Pharaonic

in library

3.8/5

( 8 Reviews )

3.8

8 Reviews

English & 7 more

Overall most helpful review

Posted on: February 13, 2018

neunomad

Verified owner

Games: 764 Reviews: 11

Scratches the itch

'Dark Souls' in 2.5d, set in Egypt. If you want a Dark Souls type game that's easier to pick up and play after passages of time away from the game, then this will do the trick. Extra: I really like Milkstone's art style, which is a mix of stylized cartoon with a lower poly aesthetic. This is no surprise as I liked the art in their previous game, Ziggurat (which I also recommend as an FPS rogue-lite). I like the egypt setting, it's very Stargate (the movie) and refreshing compared to the seriousness of a typical Souls game. In the handful of hours I've been playing I've already found dozens of weapons and armour in 2 classes. So far, dealing with enemies stacks has been a challenge. One thing that is both unique and frustrating is the layout of the worlds and how that translates into maps. Because it's 2.5d the environments are layed out like the branches of a tree, and maps are drawn that way. This adds a level of novelty because you have to look at a very simple map of lines and work out where you are by landmarks, but some may find this task of 'figuring out where the hell you are' annoying. Overall - recommended

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Posted on: January 9, 2020

gilbert12113

Verified owner

Games: 171 Reviews: 17

Perfect but not recommended

The art, level design, uncertainties with maps, tons of weapons, tons of passive or active support [but not clear quantitatively], Dark souls like in 2.9D (levels are 3D, each section is in 2.5 D, looking at the background gives you very good hints), difficult but fair (meaning some grinding but not too much). All that and more. Now for why I do not recommend this game for non-hardcore gamers : there is a level cap (at 30). So even though you can level up to compensate your high reaction time (low reaction speed if you like), you are screwed in the end. I was stuck at the final battle (pre-final boss) where **SPOILERS** you have to fight 3 time 4 high level badies ; most of the time, you had to fight 3 at the same time, now it is 4, they are not in sync so whatever your good skills and weapons, you have to rely on reacting in the optimal way. Even good players end this game with little health. Hence I ended up frustrated by not ending the game **END-OF-SPOILERS**

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Posted on: October 26, 2018

Oddone1939

Verified owner

Games: 530 Reviews: 6

Gitting Gud in 2.5d!

Think of this as a Dark Souls clone in 2.5d. Well timed parries mixed with rolls and stamina management mean that you have to play it perfectly or you will likely die. If you've played Dark Souls or it's clones you know what to expect for better or for worse. Traps, difficult combat, and more. There are even shrines which function as respawn points, and can be used in a pinch to restore health but revive all enemies in the level. The graphics are cel-shaded art which I like, and the game works well for me. Highly recommend for fans of the Souls style games.

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Posted on: February 14, 2019

Wottie

Verified owner

Games: 1333 Reviews: 26

Solid

Pharaonic was my first brush with the Dark Souls / Soulslike genre, and I liked it. Setting the game in the ancient Egyptian era is a nice idea and works well to bring in all kinds of monsters. Enemies are always random gender (except for bosses), and you can play for a man or a woman (or even a woman with a male voice and vice versa). The graphics are good (though not really excellent), in cartoon-ish style, yet resisting the temptation to swing in the manga direction. The music isn't bad, but it's utterly forgettable. So it's not visually or audially stunning, but it has very good playability and its difficulty is set right. The fights are tough but fair - you (almost) always have to blame yourself for your countless deaths, which was a new experience to me in comparison with all those games where enemies move and are generated randomly and often you just can't prevent your death by any means. What makes an action game stand out are its bosses - and Pharaonic has a fair amount of them, all of them different and interesting. Throw in a few nice pop-cultural references (Tomb Raider and the Cthulhu mythos spring to mind), and you get an entertaining game that will keep you occupied for tens of hours. I played through the game twice - it took me about 40 hours the first time and maybe 25 the second when I knew how to deal with different kinds of enemies. The second playthrough didn't really differ much style-wise, even though I tried a completely different skill set. This lower variability gave me no motivation to do a third playthrough to get the last possible ending, but I enjoyed the game for those 65 hours. It's not stellar, but it's very, very solid.

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Posted on: August 22, 2018

saodhar

Verified owner

Games: 2264 Reviews: 8

Health and prosperity to the Red Pharaoh

Great game. Can't compare it to Dark Souls, since I haven't played those game a lot (although there is an Easter egg referencing DS- you can praise the sun in the oasis :D ), but it's punishing and rewarding just about right. Visual style is beatifully cartoon-ish and gives that Egyptian feel. Your developmant choices influence your fighting style and strategy, and all the combos seems viable enough.

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