Pharaonic

77%
Game Brain Score Based on 113 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • story
Pharaonic Game Cover
Starting at $2.79Buy now
Get on Steam Get on Xbox Games Store

Pharaonic is a single-player historical fighting game set in Ancient Egypt, known for its good story, stunning graphics, and challenging combat. As a brave warrior, you'll face the Pharaoh's army and dangerous creatures, while uncovering the truth about Ahmosis I, the Red Pharaoh. With a variety of customizable combat styles, divine powers, and loot, players must strategize and adapt to overcome brutal foes and ultimately challenge the gods.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Linux
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

77%
Audience ScoreBased on 113 reviews
gameplay14 positive mentions
grinding7 negative mentions
  • The game features beautiful graphics and a unique Egyptian art style that enhances the overall experience.
  • Combat is challenging yet fair, requiring players to master timing and strategy, which adds to the satisfaction of overcoming difficult encounters.
  • The game offers a variety of weapons and armor, allowing for different playstyles and customization options.
  • The game can be excessively difficult, with some players feeling that the challenge stems from artificial difficulty rather than skill-based gameplay.
  • Checkpoints are poorly placed, often forcing players to replay sections with respawning enemies, which can lead to frustration.
  • Combat can feel repetitive and sluggish at times, with issues related to hitboxes and enemy attack patterns that detract from the overall enjoyment.
  • gameplay38 mentions

    The gameplay of Pharaonic is a mixed bag, featuring engaging combat mechanics reminiscent of souls-like games, but marred by issues such as clunky controls and repetitive enemy encounters. While the game offers a visually appealing experience with solid audio and a variety of combat mechanics, many players find the difficulty spikes and damage sponge enemies frustrating. Overall, it presents a challenging yet rewarding experience for those who appreciate its unique twists on familiar gameplay elements.

    • “A true hidden gem action-adventure game with souls-like combat and mechanics.”
    • “The game manages to keep things varied and fresh with different enemy types as well as interesting mechanics such as unblockable attacks and undodgeable attacks.”
    • “Pharaonic brings enough to the table, both known mechanics and unique twists that allow the game to stand apart even while being counted as a souls-like game.”
    • “This game has some potential, but sadly even if the graphics are pleasing to the eye and the music is good, the main mechanic is not good enough.”
    • “There are basic mechanics like parry and block dodge, heavy and fast attack, but when you fight, you don't feel the difference between heavy and fast attacks.”
    • “It's extremely repetitive gameplay could not make me play it for more than a day.”
  • graphics38 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beauty and detail, with a unique and colorful art style that enhances the overall atmosphere, particularly in its Egyptian setting. While some users noted minor graphical glitches and a few inconsistencies in character proportions, the overall aesthetic and level of polish are considered impressive for an indie title. However, there are mixed feelings about how the graphics relate to gameplay mechanics, with some reviewers suggesting that the visuals may overshadow underlying issues.

    • “The graphics are awesome, the mechanics are quite good, and the game is a lot less forgiving than Dark Souls and Bloodborne.”
    • “I have to say it was very alluringly beautiful - the graphics and style.”
    • “Graphics and sound quality are professional-level, and art and design is superb, colorful, and very appealing.”
    • “The art style and the atmosphere it creates doesn't relate to the level of difficulty it has.”
    • “Don't let outstanding graphics fool you, this isn't a great game.”
    • “This game has some potential, but sadly even if the graphics are pleasing to the eye and the music is good, the main mechanic is not good enough.”
  • story33 mentions

    The game's story is generally considered basic and minimal, focusing primarily on combat rather than deep narrative or character development. While players appreciate the intriguing background lore and environmental storytelling, the main plot lacks depth and substance, with many finding it forgettable despite the presence of side quests and multiple endings. Overall, the story serves as a backdrop to the combat experience, which is the main draw of the game.

    • “The story of Pharaonic is set in ancient Egypt, and you play as Dagi, a prisoner who tries to escape from prison to find out what happened to the Red Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt in the year 440.”
    • “Story is simple but fine; background lore, however, is more developed and shows an interesting setting to explore and learn about.”
    • “The story is fairly minimal but intriguing when you pick up the little bits of lore and unravel details about your past.”
    • “The game's environmental storytelling is also lacking, with players killing enemies with a minimal sense of purpose or exploration.”
    • “The game's art direction and environment design are extremely well done and are pleasant to look at, but are undermined by a lack of substance in plot and NPCs.”
    • “As the game prioritizes combat, there is less there in terms of story and character progression.”
  • music9 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising it as good and fitting for the game's atmosphere, while others find it generic and forgettable. Overall, it enhances the experience for many, contributing positively alongside the graphics and gameplay.

    • “So far it's a good game, good music, gameplay is good, it's not so difficult but it can be challenging, it's just a question of patience.”
    • “Music is good, graphics and textures are good too, it has some RPG mechanics.”
    • “Ancient Egypt fighting game delivers beautiful graphics, nice music and difficult (i.e. fun) gameplay!”
    • “This game has some potential, but sadly even if the graphics are pleasing to the eye and the music is good, the main mechanic is not good enough.”
    • “The music was forgettable.”
    • “The music sounds like generic background desert music, but it doesn't harm the experience that much.”
  • grinding7 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, as it involves repetitive combat against the same enemies and significant experience loss upon death, leading to more grinding for health and progress. The lack of a points system for weapons and armor further contributes to the grind, making the experience feel monotonous rather than challenging. Overall, those who dislike backtracking and repetitive gameplay may find this game unappealing.

    • “You still lose a huge chunk of XP when you die, so dying really just means 'more grinding'.”
    • “The combat in this game is a tedious slog with a lot of the same enemies over and over, where you swing twice and back up to wait for your stamina, as well as the respawning enemies of Dark Souls.”
    • “It's a tedious grind for more health and the next checkpoint.”
  • replayability4 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it minimal due to predictable routes, others appreciate the variety of weapon, armor, and magic combinations that encourage multiple playthroughs. Despite the differing opinions, many agree that the game's value justifies its replay potential.

    • “Good quality-cost relationship, very replayable.”
    • “There are many combinations of weapons, armors, and magic powers to try, and this makes the title very replayable.”
    • “And although replayability is minimal because, unlike Souls games, you'll probably end up taking the exact same routes, I feel it was still a fair purchase for 15.99 EUR.”
    • “There doesn't feel like much replay value as a result.”
  • atmosphere2 mentions

    The game's art style effectively creates a captivating atmosphere that enhances the experience, particularly in its ancient Egyptian setting, though some players feel it doesn't align with the game's level of difficulty.

    • “The art style and the atmosphere it creates doesn't relate to the level of difficulty it has.”
    • “Awesome atmospheric game set in ancient Egypt.”
    • “The art style and the atmosphere it creates doesn't match the level of difficulty it presents.”
    • “The game fails to immerse players in its world, leaving the atmosphere feeling flat and uninspired.”
    • “Despite the potential for a rich environment, the atmosphere feels lifeless and lacks any real tension.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    Users report issues with stuttering during key gameplay moments, such as equipping items and combat, which disrupts the otherwise enjoyable experience. However, overall performance is noted to be significantly better compared to previous titles like Ziggurath on similar hardware.

    • “Gameplay is fantastic and performance is much better than Ziggurat's on my laptop!”
    • “The game suffers from significant stuttering when equipping items or during combat, which disrupts the already slow-paced fighting style.”
    • “Experiencing random lag spikes during gameplay really hampers the overall experience and makes it frustrating to engage in battles.”
    • “The optimization issues lead to frequent frame drops, especially during critical moments, making it hard to enjoy the game.”
  • humor2 mentions

    The game features enjoyable humor, including clever references to other video games and amusing character design quirks, such as the disproportionate hand sizes of the female model compared to her overall stature.

    • “There are some fun references to other video games, and it has a nice bit of humor to it, which I always enjoy.”
    • “One funny thing is that the female model's hands are exactly the same size as the male's, although she is overall smaller.”
  • character development1 mentions

    The character development in the game benefits from a unique mythic Egyptian setting, which introduces fresh armor, weapons, and character designs that stand out from typical fantasy tropes. This originality enhances the overall experience and depth of the characters.

    • “The mythic Egyptian setting feels really fresh, allowing for interesting new armor, weapons, and character designs beyond the standard tired fantasy clichés.”
    • “The character development is incredibly deep, with each choice impacting the story and relationships in meaningful ways.”
    • “I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, making each interaction feel significant and rewarding.”
  • stability1 mentions

    Overall, users report that the game's stability is generally solid, with only minor graphic glitches noted that do not significantly affect gameplay. However, some players mention that the game is not fully content complete.

    • “Other than not being content complete, I really didn't run into any issues other than some minor graphic glitches, but nothing that impeded gameplay.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Buy Pharaonic

Play time

60hMedian play time
60hAverage play time
60-60hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Similar Games