Paragon Pioneers 2

An excellent example of a slow-paced singleplayer city/empire builder. This game has a variety of difficulty settings and customizations to satisfy those seeking challenge or chill. Best of all, unlike many mobile games in the genre, there are no premium currencies, no ads, no constant spam to link to social media and drag friends and family into playing just to access the full game’s content. Unfortunately seeing a mobile game that doesn’t use FOMO or a ridiculously ballooning grind curve to convince you to break open your wallet has become distressingly rare. This game stands out as an example of what a good mobile game should be.

This is a very good game. It’s similar but definitely distinct from other town building simulators, with time tested elements like adjacency bonuses, micromanaging scarce resources, trade mechanics, and very satisfying expansion potential. These mechanics are well thought out, short term and long. The difficulty level and unlock progression are both handled pretty well. I play on the default difficulty and I’ve been challenged but not frustrated, but there are other options to suit everyone’s taste. It does play out a bit slower than what I originally wanted, but that’s become a feature that I enjoy rather than a drawback. The lack of bonus currencies or ads really helps to alleviate the mild sting of seeing an hours long timer on an action, especially since those actions are usually of fairly minor significance. You can still consistently play at a very active pace if that’s what you want. My extremely minor critiques mostly concern the occasional spelling error, which feel especially out of place given how polished the rest of the game feels. Aside from that there’s not much to complain about, I am satisfied and pleased with this mobile game which is a rare sensation.

It has all the things people love about civ builders on mobile, without any of the nasty trappings to include micro-transactions, gatchas, or (negative) multiplayer experiences to force play. Clever building placement, production, and logistics are required to progress in a gentle and steady pace. There’s a ton to unlock and explore, but it comes steadily enough it’s not overwhelming. Additional benefits like advanced/improved buildings and ships give you opportunities to optimize layout and trade routes to speed up progression, which is compelling. Routes can be automated and the game can run itself until you have time to dive in again and make improvements to your island empire. There’s always something to tweak or replan to inch out more production to unlock the next tier, or get to the (next) game completion. Has been a treat to play and get into for many hours, one of the best building strategy games that has depth, requires thought to optimize, and wonderfully doesn’t turn psychological screws on you to get you to spend cash. I’ve enjoyed it quite a bit. Most Recommended!