Very few time-sensitive objectives are thrust upon the player, and while some may scoff at the reduced challenge this characteristic seemingly entails, it makes the game that much more accessible to both new players as well as veterans simply looking to understand the game on a deeper level. The easy-going pace of the campaign mode is a large factor in the success of Dawn of Discovery's tutorials. Presented all at once, these features would merely overwhelm and confuse, but offered in the slow, isolated instances provided by the campaign mode, Dawn of Discovery's complex mechanics become a precision tool with which to command your entire archipelago of interconnected trade colonies. True success, however, will only come to those who take the time to really master micromanagement details such as the effect of fertility on grow cycles, efficient market wagon routines and properly maintained storage facilities. Those of you familiar with city-building simulators will be right at home with the general mechanics found within Dawn of Discovery thanks to its accessible control scheme, easily able to lay roads and low-level housing with ease. Mastering the intricacies behind efficient city mapping, trade route planning and production ladders is key to proving a successful colony administrator. That complexity is, after all, the root of what makes Dawn of Discovery such a rewarding title to play. It's clear that developers Blue Byte Software and Related Designs put a lot of effort into the campaign mode, offering a solid narrative while simultaneously teaching players the title's complex mechanics and economic intricacies. The campaign mode is propelled along thanks to Dawn of Discovery's surprisingly high-quality presentation, from the well-produced score to the fully voiced characters that really sell the story with each passing chapter. The narrative quickly expands as a crusade against the Orient begins in the wake of the Emperor's crippling illness, providing an engrossing context to the potentially trivial rope weaving and wheat harvesting.

The title's campaign mode sets the stage for the entire game, thrusting players into the role of a young fiefdom administrator tasked with settling various colonies across a number of idyllic tropical islands in the year 1404. Dawn of Discovery offers two main modes to players, Campaign and Continuous Play.

Anno 1404 large trading ship