Invincible Cleopatra: Caesar’s Dreams
Summary of the game
Invincible Cleopatra: Caesar’s Dreams is a Time Management style game, played on a PC, in which you play as queen Kleopatra VII. She enters Caesar’s dreams, via a dream amulet, to convince him not to conquer Egypt. You do this by beating levels, by completing puzzles and riddles, and increasing Kleopatra’s charm level.
Two of the promotional images for the game, depicting the Kleopatra and Caesar characters (Screenshot from Steam)
gameplay of one of the dream levels where the player is charged with defeating Anubis (Screenshot from Steam)
Egyptomania narratives or motifs
On the game’s Steam webpage, the plot of the game is explained:
Several Egyptomania motifs are present in just this description. Egypt is described as beautiful and glorious, an opulent place that Rome desires to conquer. Kleopatra is also characterized as a brave and wonderful queen, which is somewhat different than what we see in other video games where she is often criticized for her presumed promiscuity, rather than praised for her bravery. But, the focus on her perceived beauty and seductive powers is still present, even in this game that takes a kinder view of the queen. Since the main goal is to increase Kleopatra’s charm level enough to convince Caesar to help her save Egypt from Roman incursion, the player focuses on finishing levels and puzzles in order to acquire stars, which are then used to upgrade the queen’s clothes, jewelry, and décor, all of which aim to make her more appealing to Caesar. They player can also visit beauty salons and fountains of youth, and as Kleopatra builds up her charm level, she defeats enemies with a kiss. The trope of a queen that cares more about her looks and pleasures (the Kleopatra from Shakespeare, rather than the historic queen) is the focus of this game.
Additionally, during game play the player meets with several Egyptomania inspired creatures, including sphinxes, Anubis warriors, and reanimated mummies. The mummies serve as Kleopatra’s helpers, while Jackal headed Anubis acts as a villain, trying to thwart Kleopatra as she progresses through dream levels (see second screenshot). This is another common Egyptomania trope, where Anubis, as a god of death, is given sinister qualities.
Calm and peaceful days carried on as usual in beautiful and glorious Egypt, and nothing presaged any disaster. Until the Roman army wishing to conquer the whole valley on the Nile landed in the great city of Memphis. The last hope of Egyptian people is their brave wonderful Queen Cleopatra. Only she is able to convince Caesar to stop the war and to bring peace back to Egypt.
Several Egyptomania motifs are present in just this description. Egypt is described as beautiful and glorious, an opulent place that Rome desires to conquer. Kleopatra is also characterized as a brave and wonderful queen, which is somewhat different than what we see in other video games where she is often criticized for her presumed promiscuity, rather than praised for her bravery. But, the focus on her perceived beauty and seductive powers is still present, even in this game that takes a kinder view of the queen. Since the main goal is to increase Kleopatra’s charm level enough to convince Caesar to help her save Egypt from Roman incursion, the player focuses on finishing levels and puzzles in order to acquire stars, which are then used to upgrade the queen’s clothes, jewelry, and décor, all of which aim to make her more appealing to Caesar. They player can also visit beauty salons and fountains of youth, and as Kleopatra builds up her charm level, she defeats enemies with a kiss. The trope of a queen that cares more about her looks and pleasures (the Kleopatra from Shakespeare, rather than the historic queen) is the focus of this game.
Additionally, during game play the player meets with several Egyptomania inspired creatures, including sphinxes, Anubis warriors, and reanimated mummies. The mummies serve as Kleopatra’s helpers, while Jackal headed Anubis acts as a villain, trying to thwart Kleopatra as she progresses through dream levels (see second screenshot). This is another common Egyptomania trope, where Anubis, as a god of death, is given sinister qualities.
Author: Tara Sewell-Lasater
Other information
Sewell-Lasater, T. 2023. Eternally Maligned as the Power-hungry Femme Fatale: Kleopatra VII in Assassin’s Creed Origins and Other Video Games, in A.I. Fernández Pichel (ed) How Pharaohs Became Media Stars: Ancient Egypt and Popular Culture: 198. Oxford: Archaeopress.
Open access
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