Immerse yourself in an journey to the past where you reincarnate as the Pharaoh to lead your empire to immortality.
It came as no surprise that I quickly got addicted to Children of the Nile, not just for that, but also because I am a bit fascinated by all things Egyptian.
I have to mention this was the first game ever that I felt I got enough help from the manual included in the box. It's very detailed, has tons of useful tips, and most important, it explains how things are related and how the positioning of buildings is crucial to the development of the cities. Usually I don't get this kind of enlightenment from a simple instruction booklet.
I started by playing the tutorial, which is divided in three chapters. I recommend you play this first, as it will explain the basics of the game as well as more advanced features later on, like creating armies and building monuments celebrating events.
It's a step-by-step process to make you acquainted with the interface, but gives you enough freedom to explore your surroundings and observe your people while still learning.
The main thing to keep in mind while playing is that you can't do anything without food and bricks. These are your main resources - you need them to support your people, to erect certain buildings, to improve your palace, to trade for other goods and to send your armies on a campaign.
Bricks are made by the Brick Makers and transported by the Brick Layers. You'll find that demolishing and rebuilding to move your brickworks around is the best solution for an expanding city. Your Brick Layers won't like the idea of carrying bricks for long distances and will always do the closest delivery first, so either place a building at a time or have a supply of bricks nearby.
Nobles manage farmers, which grow your crops, thus bringing you food. Nobles also need food, and they take it from the harvest or will get it from the Bakeries, which are government buildings. Excess food can be stored in Granaries. Make sure you have enough food for everyone, and don't place more farmer houses than your nobles can manage. Bakeries also need a Scribe assessing fields to get their share of food.
Other needs will arise as you progress. Education, provided by Priests, is the only way to obtain Graduates (educated workers). These will work for the government as Scribes, Priests, Commanders and Overseers. The need for goods and services is satisfied by building shops (common and luxury wares) and healthcare facilities, mortuaries, schools, barracks, shrines, temples and other structures to keep everyone satisfied.
You will find that placement is everything. Everyone wants shops nearby, and shops need their resources handy so the owners spend more time making their products and less time looking for them. A Priest can provide more services if he doesn't have to walk great distances to get to the Hospital or the School, so these facilities should always be close to the Priest's Apartment. Overseers and Laborer Huts should be near the quarries and mines, but they will need facilities of their own as well. These are called laborer camps, and are basically a city of their own.
The main difference between Children of the Nile and other games of the same genre is that here you don't just place buildings. You place the foundations and your people will take care of building it. You will watch as your workers carry bricks to constructions sites, erect buildings and haul gigantic blocks of stone out of the quarries.
And these little things are what make this game so involving and unique. You can get lost for hours just watching how the AI works, and following citizens up close. See the bakers making bread, the farmers planting and harvesting, the entertainers dancing and juggling at a noble's house, the Pharaoh coming out for a stroll, the soldiers practicing on the training grounds, people carrying a sarcophagus to a tomb, even a cat licking itself on the street.
If you want to have a taste of the splendor of Ancient Egypt, you can download the demo at the official site and immerse yourself in an amazing journey to the past where you reincarnate as the Pharaoh to lead your empire to immortality.
Review text part of Grrlgamer.com
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