Game: Pioneers of Pagonia
Genre: Simulation, Strategy, Early Access
System: Steam (Windows)
Developers | Publishers: Envision Entertainment
Controller Support: No
Price: US $29.99 | UK £25.99 | EU € 29,99
Release Date: December 13th, 2023
Review code used, with many thanks to ÜberStrategist.
Volker Wertich, recognised by many Colony Sim players, had a role in creating the classic city-building game The Settlers in 1993. Now, Volker is the creative director and co-founder of Envision Entertainment and is bringing us Pioneers of Pagonia. This city builder is all about exploration, discovery, and reuniting the fantasy islands of Pagonia.
I played the demo of Pioneers of Pagonia a few months ago, and the game is now being released on Early Access, so it’s time for a review.
Pioneers of Pagonia
Pioneers of Pagonia takes you to the procedurally generated islands of Pagonia, where you must establish a settlement. Furthermore, you’ll use the resources you uncover through production, economic expansion, and exploration. Doing so will steadily increase your reach and influence across the island, though other inhabitants are not always friendly.
Though the game’s world has an expansive backstory, the game lacks a story campaign. Instead, Pioneers of Pagonia has a few maps from which you are given tasks to complete. These act like tutorials and introduce you to the game. There is also a sandbox mode where you can choose the size, terrain and other map conditions and difficulty settings.
Buildings Unlocked from the Beginning
Every building in Pioneers of Pagonia is unlocked right from the start; there is no need to research or use a tech tree. As long as you have the correct resources to build, you can build anything on the menu.
In Pioneers of Pagonia, placing buildings is a breeze; you can place a building and then add paths. Buildings aren’t limited to a grid, meaning you can create more life-like towns and villages which aren’t bound by straight lines. Creating paths is seamless and well-executed, and your citizens use them for resource transportation and movement. You have all the usual buildings to construct, such as woodcutters, stone quarries, stonemasons, storage facilities, taverns, and tailors.
Procedurally Generated Maps and Enemies
There is also combat in Pioneers of Pagonia, though this isn’t an RTS; instead, you can control your units from the guard tower or the garrison. From there, you can select the patrol and then point and click on the area where your military units should patrol. If enemies are in the area, they will automatically engage in an attack.
Different enemies are lurking in the fog. Each enemy type has several tier levels, from 1 to 3, determining the enemy’s strength. Of course, the higher the tier level, the stronger your military units must be to defeat them. Bandits, thieves, and mythical creatures, such as werewolves and ghosts, are in the fog on the map. If they get too close to your settlement, thieves will steal the resources, so it’s wise to send out units to stop them.
One of the things I like about Pioneers of Pagonia is that the procedurally generated maps make the game more replayable, as each playthrough is slightly different.
Visuals and UI
The fantasy look of the game and the buildings appeals to me, and they are colourful and detailed. The same can be said for the great sound effects; you can hear the citizens bustling about. The game soundtrack is relaxing to listen to while playing.
The UI works well, and every bit of info you need is available, so you can see what is happening in your settlement at a glance. I noticed that the speed tab to speed up the game is not in the main toolbar at the top of the screen. I was playing the game for a good while before I found out that the increase speed tab is located on the mini-map, which is an odd place to have it, and the player can easily miss it as I did.
Since Early Access
I’ve reviewed many games over the past years, and all Early Access games are at different stages in their development. Pioneers of Pagonia is also in Early Access, and even at the EA stage, the game is well advanced in its development. I don’t have any complaints about how the game performs on my laptop, as it ran very smoothly.
Furthermore, the team at Envision Entertainment have an Early Access road map where they plan to add much more to the game. For example, further updates include a co-op mode to play the game with friends. Additionally, mining, economy, and a quality of life update are planned for 2024.
Conclusion for Pioneers of Pagonia
Mechanically, this cosy city-builder with a fantasy theme, Pioneers of Pagonia, stays close to the classics and is a great addition to the genre. It is a well-developed base for the game to grow and go from strength to strength as it passes through early access over the next six months or so.
Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot