's a shame that they don't make games like this anymore.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
86%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while it offers depth and challenge through various mechanics like seasonal farming and monument building, it can also become tedious due to the need for constant resource management and navigation of the world map. Completionists may find the grinding overwhelming, requiring significant time investment to achieve all objectives. Overall, the balance between engaging gameplay and repetitive tasks varies among players.
- “The grinding in this game is rewarding and keeps you engaged for hours.”
- “I love how the grinding feels purposeful, making every level-up satisfying.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding if you are a completionist.”
- “The world map is worse off with a lot of useless resources in the cities you can trade with, making it tedious to figure out what you need and are able to trade with each mission.”
- “This means that you need to constantly be right-clicking every building to see its status, employees, raw materials, etc. It's really tedious and a shame that they have not managed to optimize this for Windows 10.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
Overall, users report that the game runs smoothly with no significant bugs or crashes, indicating effective optimization. However, some players express nostalgia for previous versions that allowed for more customizable speed settings, suggesting that the current optimization may have sacrificed some gameplay flexibility.
- “Everything runs smoothly, as it should, with no bugs or crashes.”
- “No problems so far; everything runs smoothly and it's as fun as I remembered.”
- “Runs smoothly for me as well, which is a bonus as Cleopatra always used to crash on me!”
- “I still miss the old days before the game was optimized when you could set the speed to 100%, and the game would do a mix of the 100% and 90% speeds, so you would get a smoother gameplay in comparison to now where it is all in on a single speed.”
- “Use Windows XP SP2 compatibility, reduce color to 16-bit, disable fullscreen optimizations, run as admin, program DPI, high DPI override.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the humor in the game, noting that while it features some antiquated mechanics, there are hidden comedic elements and funny comments that enhance the experience. The voice acting, though not always top-notch, adds to the humor and charm of the game, contributing to its overall enjoyment.
- “Barring some antiquated game mechanics (why hello there, labor seeker....), it is a well-designed, challenging, rewarding, and beautiful game, with the occasional humor hidden within it.”
- “Some comments are really funny.”
- “The music is some of my favorite video game music of all time, and although the voice acting may not be exactly the best at times, it works because it's funny and well executed.”