Egypt: Old Kingdom

Unironic 10/10. Unironic Masterpiece. I think Clarus Victoria’s Egypt: Old Kingdom is Edu-tainment par excellence. Perhaps the best edu-tainment game ever made. You will learn about Egypt as you play. Its mechanics are deep enough to be rewarding and allow multiple replays, but simple enough to not become a burden unecessarily. The game was developed by Egyptologists, and the thought and romance of the era is perfectly captured in the mechanics and stories in the game. But the game doesn’t become stodgy and academic. I found the game harrowingly beautiful. Clarus’ thesis on Egypt is that they were a Noble people who out of love and pride willingly enslaved themselves to remembering and honoring their loved ones. Their love drove them to megalomania and in doing so they created eternal treasures that are still arguably Mankind’s greatest works even Millenia later. At first building and *maintaining* these love-works was nearly a suffocating burden leading them to ruin. But the Egyptians never relented, and eventually this titanic burden of rememberance gave way to Enlightenment. This friction of duty inverted itself into the strength to cause miracles. And they…

A new depth to the gameplay already developed in the prequel "Pre-Dynastic Egypt," and all the painstaking measures taken to accurately portray the art and history of Ancient Egypt. New starting conditions allow for more sandbox elements when playing the game. I know the next chapter in Egyptian history is taking some time to develop, but I am excited to see where they go from here as I believe the new features and mechanics have created a solid foundation to experiment with new features without losing the core identity of the game they've developed.

Egypt: Old Kingdom is a historical strategy game that distinguishes itself through its dedication to authenticity and its focus on the rise of one of humanity's earliest great civilizations. Developed and published by Clarus Victoria, the game places players in the role of a ruler tasked with guiding ancient Egypt through centuries of growth, political development, religious influence, and technological advancement. Rather than adopting the broad alternate-history approach common in many strategy titles, Egypt: Old Kingdom remains firmly rooted in historical events and cultural realities, creating an experience that feels both educational and strategically rewarding. The game begins during the formative years of Egyptian civilization, when the kingdom is still relatively small and vulnerable. From these modest beginnings, players must oversee expansion, improve infrastructure, manage resources, and establish the foundations of a prosperous state. Progress is gradual, but that deliberate pacing allows players to appreciate the transformation of their realm over time. Watching a simple settlement evolve into a powerful kingdom capable of constructing monumental architecture and main…

Simple worker placement. Not as bad as Ozymandias, but still not worth recommending. Great educational value, but if you're looking for a serious strategy game, choose Old World instead.

It's a fun game, definitely worth the money. If you're looking fur a fun game to spend your afternoon on. The game is just complicated enough to grab your attention and be fun without being too complex. But of course can be a bad thing if you spend enough time in the game like I did. Still, definitely buy it, it's awesome. Also, it feels like they once hinted at the game being longer because sometimes you can see canals that you can not build. It's a visual glitch.

I don't know why this game is so addictive, but it is. Fun fact: if you set all the settings to their hardest difficulty, the game is nigh unplayable: it took me literal hundreds of attempts to barely eek out a win with them all on, even while exploiting the game's 'comeback' mechanic for huge buffs early on, AND constant save-scumming. Still, I had fun.