Pioneers of Pagonia Reviews

It's far from being ready. Here a just couple of things missing, from the top of my head: 1) a more streamlined production chain there are so many different buildings and units, it's convoluted and over complicated - less is more! for example - why do we need 2 different farms (veggies vs. crops)? - why do we need cabbage and pumpkin when they both end up as 'rations' anyway? (yes I know, depending on the ground you can farm on, you have to pick the best yield option - also convolution) - why do we need camps for many different kinds of units and do not have just one military camp? - why do we need huts AND mines for all kind of different ores? - why do we need storage buildings in different sizes? - why do we need an adventurers guild to train certain types of military units and at the same time have military academy right there? ... list goes on 2) over complicated and cumbersome micro management for each building - you have to enable what to produce / train for each new building. if you cannot define useful defaults for a production building / training camp there is a basic issue right there. if I build something I want it to be useful from the get go (military camp should start training basic unit, tool maker should start making basic tool(s) etc.). - it is not clear why certain actions come to a halt (or cannot be started). guild hall is not explained, resident houses neither... - why is only 1 type of unit and only from guard towers capable of claiming new territory? - why is the claiming so dysfunctional? I tried to click a location to claim but the units completely ignore my order... 3) removal of deadlocks there are so many ways to build your settlements, but then you just realize you have to start from scratch again because you ran into a dead end. 4) unit management - a guard tower can hold a max of 10 units which you can command to attack / patrol a target location on click - if you want a larger army to attack, you currently have to go through each individual tower and thus loose all the advantage of a large mass overwhelming (each pack of 10 arrives with a delay of the selection described above)

Take this review with a grain of salt. If you are a die-hard fan of city-sim type games, you may enjoy this. If you are not a die-hard fan of city-sim type games, this game will: - Overwhelm you, quickly, with the lack of explanation on what to do/when/how to do it - Overwhelm you, quickly, with all the things you need to track - but no (apparently) easy way to track it - Overwhelm you, quickly, if you think "combat" sounds fun in a map, only to find out "combat" is mostly just another aspect of commodity management which makes the game more burdensome and less fun. (It's not fun when thieves steal my hard-earned goods, and I can literally do nothing to stop them.) This game has the sparks of something good, but in its current state, it's beyond broken. That's the "grain of salt" part of the review. I'll keep my eyes on this as it develops, and if it turns things around to become more fun/engaging, I will change my review. Indie companies still deserve your money more than a AAA title. I'm usually pretty ruthless with my reviews, but there's a charm here that, if nurtured properly, has a good chance of growing into something good.

I first played The Settlers on an Amiga 500 in the 1990's. Somehow, Pioneers of Pagonia doesn't seem as good as even Settlers 7 was/is, at least not yet. The size ratio of the people to the buildings seem off as well as the buildings to the landscape. One can't see what people are carrying, they are so small. It's possibly a little so saturated and doesn't thematically fit with struggling pioneers. This is one game that higher resolutions become a bit immersion breaking. Too much dead space, yet someone the screenshots of the game don't feel like that. The objective of the gameplay isn't very engaging. The building design doesn't tell you much about what the buildings do. There is little threat to make one try any harder or play any differently. There is no tech tree / progression. It's really dull after playing it once. I'm not nearly as hooked on it as Factorio or Timberborn. I guess it really needs progression / rewards / objectives / missions / enemies / variants / difficulty. I do still look forward to watching it through Early Access.

Started a game, played like 5mins, looked at the clock, 3 hours have passed. 10/10 Still many features I would like to see implemented but as it stands, it is already a decent game while still in early access.

Even though graphics are nice and atmosphere is relaxing with decent soundtrack, game feels a bit dull. It needs a lot of micro management with production chain sadly. You can only set a number to produce, not a limit according to your stocks. Similar situation with the people, if you lose working people or their equipment, it is not easy to keep track. Because of the color palette, some of the buildings are similar also. Other than that, raids feel tiresome (sometimes you are being attacked constantly) and they are not levelled as the distance which means you can get raided by strong enemy near your base. After you get your economy going, it really goes without doing much which makes it boring around mid-game. Lastly, relations with other factions are a bit weak, since you cannot do anything other than trade. To sum up, I think this game might have potential but it has a long road and right now, it is too expensive.

There’s simply too much to manage, and more automation is needed. The overwhelming resource management makes the game feel more stressful than enjoyable.

I really like the game play and how it is more realistic than some other simulation games. I am still working on understanding things, but overall I really like it and have recommended it to my friends! Can't wait for the full version to drop.

I'll change my rating when you make Multiplayer the reason I bought this game actually playable every 5-10mins im lagging out or freezing up when trying to play with my friend

As a mother with a very busy life and a long-time gamer, I appreciate a game that offers a relaxing yet engaging city-building experience, and Pioneers of Pagonia delivers on that. The art style is charming and colorful, making it a joy to watch my little settlement come to life. The co-op mode is a fantastic addition to building and exploring with friends and family, it adds a whole new level of fun and strategy. The tutorial does a decent job of introducing the basics, but it feels too light on deeper mechanics. Things like trade and worker management could use better explanations, as I found myself struggling to understand why some buildings weren’t getting workers. I’d also love more tools for quick worker assignments instead of waiting for things to balance out on their own. Gameplay wise, it reminds me of Banished, but with fewer punishing mechanics especially no diseases or mass starvation while the storage is full wiping out my population, though bandits can still be a hassle. Expanding territory by moving markers feels a bit clunky; I’m not sure if I like that system. Overall, Pioneers of Pagonia has great potential. It’s cozy, cooperative, and fun, but could use more depth in management tools and tutorials. Looking forward to seeing how it evolves through updates and deeper tutorial help for new people coming to the game.

Pioneers of Pagonia has come a long way in just a year of early access! The devs have delivered huge updates—geologists, mining, QoL improvements, and even Share Play multiplayer—all while keeping the classic Settlers II vibe alive. Now, they’ve announced a full campaign mode, the last big missing feature. This game keeps getting better, and I can’t wait to see what’s next. If you love city-building, don’t sleep on this one!