Total War: Pharaoh hands-on preview: A promising historical entry into the Total War franchise
Developed by Creative Assembly and published by Sega, Total War: Pharaoh is the latest addition to the historical side of the franchise. Set during the collapse of the Bronze Age, it provides players with a bird's eye view of ancient Egypt like never before. Akin to other historical titles in the franchise, this, too, has its eyes set on storylines based around its chosen time period.
Like the other historical titles, players will take control of factions and relive ancient Egypt's glory days to the fullest. That said, I got a chance to try out Total War: Pharaoh a while ago, and boy, do I have a story to tell. Although plenty of things are still in development, I loved every second of it.
Total War: Pharaoh - The cradle of civilization and the collapse of the Bronze Age
Let me start by saying that I've been a Total War fan since the early days, and to see Total War: Pharaoh as the newest addition to the franchise is beyond delightful. After fighting in and for control of the region in Egypt while playing Total War: Rome, returning to a similar setting is beyond nostalgic.
The game is set in the calamitous Bronze Age collapse. The Pharoah is dead, and the people are crying out for a new leader. The resulting vacuum from the absence of a leader is sure to create a power struggle that will engulf all of Egypt in total war. This is where you come in.
Currently, there are eight different faction leaders to choose from, divided based on three cultural segments or hubs. Each has their own unique play styles and roster that will spruce up gameplay. They will force you, the player, to adopt a variety of tactics both on and off the battlefield.
Aiming to implement realism into the newest Total War title, the pace at which battles are fought has been slowed down. Certain factors, such as the weight of the unit, terrain type, and weather conditions, will all add to the dynamic impact of the battle.
Regarding weather, sandstorms will limit visibility, rain will make it difficult for fire to spread, and sweltering heat will increase fatigue buildup. But that's not all. Weather can also affect the landscape itself. For example, after a downpour, the ground may become muddy, which will hamper troop movement. On the flip side, sweltering heat may dry up the mud.
While this may sound very trivial, it can change the entire flow of combat. For instance, if a unit uses muddy terrain to ward off a cavalry charge, sweltering heat may cause the ground to dry, thus turning the battle in favor of the cavalry.
Animation has also been improved, and units can now be seen taking part in more brutal hand-to-hand combat. New tactical/combat stances have also been introduced to the game. Rather than simple maneuvers, some units will be able to perform advanced maneuvers such as "Give Ground."
Instead of retreating outright, units will slowly move back while still being engaged in combat. This could be used to create the perfect hammer and anvil situation. Anyone who has played as Orks in Total War: Warhammer will be well aware of the faction's ability to slap on makeshift armor for better stats.
Well, the developers have seemingly taken that idea and applied it to Total War: Pharaoh. Rather than outright perish in combat, a unit must first lose all its armor value or durability before taking significant losses.
This ensures that units with better armor won't fall like flies when subjected to volleys of arrow fire or when engaged in prolonged battles. If anything, this will make hand-to-hand combat feel more realistic, and the pacing will be moderately decent. That said, let's talk about my experience in Total War: Pharaoh.
First impressions and gameplay
My copy of Total War: Pharaoh gave me access to three different combat scenarios: An easy battle to get the hang of things, one that was more challenging in nature, and an all-out siege, in which I took the role of the defender. Despite having close to a thousand hours across all franchise titles, I'm still a novice when it comes to warfare tactics.
That being said, deploying units and arranging them is pretty standard. For anyone who has played Total War, it's like riding a bike. You may occasionally fall off due to a bumpy road, but you never forget. Nevertheless, fighting in the desert was a surreal experience, and thanks to the newer tactical options, I had a blast during gameplay.
Although I never got a chance to explore the entire roster of units that the game had to offer, I did get to command certain units in battles, including archers, spearmen, ax-infantry, and other elite units.
For the most part, the battles were slower-paced. Even when flanking units, it felt more down to earth than overpowering hammer-and-anvil tactics that are usually employed. The siege battle was a real hoot. Having to repel enemy units was a tad difficult, but nothing too difficult for a fanboy to handle.
However, given how combat works and taking into consideration armor durability, the siege felt more realistic to an extent. Units didn't just perish while trying to approach the walls. They actually made it atop and inflicted some serious damage on my units. All in all, it was a fun experience.
Performance and Sound
Total War: Pharaoh was played on a system with the following configuration:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
- GPU: RTX 3070 8GB
- RAM: 32 GB
Over the course of my playthrough, things ran perfectly fine for the most part. The only time it crashed was during the third and final battle that involved the siege. After zooming in and out a few times, my PC froze.
Nevertheless, given that this is still a work in development, this is not an issue for the moment. It will no doubt be rectified once the title's final version goes live.
Coming to the music and SFX, Total War: Pharoah absolutely smashes it out of the ballpark. The music is hauntingly beautiful and portrays the time period brilliantly. As for the in-game sounds, from the clashing of swords to the volley of arrows being let loose, everything sounds brilliant.
In conclusion
While my time spent with Total War: Pharaoh was brief, it was an electrifying experience. The battles felt amazing, the weather added to the dramatic feel, and the tactical options opened numerous strategies with which to take on enemies on the battlefield. While I'm yet to see the entire roster that the game has to offer, I'm sure they will be just as spectacular.
On that note, I have no idea what to expect from the campaign side of things for the time being. However, I am quite sure it will be entertaining all the same. The setting of ancient Egypt is reason enough for anyone to get hyped.
I, for one, cannot wait to get my hands on the final build version of Total War: Pharaoh. Come October 2023, the sands of Egypt will soon be soaked red with the blood of my enemies.
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