A Guide to the Gods

One of the characteristics in Ankh: Gods of Egypt that sets it apart from its predecessors in the legendary saga – Blood Rage and Rising Sun – is the high level of asymmetry in the game. The presence, or absence of, a god in a particular game highly changes the texture of the experience and the strategy that needs to be applied. This happens because players represent the gods themselves and their powers. Let’s take a deeper look into which gods are included in the core box and how their powers are represented in the game.

First, we have Anubis, God of Tombs, Embalming, and the Underworld. Dying was a central part of the Egyptian mythology, if the elaborate mummies, pyramids and funerary rites can serve as any indication. Great efforts were made to ensure the well-being of souls after death. So, in the context of the game, Anubis’ power relies on trapping other Gods’ dead Warriors in his underworld. Each trapped Warrior makes him more powerful. The only way to get the warrior back is to pay Anubis with Followers which can make him more powerful in different ways. It’s a tough negotiation, and something for players to keep in mind when engaging in battle not only with Anubis, but with any god.

Then we have Ra, the mighty Sun God, a Creator God, giver of life. His power in the game is very different from Anubis’. When summoning a figure to the board, be it a warrior or a guardian, he can choose to assign it one of the sun tokens. By making the figure radiant, Ra gains more Devotion when winning conflicts with it. If not kept in check, this ability can make Ra players win very quickly, as the game ends when a God hits the top of the Devotion track.