Earlier this year, Volker Wertich announced that he was returning to the citybuilding genre 30 years after he headed up The Settlers. We now have our first in-game look at his new project Pioneers Of Pagonia, which seems to dial up the economic management and actual building-of-towns side of the formula, rather than the RTS combat machinations. Take a look at the lush fields and construction down below.
Pioneers Of Pagonia takes you across procedurally generated islands where you’ll meet (and make alliances with) a number of villages, build settlements and micromanage every detail of their daily lives. You'll then use your resources to continue exploring uncharted land.
The team say the gameplay can be characterised with the German word "Wuselfaktor", which just means the "hustle and bustle factor". That’s very evident from the general vibes of the new footage as your townsfolk work their lives away hammering at rocks and picking berries, but they all look happy doing so. It’s the little things, I guess. The team also say your settlements can grow until thousands of Pagonians rush around, further complicating those branching production chains.
The other thing that jumps out to me is simply how pretty Pagonia is - in an “I wanna throw my phone down a chasm and live in these mountains” kind of cottagecore way. That’s the itch that Outlanders scratched for me, and an itch that comes back when I look at Pagonia. Despite that initial jolly atmosphere, the end of the trailer teases some mystery creatures that’ll surely spoil your well-planned processes. “Dark secrets” and “territorial conflicts” will also play a part in the game, says the press release.
Pioneers Of Pagonia will launch into early access later this year
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