iGR Insight - Fate of the Pharaoh Android Review

Fate of the Pharaoh puts you in the role of an Egyptian Pharaoh (The greatest one of all time) who’s only prerogative is to return the Egyptian Empire to it’s former glory after it’s bitter struggles with the Roman Empire. To complete your task you’ll have to move along the Nile River clearing war torn cities, constructing new settlements, expanding and repairing trade, and ultimately restore the Nile Delta to it’s former stature.

Fate of the Pharaoh offers surprisingly in depth micro city management. From the get go your basic task is to rebuild some of the more modest settlements along the Nile, but as you move further along, you’ll be constructing more elaborate cities for your subjects.

The game play is fast and frantic. I’m glad I had ten inches of tablet real estate to keep up with collecting taxes, clearing roadways, quarrying materials, and upgrading buildings to complete tasks. In Fate of the Pharaoh the action moves as quickly as you are able. As Pharaoh you have as many workers at your disposal as you have tasks. In other words, the game will keep up with your every command. The challenge being: Can you keep up with your actions? I never found myself bored with Fate of the Pharaoh on that account alone. I’m a stickler for not leaving loose ends, and for every task I completed, there was another awaiting my attention. As you move along you’ll have to deal with your settlers happiness levels as well. This factor rests upon being able to provide drinking water to them when necessary, and making sure you’re on top of issuing the command to retrieve it. I absolutely recommend playing with Time of Ra activated, as it adds a bit of urgency to your time of completion, and offers a score bonus for completing a level within the time constraint.

The visuals present in Fate of the Pharaoh are pleasing enough, especially for a mobile title. I’ve always been a fan of cartoons, and the art direction reminded me of Disney’s animations. I never noticed any frame rate drop while playing, and the 44 meaty challenges were a great way to pass the bus ride. The dialogue was always fun, and I never felt burdened to read it. More consumers are turning to “Casual” or mobile gaming when on lunch break, waiting for an appointment, or using mass transit. The stigma that mobile games lack depth is perpetuated by developers that release products that are such, and consumers that purchase them. Rest assured Fate of the Pharaoh offers real challenge, an evolving story line, and the length of many games ten time it’s price tag.

The only real issue I had while playing was a lack of responsiveness with the touch features. I found myself on several occasions having to tap a prompt over and over for it to be recognized. The only other small issue was at some points tasks felt like a bit of a grind, but they were varied and quick enough to forgive that feeling.

+ Fun concept and witty dialogue
+ Good visuals
+ Frantic game play
+ Surprising amount of depth
+ Tons of content for the price tag

- Some responsiveness issues
- Repetitive at times, but varied enough to forgive

Review Score: 8/10