Play Ankh: Curse of the Scarab King Online

Summary

Ankh: Curse of the Scarab King is the Nintendo DS adaptation of the 2005 PC adventure that first put me on the trail of quirky, humor‑laden puzzles. Deck13’s original 3D world, a remake of the 1998 Acorn Archimedes title, was squeezed onto the handheld while keeping its cinematic camera moves and tongue‑in‑cheek storytelling. The German‑composed soundtrack by Dynamedion even snagged the 2005 Best German Soundtrack award, adding a memorable audio backdrop to the scarab‑themed escapades. Despite being produced on a modest low‑six‑digit budget, the game earned solid scores—78 from GameStar and 85 from both PC Games and 4Players—though Metacritic listed the DS and Windows versions as mixed or average. In Germany it sold 100,000 copies, and by August 2009 the Ankh series (including its two sequels) had topped half a million units worldwide.

Storyline

In Ankh: Curse of the Scarab King (often just called Ankh on the DS), you step into the sandals of Assil, a young, party‑loving adventurer and the son of a respected architect in Cairo. One night he and two friends break into a pyramid for an all‑night celebration, only to smash a few urns and awaken a sleeping mummy. The offended mummy slaps Assil with a death‑curse that gives him exactly 24 hours to find a remedy or become its next victim. Using the DS stylus, players guide Assil through ancient Egyptian locales, solving puzzles and battling the curse before time runs out.

Mid‑adventure Assil encounters Thara, the daughter of the Arabian ambassador, who joins the quest and becomes a second playable character. Together they explore tombs, decipher hieroglyphs, and race against the ticking clock. The game blends classic point‑and‑click adventure mechanics with a frantic, time‑limited narrative, delivering a fast‑paced Egyptian romp that feels both retro and fresh.