Summary
Although Middle Eastern themes aren’t as common in games as one would like, they’re not completely new territory either. Sure, Ancient Egypt has been a considerably prominent aspect of the gaming industry for the longest time and has been a part of many famous games, but there’s still so much more to the Middle East than just that. It’s unfortunate that game developers often overlook it as a setting, despite its rich, diverse, and dynamic culture.
This region offers an abundance of cultures, landscapes, and historical contexts that could provide fresh and immersive experiences for players in the gaming scene. The rich and realistic interpretation of cities in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Peninsula, and the warmth of deserts covered in dunes as far as the eye can see are small details that are definitely going to hit the spot.
10Journey
Mysterious And Alluring With Ever-Changing Outcomes
Journey is a game with breathtaking graphics of a desert spread on the outskirts of a Middle Eastern-inspired culture, coupled with a mellowmusical score that adds to the appealof its playthrough.
You, as a robed creature, will embark on a life-altering journey through that mysterious land in order to discover secrets buried deep under the golden sand. You will also trek mountains and occasionally encounter an odd white apparition. The most unique aspect of this game is the fleeting and silent interaction you can have with other players playing the game.
Journey isn’t co-op, but this strange feature in the game lands it in an uncanny valley where you feel alone, but aren’t.
9Total War: Pharaoh
Getting To Experience Ancient Egypt Warfare In Real-Time
Total War: Pharaoh is a turn-based real-time strategy game that, clearly by its name, is set in Ancient Egypt. The game offers a fairly in-depth deep dive into the history and workings of Ancient Egypt and its wars, while still keeping the ‘gaming’ aspect alive.
Total War: Pharaoh features three very prominent civilizations from Ancient Egypt, with their own sets of leaders and rulers. You get to pick one of these rulers to guide their faction to glory in historically inspired wars.
All three of these civilizations are very closely based on how they actually worked in real life, including their cultures, governments, and war tactics. Thegame has dynamic weatherwhich affects the war your units are fighting, impacting your battles and making strategic timing and positioning key.
8Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Inspired By Indiana Jones, With More Action Than Ever
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is set two years after the events of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, with Nathan Drake reprising his role as the protagonist. The story follows him and Victor Sullivan, as they travel through different Middle-Eastern countries in search of a lost city.
Drake’s around-the-globe mission this time around involves him weaving through the narrow streets of Yemen, conducting night raidson a criminal secret societyin a heavily secured Syria, and sneaking onto planes with dangerous men only to be discovered and shot at. All the while, he is on a quest to discover the lost city of Iram of the Pillars.
7Spec Ops: The Line
Minimal Graphics Wrapped Up In Serious Competition
Spec Ops: The Line is a third-person shooter and the tenth installment of the Spec Ops series. The game is set in a fictional version of Dubai, ravaged by massive, uncontrollable sandstorms that have left its residents stranded and abandoned by local authorities.
This eight-hour-long game is packed with intense gunfights in the malls, aquariums, and streets of a devastated Dubai, presenting players with difficult decisions and showcasing the teamwork of Delta Squad. Led by Martin Walker, alongside First Lieutenant Alphonso Adams and Staff Sergeant John Lugo, Spec Ops: The Line is an amazingly immersive experience for war game lovers.
The addition of tropes of PTSD, survival instincts, and moral dilemmas thatteeter the line between being a hero or a villain, makes this game enjoyable beyond measure.
6Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time
Nostalgic Graphics With a Buzz of Thrill
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is the fourth installment, and a 2003 reboot of Ubisoft’s hit series, Prince of Persia. It is one of the mostwell-received games in the seriesand laid the groundwork for the creation of Assassin’s Creed, which was initially intended as its sequel.
The series draws inspiration from Arabic and Middle-Eastern folklore, featuring visuals and music that reflect the culture to a fair extent.
Set in Persia in the 9th century AD, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time follows a prince who must revert the curse of the Sands of Time that has turned the inhabitants of the palace into vicious monsters. Teaming up with unexpected allies, the player has to navigate the prince through the vast palace of Azad to track down Vizier, the culprit who led to the havoc.
The game alternates with sequences of the prince exploring the palace and finishing off monsters with the Dagger of Time.
5Assassin’s Creed Origins
Elaborate And Dark, With Stunning Graphics And Backstory
Featuring one of the most ‘wondrous’ seven wonders of the world, Assassin’s Creed Origins is the tenth installment of the AC series that weighs in on the history of the Assassin Brotherhood. It’s primarily set in Egypt, in the Ptolemaic period, and mostly follows a considerably accurate rendition of theconflict between Queen Cleopatra and her then-ruling brother, Ptolemy XIII (although that’s not the main storyline).
The player steps into the role of Bayek, a Medjay, as he and his wife, Aya, strive to protect the city of Ptolemaic Egypt after abnormal disturbances shake its peace to the core. The couple goes through grueling trials and enemies, eventually becoming a part of the resistance group known as the Hidden Ones.
4Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
First-Person Shooting Game, Stepping Into Modern Destruction
While a major part of the Call of Duty series features Middle Eastern settings in various capacities, Modern Warfare, and its subsequent 2016 remaster, are predominantly set in this region. It’sa first-person shooterthat serves as the fourth installment of the global hit series and is the first game that deviates from the traditional World War 2 destruction to a more contemporary one.
The Middle East takes center stage in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, as the assassination of the president of an undisclosed country stirs up drama. The riveting feature that sets the fourth installment of Call of Duty apart from its predecessors is the inclusion of modern weaponry and mechanics.
This game also allows multiple players to join in, and the level system enables players to unlock new weapons and attachments along the way.
3Serious Sam 3: BFE
Futuristic Egypt Meets Gore, Ditches Normalcy To The Curb
Set against the enamoring scenery of a completelyfictional version of futuristic Egypt, players control Sam “Serious” Stone as he guns through hordes on hordes of enemies. Serious Sam 3: BFE is a first-person shooter game with massive environments big enough for large-scale destruction — perfect for the combat a typical old-school shooter game offers.
Consisting of 16 chapters, Serious Sam 3: BFE is an absolutely explosive game in which players can choose from a decent 13-weapon collection. The open environment allows the player to roam around and recover precious ammo, weapons, and health boosts while taking cover from enemies popping up from every direction.
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1Assassin’s Creed Mirage
The latest addition to Ubisoft’s AC series features an Arabic character, Basim Ibn Ishaq, and is set entirely in the city of Baghdad during the Abbasid Caliphate, in what is now modern-day Iraq. AC Mirage is not only set in the historic Middle East, but also pretty accuratelydepicts its architecture, notable figures, and culture.
The story follows Basim, a meager street thief in the streets of Baghdad, and his journey from petty theft to becoming a crucial figure in his city’s fight for peace against the Templars. Like other Assassin’s Creed games, Mirage centers on Basim’s initiation into the Hidden Ones and his life as an assassin.
