Pharaonic Review

Pharaonic Xbox One Review Screenshot 1

Pharaonic is an Action RPG which takes a lot of its inspiration from Dark Souls. There are even many places that call is the ‘Egyptian Dark Souls’. The game from Milkstone Studios is a testing game which throws you into an Egyptian world ran by the ‘Red Pharaoh’ The main protagonist is the chosen one to take back the power of the region and help free the other slaves. Using a wide variety of equipment each with their own effects and abilities it creates a deep gaming experience which was unexpected from a game with a relatively low-budget. It does well on every front that it is expected to and more with a wide range of customization allowed.

Game play is very slow and methodical, very reminiscent of dark souls with similar attacks and slow strategical game play, combos aren’t really possible unless perfect timing is implement, Even then it can be a struggle. However this just adds to the challenging aspect of the game making for a well-rounded battle experience that rewards strategy and timing rather than just button bashing that can work in so many other action games, This can however mean that sometimes the battle system does get repetitive  in longer fights, but this is combated by the fact that beating a long challenging boss is really satisfying.

Pharaonic Xbox One Review Screenshot 2

Most of the environment is 2D although there are some 3D transition in the game which give some of the maps that little more depth and maneuverability and can often mean the complete avoidance of a particular enemy which can sometimes be incredibly useful when trying to stay alive. The varied range of equipment and weapons really seals the dela for me when it comes to this game. Different ranges of weapons and backpacks, which can be used both passively and aggressively dependent on the users play style, all add the an overall fantastic to play game with just the right amount of customization to keep me interested but not hinder my main game enjoyment.

Graphically this game was just right, I feel that if the graphics were any better then it wouldn’t fit in with the theme of the rest of the game and would potentially give it too much of a serious feel on that front and take away from my enjoyment. At the same time if it were any worse then that too would hinder the game as the timings in battle and such wouldn’t have the right results and therefore would cause problems throughout the game in terms of how the user attacks and such. The world is constructed in a way that is easy to recognise while still adding depth to the story and identifying new routes to take such as entering buildings or paths into other lanes on the map. this ties in well also with the wide variety of NPC’s in the game ranging from other slaves to merchants where you can buy and sell items to improve your character.

Pharaonic Xbox One Review Screenshot 3

The Sound in the game is very stereotypical or not only the setting but the genre too, there was a perfect blend of music and battle sounds for me that just finished this game off in such a nice fashion keeping me engrossed in the game play. The special music for certain enemies added a little extra touch as well as making me aware of their existence in the first place. It blended in very well with the game play and during long intense battles often helped me keep the rhythm in my attacks as well as keeping me motivated and upbeat as I swung at a Guard Captain for the hundredth time as he struck me down to my death. The creatures become more complex as you advance through the story, the music also changes with the settings ranging from small villages to castle rampart each has their own sounds that the user can look out for to immerse them self into that scene.

Overall Pharaonic is a perfectly blended lessened down version of a Dark Souls game, with obviously a slightly different setting and feel to it. The battle system as well as all the equipment and weapons is just put together perfectly in a way which lets the game run smooth while also allowing me to effect the outcome of the action in a way that I find entertaining.

Rating 8

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Sony Playstation 4 code was provided to Brash Games for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to editor@brashgames.co.uk.

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