• Publisher: DotEmu
  • Release Date: Feb 15, 2023
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 26 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 26
  2. Negative: 1 out of 26
  1. Feb 27, 2023
    100
    It’s obvious that Pharaoh: A New Era was a labor of love by Triskell Interactive and Dotemu. I am sure there wasn’t a massive demand for this title, but there are some die hard fans out there (like me) who enjoyed and appreciated this game beyond comprehension. It keeps the heart and soul of the original Pharaoh, while making just enough tweaks to improve upon a timeless classic. The nostalgia factor is high on this one, and if you liked any of the late 90s to early 2000 city-building titles, then picking up Pharaoh: A New Era is a must. My only request: please consider remastering Zeus & Poseidon!
  2. Feb 15, 2023
    95
    Pharaoh: A New Era is a great remake of a classic city-building title. The first three Caesars might have established the formula for the historic side of the genre, but the first Pharaoh refined it and impressed with its pyramid and other monument building. A New Era captures that magic and brings it up to modern standards.
  3. Feb 15, 2023
    90
    It would take a careless development team to create a terrible remake of a game, and Triskell Interactive are not one of them; they faithfully created something worth playing while integrating the feeling of playing the original
  4. Feb 15, 2023
    90
    After becoming familiar with its systems, Pharaoh offers tremendous city building flexibility and a plethora of challenges unseen in any other city builder. A New Era has introduced numerous quality of life features found in contemporary city building titles to an already solid classic. From sandbox to successive dynasties, with new options to tune the game to your playstyle introduced, Pharaoh: A New Era beyond satisfies.
  5. Feb 15, 2023
    85
    Pharaoh A New Era is the same classic game from 1999, but in a new package. If someone wants to, they can still play it the old way. It depends entirely on the player's choice so we're only gaining, not losing. The new era of historical city builders looks really exciting. If only it would bring more remakes like this one.
  6. Feb 22, 2023
    82
    The straightforward rules of Pharaoh: A New Era make it great on the replay. Even apart from the campaign, you can find maps where all you are supposed to do is grow your population, your prestige, and your pyramids. And if you have the city building bug, you will love watching dusty browns and yellows explode into a cosmopolitan blast of color. To newcomers Pharaoh: A New Era easily takes its place in the modern library of deeply playable city builders.
  7. Oct 16, 2023
    80
    It's simple, yet quite engaging, and what should have been a quick test of the first mission quickly turned into hours of screen time.
  8. Feb 23, 2023
    80
    Pharaoh: A New Era is a good remake. Indeed, an excellent remake, very faithful to the original title, so those who appreciated it then and wanted to replay it in a more modern guise should not hesitate to buy it. Of course, more could have been done in terms of additions and changes, but we imagine that if successful, something new will come. Meanwhile, enthusiasts and those who are looking for a long and engaging city builder have been satisfied.
  9. Feb 19, 2023
    80
    Pharaoh: A New Era is a good example of how to make a good and respectful remake, improving where it's needed but without changing all that already worked.
  10. Feb 18, 2023
    80
    The remake of the cult classic brings the immortal glory of the pharaohs with a slightly more modern twist and many hours of fun. You definitely won't make a mistake by buying this game.
  11. Feb 16, 2023
    80
    One of the greatest classics of management games, finally playable in good conditions in 2023. A new interface and 4K graphics to welcome in 2023 the king of Egypt with open arms.
  12. Feb 15, 2023
    80
    Pharoah is a throwback in the best possible way. Harkening back to a time when city management games were actually manageable, Pharoah will still present players with a good amount of challenge. There is a ton of game here to enjoy, and it continuously pushes the player to find unique ways to solve interesting problems. It is worth mentioning that there may be a gators hiding in the Nile right out of the gate upon release, but one can expect those to be cleaned up in short order; there is nothing here that should stop prospective players from starting their own Egyptian empires. Fun and addictive.
  13. Feb 15, 2023
    80
    Pharaoh: A New Era is a solid example of a great remake, letting players enjoy a classic game with a fresh coat of paint, be they newcomers or nostalgic fans of the original 1999’s title. If you are into old school city-builders, Pharaoh: A New Era will provide you with hundreds of hours of entertainment.
  14. Feb 15, 2023
    80
    I have always considered the original City Building series to be some of the best games in the genre, and A New Era elevates Pharoah to modern standards spectacularly well. You’ll come for the charming style and intricate building mechanics but stay for the sheer wealth of content available, allowing you to spend hours building the Egyptian city of your dreams. I hope to see remakes of the rest of the series in the future, or maybe even a brand new ancient civilization city builder.
  15. Feb 15, 2023
    80
    Pharaoh: A New Era’s visuals, music, and gameplay tweaks make for a very easy-to-grasp, complex-to-master setup, and there are loads of options to soften the challenge whenever you feel like it. More than that, when you get your cities bustling with farms, markets, industry, entertainment, religion, and monuments the whole thing is a busy spectacle of beauty. Some archaic bits can make things difficult, and this isn’t my favorite city builder I’ve played, but it’s still an excellent spin on a classic.
  16. Mar 6, 2023
    78
    If you're someone who likes building a city from the bottom up, being in control of every aspect of the citizens life, then Pharaoh: A New Era will definitely be up your alley, more so if you have an affinity for Ancient Egypt. With more than fifty campaign maps and the sandbox mode, this is a game that will have you playing for days, with each of the missions providing a different challenge. In the end, watching your cities expand to become a flourishing ancient metropolis is enjoyable and rather relaxing, with all your cartoon citizens scampering around the city like tiny worker ants. It can be hard work keeping them and the gods satisfied, but it is well worth it.
  17. Feb 15, 2023
    78
    In recent years we have had a large offer of city builders and, more generally, management, each with a well-defined perspective on the genre or with elements of novelty. In this context Pharaoh: a New Era makes the years he carries on his shoulders feel more than other franchises resurrected by Dotemu. However, it remains a very solid city builder on which Triskell Interactive has intelligently got its hands on to modernize the interface and simplify some mechanisms that were a little too 90s. The amount of content has something truly remarkable (in fact, the Cleopatra expansion is included) and will delight videogame nostalgics and archaeologists.
  18. Feb 15, 2023
    78
    A devoted remake of a classic that is almost as enchanting as the original.
  19. Feb 26, 2023
    75
    Pharaoh: New Era manages to preserve the essence of the game we loved years ago, but it is also notable for its shortcomings such as mini-map and army management. If the studio manages to address these shortcomings as promised, it can be a much better game. Still, that doesn't change the fact that at its core it's one of the best city-building simulations ever made.
  20. Mar 14, 2023
    70
    New visuals look great without completely ditching the distinctive style of the original Pharaoh, more fluent animations add to the positive experience, while the gameplay is still demanding and addictive. Overall, Pharaoh: A New Era lives up to expectations for remakes of classic games, but Triskell Interactive should have worked much harder on the interface, as its new version makes the game harder to enjoy.
  21. Feb 24, 2023
    70
    Pharaoh: A New Era is not the perfect remake it probably wanted to be. There are several smaller issues that should have been addressed before release, things that remind you of the era the game originally released in. It's still a fun way of revisiting this particular game, and I had a good time. But I'd love for the developers to keep at it and optimize this remake. Pharaoh certainly deserves it.
  22. Feb 24, 2023
    70
    Timeless game concept, moderate modernization: Visually, Pharaoh - A New Era could have done a lot more, and important features were also removed. Nevertheless, the city builder in ancient Egypt convinces playfully.
  23. Feb 22, 2023
    70
    Pharaoh is one of those dream remaster candidates for those who fondly remember ’80s and ’90s PC games, so it stands to reason that fans of the original would have high hopes for Pharaoh: A New Era. Although it doesn’t quite meet those expectations for a few reasons — both understandable and questionable — Pharaoh: A New Era is still a must-play for anyone who loves city-builders, Ancient Egypt, or just wants to try something nuanced and interesting. If you’re looking to unearth ancient gaming treasures to polish into something new, Pharaoh: A New Era is proof the gaming gods answer prayers in mysterious ways.
  24. Mar 6, 2023
    65
    All in all, Pharaoh: A New Era is still a rewarding city-builder complex enough to have you running to your mummy, even if it fails to honor the original.
  25. Mar 2, 2023
    60
    The gameplay itself is as well preserved as the ancient pyramids but this remake is unfortunately full of technical mistakes and strictly speaking does some things worse than the original. But it’s still very addictive so don’t drown it in the Nile just yet.
  26. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 23, 2024
    40
    The game also suffers from a myriad of bugs affecting trade, storage, clarity, population management and other little things that you only start to notice over time. [Issue#326]
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  1. Mar 22, 2023
    A true classic that returns to show us how great the old city builders games were. [Recommended]
  2. Has the world moved on from Pharaoh? You bet your dynastic ass. It doesn't have the complex AI interactions of storybuilders like RimWorld, you don't have loads of different advisors relaying tensions around the city, or worries about public utilities in the same way as a Cities Skylines, and it's probably not as inventive in some ways as the new class of city builders like Timberborn, Foundation or The Wandering Village. In 2023 any kind of Pharaoh, even one with an impressively rebuilt tomb, is still a very well preserved old king. But what a king it was, and A New Era preserves it very well. How can you not feel a bit magic building a giant statue of a cat in the middle of your desert city?
User Score
4.0

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 18 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 18
  2. Negative: 12 out of 18
  1. Feb 19, 2023
    6
    This game has so much pofential, but currently need more work done to it. For the most part i love what theyve done here, even the boldThis game has so much pofential, but currently need more work done to it. For the most part i love what theyve done here, even the bold changes that differ from the original. The excessive pop ups is currently ruining my experience, so hopefully they fix that. Many people report a lot of bugs abd corrupted saved files. Best is probably waiting some months before you buy. Full Review »
  2. Feb 26, 2023
    3
    The game is still fun as it is, but it has a lot of bugs.Example, the Pyramid stops building even though it shows that everything is fine andThe game is still fun as it is, but it has a lot of bugs.Example, the Pyramid stops building even though it shows that everything is fine and all the necessary items are available. There's no progress until you delete and rebuild it again.

    Useful features such as pausing selected industries, the mini-map, and the option to choose pop-up messages have been removed.

    I will stop playing for a while, hope these are being fixed and patches are on the way.
    Full Review »
  3. Feb 18, 2023
    2
    The game is an unfinished alpha version. many bugs. there are also a few changes, and I can not say that they are good. removed the minimap.The game is an unfinished alpha version. many bugs. there are also a few changes, and I can not say that they are good. removed the minimap. combat units can no longer be controlled and they fight somewhere in a parallel dimension. what have they been doing for years? Full Review »