Total War: Pharaoh May Not Be What Everyone Wants

Creative Assembly’s Total War is easily one of the most expensive franchises in video gaming. Born at the turn of the millennium with Total War: Shogun, the grand strategy title now consists of 16 mainline titles, placing it up there with other long-running series like Resident Evil, side stories excluded. It hasn’t always been the most consistent saga though – and its path to the present is a bit of a twisted one.

Warhammer: Total War

Following three titles of Warhammer: Total War, based on the tabletop game of the same name, the next Total War game will almost definitely bring its fans back down to earth with a bump. Creative Assembly will ditch the fantasy elements, mages, and orcs for Ancient Egypt, creating a game – Pharaoh – that’s confirmed to be slower, more grounded in reality, and stripped back in terms of its units and races.

Warhammer: Total War II is widely considered to be one of the best titles in the series’ history so, with that ugly feather in its cap, Creative Assembly is at least coming into the new decade on a high. The reveal of Pharaoh should be an exciting pivot from Warhammer, the miniatures series beloved by Henry Cavill, as it’s arguably the first true sword-and-shield entry since 2014’s Attila.

Unfortunately, Pharoah’s reveal already has its dissenters. YouTubers have pointed to evidence of overwhelming UI design, a lack of factions (and the inevitability that they’ll be released as DLC), and the simple fact that Pharoah isn’t a continuation of a popular Total War saga like Empire or Medieval. Still, as a franchise that is perhaps better known for minor changes than grand statements, a change of pace may yet be welcomed.

A Total War Saga: Troy

Pharaoh’s Ancient Egyptian setting is a positive all on its own. Despite the popularity of the era in the public’s consciousness, Egypt has proven surprisingly resistant to video game adaptations. Lara Croft may have ransacked the place during the early Tomb Raider titles but Assassin’s Creed Origins (2017) is one of few recent expeditions to the once-opulent civilization.

Oddly enough, Egypt and all of its gods have carved out more of a niche within the casino and bingo worlds. The Eye of Horus slot on the Buzz Bingo website features imagery of Egypt’s bird-headed god of healing. It also has the ankh hierographic symbol, which represents life. Games called Mysterious Egypt, Age of Egypt, and Diamonds of Egypt can also be found at Buzz Bingo.

Perhaps the main worry for Total War: Pharoah is its apparent lack of anything supernatural, such as mythology. While Creative Assembly has always tried to keep its strategy game on good terms with realism, previous titles like A Total War Saga: Troy at least delved into fiction to give the game a unique edge. In the wake of Warhammer: Total War III, Pharaoh seems like it could be less of a new outfit and more of an undressing of the franchise to date.

Of course, much could change before October’s release date so many of the negative opinions found online could end up seeming silly in hindsight.