Highlights
- Total War: Pharaoh, the upcoming entry in the long-running grand strategy franchise, offers a fresh gaming experience for Civilization fans with its unique focus on different time periods and complex campaign mode.
- With an emphasis on historical accuracy and epic ground battles and sieges, Total War: Pharaoh may have the most impressive battle system in the franchise, making it an appealing choice for Civilization fans who enjoy a more militaristic gameplay style.
- Total War: Pharaoh presents an opportunity for Civilization fans to try something new while waiting for Civilization 7, as they may discover a newfound appreciation for Total War's gameplay or reaffirm their love for Civilization's accessible approach. It's a win-win situation.
When it comes to grand strategy franchises, there are few that have been in the game quite as long as Civilization. Debuting in 1991, the Civilization franchise has managed to maintain its top spot in the strategy video game landscape for over 30 years now, and while others have tried to steal its crown, few have even gotten close. But one of the lucky few that has managed to sit atop the genre alongside Civ is Creative Assembly's Total War franchise, which itself has been around for quite some time.
Debuting all the way back in 2000, the Total War franchise is a grand strategy series that sees players control a historical leader as they lead their armies across real-world regions in a specific time period. While the general concept is similar to Civilization, the Total War franchise differentiates itself in a number of major ways, and it's those differences that might make Total War: Pharaoh the perfect stop-gap for those looking forward to Civilization 7.
Why Civilization Fans Should Keep Total War: Pharaoh On Their Radar
One of the biggest selling points of the Total War franchise is that each new entry focuses on a completely different time period. While some of the more successful entries eventually get sequels, the vast majority of Total War games tend to showcase a completely new set of historical leaders, units, and regions. In the past, the Total War series has spotlighted the Roman Empire, the Napoleonic Wars, Sengoku Japan, and even ventured into the Warhammer universe for a handful of critically acclaimed entries. And now, the Total War series is set to tackle the New Kingdom of Egypt, an era that covers the collapse of the Bronze Age, and the height of the Egyptian Empire's power.
Just a week ago, Total War: Pharaoh had its first round of pre-release previews, and the overwhelming consensus seems to be that it's shaping up to be yet another excellent entry in the long-running grand strategy franchise. Previews of Total War: Pharaoh have all made reference to the sheer number of features and mechanics inside its campaign mode, hinting that this may be the most complex Total War game to date. While this might suggest that Total War: Pharaoh isn't the best jumping-on-point for new players, it's an extremely exciting insight for long-time fans of the series, and it might offer that same level of complexity that Civilization fans long for.
Although the Civilization franchise does share some basic similarities with Total War, they're both two very different experiences when it comes to gameplay. While Total War does have a fairly meaty city-management gameplay loop, the vast majority of Total War's runtime is dedicated to extremely long and epic ground battles and sieges. For Civilization fans who prefer a more militaristic gameplay style, Total War is definitely a series that they should check out, and with apparently even more of a focus on historical accuracy than ever before, Total War: Pharaoh may end up being home to the most impressive battle system in the franchise.
With still no news about Civilization 7 - except for the fact it's definitely in development - it seems like the perfect time for Civ fans to go out and try something new. On one hand, players might try out Total War: Pharaoh and discover that they actually love the more military-focused gameplay loop, and on the other, they might end up not vibing with Total War, but finding a new appreciation for Civilization's more accessible approach. It's a win-win either way.
Total War: Pharaoh releases for PC on October 11, 2023.