Pharaonic

About

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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

+17

76%

Audience ScoreBased on 143 reviews

gameplay18 positive mentions

grinding10 negative mentions

The game features beautiful graphics and a vibrant art style that enhances the Egyptian theme.
Combat is challenging yet fair, requiring players to learn enemy patterns and manage stamina effectively.
The game offers a variety of weapons and armor, allowing for different playstyles and character builds.

The gameplay can become repetitive due to the frequent respawning of enemies and lack of meaningful progression.
There is no respec option for character skills, which can lead to frustration if players feel they made poor choices.
Some combat mechanics, such as parrying and dodging, can feel inconsistent and lead to unfair deaths.

gameplay
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
54%
13%
The gameplay of "Pharaonic" is characterized by its challenging combat mechanics reminiscent of Dark Souls, featuring a mix of engaging exploration and skill-based fighting. However, many players find the gameplay repetitive and marred by frustrating mechanics, such as damage-sponge enemies and the "imprisoned" mechanic that can disrupt flow. While the game boasts beautiful graphics and a unique setting, its core gameplay experience is often described as clunky and lacking meaningful progression.
- “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.”
- “Pharaonic is a game bogged down by repetitive gameplay and lack of meaningful progression.”
- “However, the novelty of the setting is not enough to overcome the dull gameplay.”
- “Sadly, the gameplay is repetitive, frustrating, and tedious.”
graphics
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
36%
7%
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. Many reviewers appreciate the Egyptian setting and the variety of visuals across different locations, although some note minor graphical glitches and a cartoonish design that may not appeal to everyone. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point, contributing positively to the game's aesthetic experience.
- “The graphics and art style are really nice.”
- “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.”
story
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
68%
7%
The game's story is generally considered straightforward and basic, lacking depth and environmental storytelling, which detracts from the overall experience. While players appreciate the art direction and character design, the narrative often feels minimal and forgettable, with a focus on combat rather than character development or meaningful choices. Some reviewers note that the background lore is more intriguing, hinting at potential for a richer narrative in future updates.
- “The story of Pharaonic is set in ancient Egypt, and you play 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.”
- “It's a basic story, but it does the job and sets the stage well.”
- “Story is simple but fine; background lore, however, is more developed and shows an interesting setting to explore and learn about.”
- “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.”
music
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
27%
27%
The music in the game is generally well-received, featuring evocative Egyptian themes that enhance the atmosphere, though some players find it generic and forgettable. While it complements the visually appealing graphics and engaging gameplay, opinions vary on its impact, with some noting it adds to the experience while others feel it does not significantly elevate it. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's aesthetic, despite some criticisms of its originality.
- “Of course, the music has those Egyptian vibes that you know from the cinema.”
- “Ancient Egypt fighting game delivers beautiful graphics, nice music, and difficult (i.e. fun) gameplay!”
- “Good graphics with a really nice art style, good progression, and gameplay that's arguably challenging, and nice music.”
- “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.”
- “Music was forgettable.”
- “The music sounds like generic background desert music, but it does harm the experience that much.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, with combat encounters feeling repetitive due to enemies having too much health and the loss of experience points upon death. The lack of a points system for weapons and armor further exacerbates the grind, making progress feel slow and unfulfilling. Overall, the gameplay is described as a slog, reminiscent of monotonous tasks in everyday life.
- “The combat itself is a slog, with most enemies having too much health, making grinding feel unbearable due to the repetitiveness of encounters.”
- “Sadly, the gameplay is repetitive, frustrating, and tedious.”
- “You still lose a huge chunk of XP when you die, so dying really just does mean 'more grinding'.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
The game experiences performance issues, including stuttering during key actions like equipping items and combat, which can disrupt the overall gameplay experience. However, some users note that its performance is an improvement compared to similar titles, particularly on lower-end hardware.
- “Gameplay is fantastic and performance is much better than Ziggurath's on my laptop!”
- “The game has some issues with performance.”
- “There is noticeable stuttering when equipping an item, after getting a kill, or sometimes randomly during gameplay, which disrupts the already slow combat style of this game.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
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 purchase price.
- “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.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by clever references to other video games, particularly the Dark Souls series, which fans find amusing. Additionally, players note the comedic inconsistency in character design, such as the disproportionate hand sizes of female and male models, adding to the lighthearted tone.
- “There are some fun references to other video games, and it has a nice bit of humor to it, which I always enjoy.”
- “As a lover of the Dark Souls series, I found it a little funny that they drew their inspiration for the game from it.”
- “One funny thing is that the female model's hands are exactly the same size as the male's, even though she is overall smaller.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
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 does not 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 lacks a cohesive atmosphere, making it feel disjointed and unengaging.”
- “Despite the potential for a rich atmosphere, the execution falls flat, leaving the world feeling empty and uninspired.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The character development in the game benefits from a unique mythic Egyptian setting, which introduces fresh armor, weapons, and character designs, moving away from conventional 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.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
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.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to progress without losing progress.”
- “I experienced constant frame drops and stuttering, which severely affected my overall enjoyment.”