Although its billing as a 'next generation' city-building game might be a little over the top, Immortal Cities: Children of the Nile is a well designed and pleasantly addictive title that comes with a nice sense of history. Developer Tilted Mill boasts a number of veterans from Impression Games (Caesar III, Pharaoh and Zeus: Master of Olympus), so it's no surprise that COTN offers a refined city building experience. It might look a bit lean up front, with just two campaigns and a relatively small number of similar scenarios, but COTN is more about open ended gameplay than discrete objectives, and the solid Campaign and Map Editor should support decent long-term value.
As would-be Tutankhamens, players tackle floods, internal unrest and the odd foray from neighbouring states by building on a small base of peasants and resources. Things stray from the usual RTS mix by giving peasants real personalities, families and desires for upward mobility (you can even choose family names); and players will welcome the affect Tilted Mill's innovation has on the overall feel of the game. Peasants aren't 'created' at all - just provide enough employment and educational opportunities and communities will start to grow and regulate themselves. Fall behind, and the simple on-screen status indicators will quickly be supplemented by organised public protests.
Just about everything in COTN is driven by services. Farmers will happily tend their fields, but they'll eventually need shops, healthcare and education to prosper; along with tradesmen, scribes and religious leaders to build a strong and diverse society. As they climb the greasy pole to noble status, citizens naturally desire the finer things in life, including luxury goods, exclusive entertainment and management jobs for their kids. The ability to track individual citizens throughout their day is probably more fun than useful, but such touches make COTN stand a little apart from the competition and provide a hint of just how far the strategy genre might still have to go. It certainly isn't The Sims, and there are some behavioural inconsistencies, but COTN's approach might herald the end of production-line peasants.
In another welcome move, ad-hoc combat doesn't get in the way of city development. Battle is always a possibility if diplomacy fails, but it's handled on a separate World Map without the usual RTS point-and-click frenzy. The unit mix is basic but adequate, based on city guards, spearmen, archers and charioteers; and city defences are easily developed and managed. After raising a small army, players leave the fighting to their commanders in the field, with the rewards of victory or the costs of defeat ultimately affecting economic and political circumstances. Diplomacy and trade are both handled well, and Pharaohs can expand their empires through conquest and tribute.
COTN looks terrific, thanks to an excellent 3D graphics engine and a strong emphasis on splendid structures and monuments. Palaces and noble houses are very impressive affairs, and players can choose from city enhancements such as plazas, gardens and roads. Ultimately, of course, Pharaohs are interested in the afterlife, and those seeking real prestige will eventually turn their minds to Pyramids. They cost a fortune and take years or decades to build, but no true Pharaoh can afford to be without one. COTN does such an outstanding job of representing the imposing structures that pyramid-envy is likely to be the new malaise among the RTS community.
COTN is innovative rather than groundbreaking, but it brings some interesting new ideas and the experience certainly feels new enough. Excellent production values put it at the high end of the genre, and the generally self-managing nature of the environment will please anyone sick of production queues and chopping down trees. Immortal Cities: Children of the Nile comes closer to creating living and breathing cities than most RTS titles, and no-one should be surprised to see a few of its central themes reflected in other games over the next couple of years.