Pioneers of Pagonia Changes the Power Dynamics in City Building Games

Not all city builders are created equal. There's the kind where you treat your citizens like your children, and if you fail to fulfil their needs, they pack up and leave. Then there's the kind where a minor slip-up can send your city spiralling into chaos, with your citizens meeting their untimely demise. The line between a thriving metropolis and a ghost town is often thin. But what if we told you about a game where this line is blurred?

Envision Entertainment, helmed by Volker Wertich, the original designer of the acclaimed strategy city builder, The Settlers, is developing a new offering titled 'Pioneers of Pagonia'. The unique twist? It's not about making people happy; rather, it's the people's job to make you happy. In traditional city builders, you play the role of an omnipotent leader catering to the needs of your citizens. Pioneers of Pagonia break this norm, creating a different dynamic.

The bustling gameplay visuals showcase a city teeming with life – from citizens chopping trees to delivering planks to the building sites. The 'wuselig' (German for busy) city can be home to thousands of inhabitants, with the game even supporting online co-op for managing the sprawling cityscapes. The world of Pagonia isn't just about city-building, though. Procedurally generated maps hide neutral factions and hostile entities, ramping up the game’s thrill factor.

Supernatural entities like ghosts and werewolves pose a unique threat to your city. Instead of deploying soldiers to tackle these threats, you'd want witches and sorcerers. One wrong move, like sending a regular soldier to fight a werewolf, could result in a chain reaction that turns your city into an island of werewolves. The game encourages strategic problem-solving, making for a gripping experience.

Herein lies the beauty of Pioneers of Pagonia. Even if you run out of food, your citizens don't leave or die. Instead, the city's expansion grinds to a halt, beautifully turning the regular dynamics of city builders on its head and offering players a fresh experience. Set to launch into early access in late 2023, Pioneers of Pagonia is set to give strategy city builder enthusiasts something to look forward to.