Delve Into Egyptian Culture Through These Games Inspired by its Mythology
Egyptology has long been a source of inspiration that gaming enthusiasts are likely to have encountered. From board games to video and casino slots, themes from the famed historical era persist in different forms of modern entertainment.
The history of Ancient Egypt is something that most have a basic concept of. Symbology, characters, and mysteries from mythology can therefore make for some fantastic and familiar storylines and themes. A nice feature of wrapping the Egyptian culture, history, and mythology up in games is that they can serve as a gateway for those uninitiated in the area, while at the same time being a natural pull for fans.
Why is Egyptian Culture so Popular?
The secret to the popularity of Egyptian culture from the gaming perspective is perhaps down to the elements of mythology that slide perfectly into game-playing action. The gods and mythological creatures of ancient cultures, for starters, are commonly bestowed with fantastic, other-worldly powers that can be exploited into gaming elements and features.
There are also weaknesses of these characters, which provide doors of vulnerability that can be exploited in epic battles. Another fantastic layer of Egyptology is how mystical it remains to this day. From ancient texts and language to the more fantastical levels of hidden treasures, booby-trapped tombs, and buildings hidden in secret locations under the sand, there’s plenty of source material to pull from.
Casino Games
One of the staple themes of slot machine games at brick-and-mortar and online casinos alike is Egyptian lore and history. Gold is a prominent color in Ancient Egypt and gold, of course, is likely very eye-catching to gamblers.
There is a hugely popular Book of Ra physical machine in casinos, plus an online version of it from software provider Novomatic, who have an entire range of games based on the title. It’s the famous Egypt-themed slot that has inspired many other titles too, like the popular Riche Wilde, and the Book of Dead series of slots by Play’nGo.
Many other slot machines fall into this genre, with titles such as Cleopatra, Pharaoh’s Future, A Night With Cleo, Gods of Giza, and Tomb of Akhenaten. They are all further examples of how popular Ancient Egypt is, in one form or another, at casinos.
Best Video Games
There have been many superb video games released based on Ancient Egypt. One of the best-selling of those is Assassin’s Creed: Origins, part of a massively popular franchise. The series has featured many different areas and countries on its travels.
Assassin’s Creed: Origins took a deep dive back into Egyptian culture, with areas like the Cairo markets, the pyramids, and the Nile. Part of the appeal of Assassin’s Creed Origins is that it is an open-world game that players can almost endlessly explore and unlock the secrets of.
Going back a little bit further, Tomb Raider The Last Revelation also went down the Ancient Egypt path. The game was beautifully designed, featuring puzzles among the tombs and atmospheric exploration, all wrapped up with some hints of the great stories of Egypt.
Others, like Forewarned, were written around uncovering an ancient Egyptian Legend, while The Great Sphinx and Cursed Mummy took a lighter look at mythology with cool characters. Sid Maier’s innovative Civilization 5 had Ramses as a central character, giving players the chance to step into the leader’s shoes to build the Egyptian empire.
Board Games
While not as common as either the video game or casino genre, board games have been released based on the theme of ancient Egyptian mythology. The Ankh Gods of Egypt board game, for example, lets players take on the role of Egyptian gods and align with mythological monsters to fight for supreme power.
Ra, a classic from Knizia, is a large strategy game that neatly integrates some elements of luck but is a simple game to pick up and learn. Card games like Valley of the Kings and Nefertiti both bring unique challenges to deck-building and set-collecting type games.
Everlasting Stories
It is perhaps the stories and characters themselves that are the backbone of the popularity of ancient Egyptian themes in games. You can easily find many of the characters like Cleopatra, Tutankhamun, Osiris, Isis, and the Sun God Ra making appearances in titles.
The Story of Re, which is the ancient Egyptian creation myth, and the battle of Set and Horus are among some of the most tapped-into tales, and then there is the Underworld ruled by Anubis, which makes a natural backdrop for something like a video game.
There has long been a Western obsession with the fascinating and mysterious world of Ancient Egypt, and it remains strong today. Even though many of history’s secrets lie under the sand, the fascination with the mythology makes these rich tales and culture endearing and enduring.
