Anthony Fertino
Pharaoh: A New Era, a remake of the classic city builder Pharaoh from the late 90’s, has officially revealed that it will launch on February 15th, 2023. First announced years ago, the 4K remake will feature a modern UI and content from the expansion Cleopatra: Queen of the Nile. Pharaoh: A New Era will be available on PC. Here’s the new release date trailer from the remake’s publisher Dotemu:
French game developer and publisher Dotemu is a surprising team to discover behind this city builder remake. Most of their games are action-oriented, and they prefer to explore an older era of retro gaming.
But Dotemu certainly has plenty of credibility, given the enormous success of their beat ’em up instant classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, which just added a new update last November.
Dotemu also created publishing label The Arcade Crew, which absolutely nailed it with Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider, a side-scrolling platformer that just announced it will get physical editions soon.
Pharaoh is a little obscure, and perhaps that’s part of its appeal. But the city builder genre has come a very long way since the 90’s. SteamWorld Build was just announced earlier this week, a fresh city builder that blends in resource and mining gameplay, both of which affect each other.
Fortunately, Pharaoh did make the most of its setting with a compelling story, which also happens to span thousands of years of history. That expansive approach was very ambitious for the day. Dotemu has decided to update both the graphics and mechanics so that the same satisfying story can be accessible for modern audiences.
Today’s trailer features some remarkable visuals. It’s a delight to see a cult classic get some fundamental polishing, and the quality-of-life changes will probably improve the original.
You can read more about Pharaoh: A New Era and other upcoming city builders by following our news section!