Pioneers of Pagonia Review – Cozy Settlers-like Builder with Deep Economy
I spent hours guiding Pagonians across foggy islands: a tactile economy sim with visible production chains, co-op and a story campaign — but early access rough edges (progression bottlenecks, UI and stability) keep it from perfection.
Pioneers of Pagonia bets on visible supply lines and thousands of tiny workers to sell you a living world — think Settlers but with a heavier economic engine. It’s charming and often brilliant, but the current build still stumbles over progression and polish.
You play a navigator rebuilding Pagonia island by island: found settlements, set up production chains (over 60 building types and 100+ commodities) and explore procedural islands for factions, artifacts and hidden spots. Everything is visualized — you can literally watch foresters, wagons and weaponsmiths do their thing — which makes micromanagement satisfyingly tactile. Combat is tactical and secondary: you prepare troops and equipment, but fights feel more like planned encounters than constant action. Co-op for up to four players is a highlight: shared saves and simultaneous building make for chaotic, very social city-building sessions. There’s also a map editor to tinker and share custom islands. Downsides I bumped into (and many users mention): progression gating that locks key buildings early, long travel times and occasional pathing/AI awkwardness, plus some stability/UI roughness and no native Linux support at launch. If you love supply-chain puzzles and patient juggling, this scratches the itch; if you expect plug-and-play balance and polished convenience, be ready for some grit.
Pioneers of Pagonia is a promising, cozy builder with deep economic systems and great co-op potential — but expect to weather early-access frustrations before its full shine. Recommended for planners and coop groups; others might want to wait for further polish.
Pros
- Very tangible production chains — you actually see the economy run
- Co-op and map editor add longevity and social play
- Strong Settlers-vibe with deep simulation for players who enjoy planning
Cons
- Progression gating and resource bottlenecks can feel punishing and opaque
- UI, pathfinding and stability issues (and no native Linux support at launch)
Player Opinion
Players praise the cozy Settlers-like feeling, the visible economy and the fun of co-op or community maps. Critics point out early-access warts: locked progression, long searches for essential resources (flax, food), annoying thieves and occasional crashes. If you loved classic Settlers or enjoy detailed production sims (and don’t mind some rough edges), this will likely click for you.