Total War Pharaoh Gets Mixed Reviews
Total War: Pharaoh has generated significant discussion with reviews describing brilliant ideas but broken execution. Reviewers praise the game's conceptual ambition including new political intrigue mechanics and environmental hazards, but criticize technical polish issues, game balance problems, and AI behavior inconsistencies.
- The game was developed by Creative Assembly Sofia and released on October 11, 2023. Following a poor reception and low player counts, the price was reduced from $59.99 to $39.99 in December 2023, with partial refunds offered to early purchasers. - Initial sales were significantly lower than previous historical titles, with an estimated 159,000 units sold on Steam. For comparison, its peak player count shortly after launch was 5,424, whereas a decade-old title like *Total War: Rome II* had a concurrent player count of 6,250 around the same time. - A major turning point for the game was the free "Dynasties" update in mid-2024, which massively expanded the campaign map, added new cultures like the Babylonians and Assyrians, and introduced a family tree and succession system. This update was seen by many players as transforming the game from a "Saga" title into a full-fledged historical Total War. - Criticisms of the initial release included a court intrigue system that became tedious and less impactful in the late game, especially after becoming Pharaoh. Other issues included illogical AI behavior, such as declaring war from across the map, and imbalances in diplomacy. - Even after the acclaimed "Dynasties" update, some players report persistent issues with the AI, which can become passive and stop recruiting armies, effectively halting any challenge in the campaign. There are also some balance concerns, with auto-resolve heavily favoring high-armor units. - The initial AI was criticized for being indecisive in battles, struggling with pathfinding, and having an uncanny ability to detect hidden units. While patches have addressed some of these problems, some players still find the AI's campaign behavior to be a weak point. - The game's developer, Creative Assembly, faced a difficult period around the game's launch, including the cancellation of their expensive new IP, *Hyenas*, and controversy over the pricing of DLC for *Total War: Warhammer III*. - In a move to rebuild goodwill, Creative Assembly announced that all planned paid DLC for *Pharaoh* would be released as free updates, with the "High Tide" faction pack being the first of these.
