Ragnorium
A colony simulator where clones face a Holy Crusade.
Ragnorium is a construction and management simulation game from Finnish developer Vitali Kirpu, published by Devolver Digital. It launched in early access in 2020 and saw its full Windows release on 25 April 2022. The game takes place in an alternate reality where private companies dominate space exploration, turning clone colonists into a tradeable resource.
In gameplay, players build and sustain a colony on harsh planets while preparing for an attack by a Holy Crusade led by a Sentient Machine. After landing their ship, they gather essentials like food and water, construct buildings, and send clones on dispatch missions to explore and advance through technological eras. The 1.0 update added new colonist types, resources, items, six planet maps, extra characters, and boss battles. Difficulty options include Zenlike mode, which removes dynamic events and gives more time to prepare for the crusade, and Hardcore mode, which intensifies planetary conditions and the crusade’s challenge.
Development began with early access on Steam on 16 September 2020, planned to last 12–24 months. Kirpu used player feedback from early access to refine the game before its official release on 25 April 2022. Kirpu previously worked on Pixel Piracy, an indie strategy and simulation game released worldwide on 23 April 2015.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Ragnorium
- Developer
- Vitali Kirpu
- Publisher
- Devolver Digital
- Platforms
- Windows
- Genre
- Construction and management simulation
- Released
- 25 April 2022
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Ragnorium is a fantasy colony simulator game where the player is tasked with creating and maintaining a self-sustaining colony on various planets with harsh conditions, while also ensuring that their settlement is strong enough to survive the oncoming Holy Crusade led by a Sentient Machine. The player and their clones arrive on a planet, land their ship, and begin colonizing by collecting vital resources such as food and water and building structures. The game challenges the player to explore planets through dispatch missions and evolve their colonies to reach new milestones, progressing through new technological eras to enhance their settlements.
The game offers various difficulty levels, including Zenlike mode and Hardcore mode. Zenlike mode does not feature dynamic events, providing a more forgiving experience with a larger window of time to prepare for the Holy Crusade invasion. Hardcore mode provides an unforgiving and relentless experience, increasing the harshness of planetary environments and the difficulty of the Holy Crusade.
With the release of Ragnorium 1.0, players were provided with a wider variety of colonist types, resources, items, six new planet maps, additional characters, and boss battles. The developer, Vitali Kirpu, formerly worked on Pixel Piracy, an indie strategy video game and simulator that launched worldwide on April 23, 2015.
Reader's Guide
Ragnorium entered early access on Steam on 16 September 2020, with the early access period planned for 12–24 months. Developer Vitali Kirpu actively engaged with feedback from early access users to help improve and develop the game before officially releasing it on 25 April 2022. The game's setting in an alternative universe where privatized space exploration has made clone colonists a commodity provides a distinctive backdrop for its colony simulation mechanics. The inclusion of a Holy Crusade led by a Sentient Machine as a central threat, combined with difficulty modes ranging from Zenlike to Hardcore, offers varied gameplay experiences. The game's legacy lies in its blend of traditional colony management with a unique narrative premise and its development through community feedback during early access. The addition of new content in the 1.0 release, including colonist types, resources, items, planet maps, characters, and boss battles, expanded the game's scope upon full launch.
Did You Know?
- Ragnorium was developed by Finnish developer Vitali Kirpu, who previously worked on Pixel Piracy.
- The game includes a Zenlike difficulty mode that removes dynamic events for a more relaxed experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Ragnorium?
Ragnorium is a construction and management simulation game set in a corporate-dominated space-faring world where cloned humans are treated as a tradeable commodity. Players run a colony on a hostile planet, managing resources and infrastructure while preparing for a religious military assault.
Who developed and published Ragnorium?
The game was created by Finnish developer Vitali Kirpu and released by Devolver Digital. It entered Windows early access in September 2020 and reached its full 1.0 release on 25 April 2022.
What is the core gameplay loop in Ragnorium?
After your ship touches down, you scavenge essentials like food and water, then build out structures to keep your clone workforce productive. The long-term objective is to harden the colony against a final offensive launched by a Sentient Machine commanding a Holy Crusade.
Why is Ragnorium notable among 2020s simulation games?
It pairs standard colony-management mechanics with a grim corporate-dystopian premise in which cloned people are literally bought and sold as resources. The looming apocalyptic religious threat gives the loop a tense, story-driven edge that sets it apart from lighter colony builders.
More in Simulation Games of the 2020s, Part 2 1-17
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