Pan’orama is another in the long line of puzzle type city builder games that aims for a relaxing experience over one that focuses on micromanagement of systems.

It’s also drawn plenty of comparisons to Dorfromantik where they both share a similar style and gameplay. So it’s fair to not only ask if Pan’orama is a good game, but also if it differentiates itself from the competition to be worth checking out.

Pan’orama
Developer: Chicken Launcher
Publisher: Awaken Realms
Platforms: Windows PC (Reviewed)
Release Date: May 9, 2023
Players: 1
Price: $13.99 USD

Pan’orama bills itself as a city builder, and while you do end up creating something that resembles society by the end of the game. It doesn’t fit in the same category as something like SimCity or Cities: Skylines.

Rather this is a hexagonal tile placement game that leans closer to being a puzzle game rather than a traditional city builder. You have to pay attention to tile placement and remaining number in order to progress.

While there is the fail state of running out of tiles, Pan’orama is a very forgiving title. There’s an undo button which allows you to reverse multiple placements and most of the time you don’t feel as though you’ll run out.

Meanwhile getting more tiles usually consists of placing tiles in a manner to gather enough points for the next unlock. These unlocks mainly focus on giving you a special structure to place the blueprint of that’ll provide it’s own bonus once completed.

This gameplay, while simple, was quite addicting. There’s a min-max element to it that’ll grab your attention as you think about where the best place to play a tile is. While also juggling these unlocks and placing them in locations for both immediate and long term benefits.

Despite it’s ease, Pan’orama succeeds in being an engaging title for those interested. If you enjoy trying to figure out how to make the most optimal decisions, then this game takes a solid position as one worth spending time on.

It’s crafted in a solid manner, with no bugs or broken mechanics to speak of. Graphics are simple, but appealing, while everything is also clear and conveys proper meaning from a distance. So you’re not stuck having to zoom in on the map to know what tiles have already been placed.

Music hits the mark for the tranquility Pan’orama markets itself as. Sound effects on tile placements or when a structure is completed is also satisfying. Though I never felt myself relaxed when playing, instead being very engaged. Which is still a good thing, fortunately.

It’s not a perfect game by any stretch of the imagination either though. The most immediate issue is the game’s short length when considering the time to “beat” it. I only took two hours to basically finish the game, which was not rushed in the slightest.

With the low price tag, it’s not the worst value. However it’s not great for anyone who mainly looks to beat games before moving onto the next one. There’s simply not that much unique content to enjoy.

There is a creative mode which allows players to create their own world without limits. There’s nothing wrong with it, but how much content it truly adds is variable based on how creative one can be within the game.

For me, I found it less engaging than building a world based on the gameplay loop. Where because of the loop, what I ended up creating has it’s own unique style to it thanks to the random factor in play.

The lack of content is also more pressing to me while writing this review as the developers of Pan’orama have already announced numerous additions to be coming in updates over the next several weeks. It’s not a small amount either, given their announcement.

I’m left wondering why many of these features were not available at launch. Unfortunately I can’t review them because they don’t exist at this moment for the review copy. Which is a shame as I believe they could improve the game vastly.

As it stands now, Pan’orama is a good game, albeit lacking in content. The developers are certainly interested on continuing their support for the title, but you can never base a purchase of a non-Early Access game on future updates that aren’t guaranteed.

If it’s a game you were already interested in, then I believe it’s worth the purchase. But if you’re only just on the fence, then it’s better to hold off just a tiny bit longer to see what the developers add in later that may end up interesting you more.

Pan’orama was reviewed on PC using a code provided by Awaken Realms. You can find additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy here. Pan’orama is available now on Windows PC (via Steam).