Pharaoh + Cleopatra

About

Pharaoh + Cleopatra is a single player strategy game with a historical theme. It was developed by Impressions Games and was released on December 15, 2016. It received very positive reviews from players.

Immerse yourself in Ancient Egypt from the age of the great pyramids to the final years of the New Kingdom.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

92%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,868 reviews

story52 positive mentions

stability56 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 a satisfying challenge, with a variety of missions and scenarios.
Nostalgic for many players, it evokes fond memories of childhood while still being enjoyable for new players.

The game suffers from bugs and crashes, particularly on modern systems, making it frustrating to play.
Graphics and user interface are outdated, requiring external patches for better resolution and functionality.
Some gameplay mechanics, such as worker AI and resource management, can be clunky and lead to confusion.

story
258 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
79%
1%
The game's story is structured around a series of progressively challenging missions that require players to build cities and meet specific goals, such as constructing monuments or managing resources. While many players appreciate the historical context and the depth of gameplay, some have noted critical bugs that can hinder mission completion, particularly on higher difficulties. Overall, the missions are engaging and varied, offering a nostalgic experience for fans of city-building games, though some find the narrative elements lacking compared to other titles in the genre.
- “Pharaoh is a nostalgia trip first and foremost but also a great game, whilst I find myself smiling at cutscenes and music from my childhood I've also found myself engrossed in the game and missions themselves, a simple and fun city builder that offers so much despite being over 20 years old.”
- “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 Z+P. It doesn't catch you at all, while Z+P got me into a 'don't look at the clock, just one more mission' mindset. P+C 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...”
- “While this sounds impressive, it actually gives massive problems in the longer missions (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
192 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
60%
7%
The graphics of the game are generally considered dated, reflecting its origins from the early 2000s, yet many players appreciate their nostalgic charm and aesthetic appeal. While some reviews note that the remastered version has improved visuals, others argue that the original still holds up better in terms of detail and overall quality. Despite the graphical limitations, the gameplay remains engaging, and the visuals are often described as beautiful and vibrant for their time, making the game enjoyable for fans of the genre.
- “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 are actually still pretty good when you consider the game itself is twenty years old!”
- “Unfortunately, no effort was done for graphic support, aspect ratios, or even screen size.”
- “But the graphics limitations really annoyed me.”
- “Chintzy, terrible graphics.”
gameplay
178 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
65%
2%
The gameplay of Pharaoh is praised for its engaging city-building mechanics, which blend historical elements with strategic depth, offering a challenging yet rewarding experience. While some players note that the mechanics can be frustrating or require a learning curve, many appreciate the refined systems and the nostalgic charm that keeps the game enjoyable even years after its release. Overall, it provides hours of addictive gameplay, with a well-structured tutorial and a variety of scenarios that enhance replayability.
- “Pharaoh is a fantastic game that offers hours and hours of gameplay.”
- “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 fun and addictive, and the GUI is easy to learn and understand.”
- “It takes a little bit to get into, and requires some pre-reading of the manual to understand the mechanics (they aren't clearly explained enough for me, and it was frustrating having to learn as you go for a couple of things).”
- “My only complaint about this game would be the terrible military mechanics.”
- “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
150 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
48%
3%
The music in the game is widely praised for its nostalgic and immersive qualities, with many players considering it one of the best soundtracks in video game history. While some find the music dated, the majority appreciate its ability to enhance the atmosphere and evoke memories, making it a memorable aspect of the gameplay experience. Overall, the soundtrack is described as beautiful, catchy, and integral to the game's charm, often leaving a lasting impression on players.
- “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
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous users reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and various glitches that hinder gameplay. While some players have managed to enjoy the game despite these issues, many recommend against purchasing it due to its unplayable state on certain platforms, particularly Steam. Overall, the game appears to suffer from a range of technical problems that detract from the experience.
- “The game freezes at the start screen and it is unplayable.”
- “Do not buy this game, the Steam version is for many people (myself included) completely broken and freezes/crashes at random for no reason.”
- “The issues I keep having is the game freezes at random parts of the game, sometimes just a minute in. It's frustrating to not get it to run right after you paid for it!”
replayability
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
35%
15%
The game is praised for its exceptional replayability, with players highlighting its variety of missions, challenges, and engaging scenarios that encourage multiple playthroughs. Its nostalgic charm and attention to detail contribute to a timeless experience that appeals to gamers of all ages, ensuring that it remains enjoyable and fresh even after many sessions. Overall, it is regarded as a quintessential city-building game with significant depth and replay value.
- “This game will never get old and still provides barrels of fun and so much 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
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
35%
15%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its captivating music, sound effects, and immersive settings, particularly evoking the feel of ancient Egypt. Many players fondly recall being enchanted for hours by the unique ambiance and gameplay, despite acknowledging some technical flaws. Overall, the 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.”
- “Like I said, the atmosphere is legendary.”
- “Whereas the atmosphere, music, and mission settings are still great looking at it now, there are some glaring errors/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
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
86%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while the depth of gameplay offers a fair challenge, the need for constant micromanagement and tedious resource management can be overwhelming, especially for completionists. The world map's clutter and the necessity to frequently check building statuses contribute to a sense of tedium, detracting from the overall enjoyment. Despite these issues, some players appreciate the unique mechanics and nostalgic elements of the game.
- “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
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
30%
10%
Overall, players report that the game runs smoothly with no significant bugs or crashes, indicating effective optimization. However, some users express nostalgia for previous versions that allowed for more flexible speed settings, suggesting that the current optimization may have sacrificed some gameplay nuances for stability.
- “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.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as subtle yet effective, with some amusing comments and quirky moments arising from gameplay mechanics, such as buildings collapsing and characters getting lost. While the voice acting may not be top-notch, it adds to the comedic charm, making the overall experience enjoyable and entertaining.
- “Barring some antiquated game mechanics (why hello there, labour 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 favourite 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.”