Pioneers of Pagonia Review – A Comfortable and Charming Urban Development

Pioneers of Pagonia is a vibrant city-building project whose creators consciously continue the traditions of classic The Settlers, while avoiding outright copying old formulas. This is a strategy game about rebuilding, developing, and gradually increasing the complexity of a settlement, where gameplay plays a key role. The game recently launched with a full story campaign, a range of modes, and four-player co-op, as well as Russian localization.

• Developer: Envision Entertainment
• Publisher: Envision Entertainment
• Platforms: PC
• Release date: December 11, 2025

The core of Pioneers of Pagonia is managing a living, constantly moving settlement. Each inhabitant of your settlement is not an abstract entity, but a concrete character with a route and their own tasks. Porters carry resources from point to point, builders construct buildings step by step, and a lack of roads or poorly planned logistics can lead to minor traffic jams. This can be observed endlessly, yet behind the seemingly calm surface lies a rich system of interconnected mechanics.

The story campaign, which appeared in version 1.0, is designed for approximately 30-40 hours and consists of seven chapters, each of which takes place on a separate island. . As players progress, they move from island to island, encountering new environments, mechanics, and challenges.

The campaign serves several functions. On the one hand, it tells the story of the journey , introducing locals, abandoned settlements, and elements of mysticism . On the other, it serves as a tutorial, gradually and unobtrusively introducing new systems. This tutorial is designed so that the player doesn’t have to memorize long lists of rules or recall what was explained at the very beginning after several hours. New buildings and opportunities are unlocked when they are truly needed and seamlessly integrate into the gameplay.

That said, the campaign itself is unlikely to be replayable. It’s quite linear, and the main motivation for returning to the same chapters is perhaps a desire to experiment with the appearance of settlements or alternative development approaches. Pioneers of Pagonia’s replayability extends beyond the story mode. After completing the campaign, access to individual maps becomes available. , custom scenarios, pre-made levels, and maps created by other players.

Here, the map isn’t just the island’s shape or its visual style. Before starting a game, you can set a multitude of parameters that radically alter the gameplay experience. You can completely disable combat and enemies, turning the game into a relaxed city-building simulator . Alternatively, you can focus solely on capturing the island by force. There are modes that emphasize completing predetermined objectives, while others have no clear victory conditions at all—only construction and development. Map size, lighting, enemy difficulty, or even the absence of enemies are all customizable.

The process of completing a map also depends on the chosen conditions. Sometimes it’s enough to complete a few predetermined objectives, while other times it’s necessary to completely eliminate all enemies on the island. Afterward, the game notifies the player that the objective has been achieved, and the player decides whether to move on to the next map or continue developing the current settlement. In some scenarios, merging with other villages is possible , granting access to their buildings and resources.

Choosing an island is another key decision made before the game even begins . There are nine island types available, from forested and green to mountainous and rugged, with lakes, meadows, and complex terrain. The island type directly impacts the available resources, the quality of the soil for farming, the quantity and distribution of ores, the availability of game, fish, and treasure , as well as the areas suitable for building. Each island has its own difficulty level.

Each game begins with a limited number of settlers, which can also be customized. From the very first minute, the player must build a basic economy: gather stone, wood, and copper, pick berries and mushrooms, and build housing to support population growth. Guard posts are established at the same time, expanding the territory’s borders and opening access to new resources and residents. Gradually, production chains become more complex. Wood turns into logs, then beams, and simple tools give way to more advanced ones. Each new link requires appropriate buildings and trained workers.

The specialist training system is flexible. The game can automatically train the right people for specific buildings, but the player can also intervene in this process if desired. You can focus on builders and excavators to speed up development, or on military professions if the map involves intense combat. The game features several types of enemies and obstacles, each with its own dedicated units. The military component, however, remains optional. This is perhaps one of the few controversial points. When playing without enemies, some content remains unused. Otherwise, the balance feels well-balanced, and the transition from simple to complex tasks is seamless.