Lush and lovingly crafted,Pioneers of Pagoniais one of the most enchanting city-builders currently in Early Access. Even in the game’s prelaunch state, it’s hard not to get pulled into its world of mist-shrouded islands and plucky explorers. I spoke with some of the team at Envision Entertainment to find out what went into creating this lovely world.
These Magical Islands
Pioneers of Pagonia is led by foundational German game designer Volker Wertich, the creator of The Settlers and SpellForce, among others. The influence of The Settlers are particularly notable in Pagonia, though the game’s visual language provides it with a very distinct setting and overall mood from its predecessor.
“From the very beginning, we set out to create a world of Pagonia that feels like a living, breathing miniature,” says art director Timm Schwank. “That idea of a tangible, organic world was the emotional core of our art direction. We wanted players to feel immediately at home, inspired to explore, create, and observe the quiet rhythms of a fantasy land that’s playful, yet grounded in natural beauty.”
He continues, “We believe clarity doesn’t have to come at the cost of charm. Every animation, color gradient, and shape was chosen not just to look good, but to communicate gameplay and story on sight. This allowed the game world to feel honest and intuitive, yet full of delightful detail and hidden life.” In this, Pioneers of Pagonia’s art team has certainly succeeded; important map details like resources are easy to identify and differentiate at a glance, yet they all fit perfectly into the landscape without the need for UI highlighting or anything else that might take the player out of the world.
It’s busy, but never too noisy. Magical, but never alienating.
The game being a city-builder, of course, you’re not just there to look at the map; constructing your settlement and making it your own are the central to the gameplay, and Pagonia’s towns are just as charming. Schwank says, “We drew inspiration from neo-romantic fantasy and medieval European landscapes but filtered it through a gentle, human lens. Slightly exaggerated terrain, animated production buildings, and thousands of Pagonians hustling and bustling through daily life give the world a pulse… It’s busy, but never too noisy. Magical, but never alienating. It invites the player both to relax and to enjoy the challenges.”
From Settlers To Pioneers
That pulse, orWuselfaktorin German, is readily apparent throughout every game of Pioneers of Pagonia. If you’re familiar with The Settlers series, you’ll recognize it right away, and likely find lots of familiarity in Pagonia; as Schwank points out,Wuselfaktoris emblematic of Wertich’s work going back decades.
As creative director, Volker Wertich brings his longtime experience to bear, letting players give orders and watch theWuselfaktorat work. “The player gives superior commands, which the various and numerous Pagonians implement, creating chain reactions and sometimes unexpected consequences,” he says, giving a succinct summary of the basic gameplay loop.
We need a flexible development approach. We can only react to community feedback and requests if we do not have a three-year-plan set in stone.
Of course, it’s the unexpected that developers have to watch out for, as players have ways of finding things that they never dreamed of. Envision Entertainment has, like many devs making Early Access titles, worked closely with their community throughout the development process, forgoing long-term plans in favor of responding more quickly to player feedback. “We need a flexible development approach,” Wertich explains. “We can only react to community feedback and requests if we do not have a three-year-plan set in stone. Instead, we plan for the near future, about six to nine months, in more detail, and announce those plans with our regular roadmap releases.”
Sailing Toward The Future
This approach has led to some welcome changes that might never have been a part of the game otherwise. Unlike many city-builders, Pioneers of Pagonia starts you off with a relatively large population, all housed on your ship the Venturer, to facilitate easy buildup in the early game. As it turns out, though, players seem to like starting from scratch.
“Since the Early Access release, many players in our community were asking for the option to start with nothing but some Pagonians,” Wertich recalls. “We thought quite some time about it and found a solution which, on the one hand, offers advanced large landing parties… on the other hand, a small team of only fifty Pagonians without anything.”
“We had to extend the economy with some core buildings, and the new small landing team is also a benefit for new players; it is easier to understand the game mechanics if you craft anything you own by yourself instead of reproducing things you already had initially.” The option for the bare-bones landing party was added in the game’s Major Economy Update on July 2, along with several other changes to the existing gameplay.
The Major Economy Update includes eight new buildings, the Pioneer unit, and improved map generation allowing for more mountainous islands.
Between its worldbuilding and design ethos, Pioneers of Pagonia is definitely one to watch for city-building fans. Wertich is clearly proud of the project, closing by saying, “If you like buildup strategy games, take a closer look at Pioneers of Pagonia! The game supports a wide range of play styles, from peacefully building a beautiful, economically successful settlement to very difficult islands with challenging objectives and countless treacherous enemies. The shared cooperative mode also allows you to experience the game together with friends and family.”
There is still more to come on Pagonia’s journey to launch, including a campaign mode that follows the Venturer from island to island. Like the ship’s voyage itself, the development of Pioneers of Pagonia is proving to be just as much about the journey as it is about the destination.
