A Most Extraordinary Gnome

About

In "A Most Extraordinary Gnome," play as a small gnome tasked with protecting a forest from dark, unprecedented forces. Wield your hat as a weapon in challenging 2D action stages while uncovering a complex and engaging story. With hand-crafted paper cut-out elements, the game offers a unique and colorful 2D world tailored to your desired level of difficulty.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

96%

Audience ScoreBased on 52 reviews

graphics16 positive mentions

stability2 negative mentions

The handmade paper 2D art style is unique and charming, enhancing the overall aesthetic of the game.
Gameplay is challenging yet fair, with interesting mechanics and a variety of boss fights that keep players engaged.
Customizable difficulty options allow players to adjust the challenge to their preference, making it accessible for a wider audience.

Controls can feel floaty and imprecise, leading to frustrating moments where players may miss jumps or attacks.
The game is relatively short, with only four main stages, which may leave some players wanting more content.
Some players found the lack of clear instructions and the need for basic English comprehension to be a barrier to fully enjoying the game.

graphics
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
21%
13%
The game features a charming and unique art style reminiscent of paper cut-outs, complemented by a captivating soundtrack and delightful character designs. While the visuals are praised for their beauty and creativity, some players feel that the aesthetic does not always align with the more challenging gameplay, particularly during boss battles. Overall, the graphics are a standout highlight, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “Gorgeous art style, great music, short and sweet story.”
- “Mixing beautiful arts-and-craft graphics with Cuphead-style gameplay creates this wonderful little indie game.”
- “The art style, music, and characters are so charming, and his house is so cute; I loved revisiting it to find something new each time.”
- “As already mentioned by some people, the unique and friendly paper cut-out art style with the cute animals doesn't really match with the (also a bit clunky) boss battles, which could at least have been enhanced by some easygoing gameplay sprinkled in between.”
- “Don't let the cute graphics fool you; this game is actually quite challenging!”
- “The art style and animations are very charming and unique, definitely one of my main highlights of the game.”
gameplay
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
25%
15%
The gameplay is characterized as a solid platformer with interesting mechanics and a fair level of challenge, complemented by an appealing art style and soundtrack. However, it is criticized for being heavily reliant on just four boss fights, which can be completed quickly, and for lacking variety in gameplay elements between these encounters. Overall, while the game offers a charming aesthetic and engaging mechanics, some players feel it could benefit from more diverse gameplay experiences.
- “Very solid platformer with interesting mechanics, fairly priced, with a very appealing art style and great soundtrack.”
- “Gameplay is pretty challenging but always fair.”
- “Incredible art and music, great mechanics, very cute and alluring characters and atmosphere, what's not to love?”
- “The four boss fights make up all of the gameplay-oriented mechanics (i.e. non-story/fluff) and are beatable in about 10 minutes if done flawlessly.”
- “As already mentioned by some people, the unique and friendly paper cut-out art style with the cute animals doesn't really match with the (also a bit clunky) boss battles, which could at least have been enhanced by some easygoing gameplay sprinkled in between.”
- “The story is a bit of a fever dream, and I wish some mechanics were explained a bit better.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
36%
7%
The music in the game is widely praised for its charm and ability to complement the appealing art style, enhancing the overall atmosphere. While many reviewers appreciate the soundtrack and its fit with the game's aesthetic, some express mixed feelings about specific transitions and creative choices in the music. Overall, the combination of great music and art contributes significantly to the game's appeal.
- “Very solid platformer with interesting mechanics, fairly priced, with a very appealing art style and great soundtrack.”
- “Nice music, superb animation, and a lovely little story.”
- “Incredible art and music, great mechanics, very cute and alluring characters and atmosphere, what's not to love?”
- “The music from the trailer sounded a little strange but interesting, and it seemed to fit the unique art style; however, I didn't enjoy several of the transitions in-game and some of the creative choices.”
story
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
7%
21%
The story is generally described as delightful and unique, featuring a gentle narrative complemented by superb animation and a gorgeous art style. While many appreciate the charming characters and engaging side-stories, some reviewers felt a lack of emotional connection to the main character, which diminished the impact of the ending. Overall, the storytelling is praised for its beauty and creativity, despite some wishing for clearer mechanics and deeper character development.
- “The story is delightful and gentle, and the mode of displaying it is magnificent and lovely.”
- “Nice music, superb animation, and a lovely little story.”
- “Gorgeous art style, great music, short and sweet story.”
- “The story is a bit of a fever dream, and I wish some mechanics were explained a bit better.”
- “The story feels disjointed and lacks coherence, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “The narrative is underdeveloped, leaving many plot points unresolved and characters feeling flat.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by its cute and wholesome narrative, complemented by fantastic art, despite its brevity with only four stages.
- “The art is fantastic, and the narrative is cute and wholesome.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
100%
Players find the game highly replayable primarily due to the presence of achievements, which encourage multiple playthroughs to unlock all content.
- “The game offers a wealth of achievements that make it highly replayable.”
- “With numerous achievements to unlock, the replayability factor is off the charts.”
- “The variety of achievements encourages players to dive back in for more.”
- “Replayable for achievements.”
- “Replayable for achievements.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its incredible art and music, complemented by charming and alluring characters, creating an engaging and delightful experience for players.
- “Incredible art and music, great mechanics, very cute and alluring characters, and atmosphere—what's not to love?”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report that the game's controller support is somewhat unstable, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences, particularly during challenging boss encounters. This instability has prompted players to adopt workaround strategies to mitigate the issues.
- “The controller support is a bit buggy; the third boss's second part was a lot harder because of it. I ended up aiming down and timing my shots since that seemed to not bug out as often.”
- “The controller support is a bit buggy; the third boss's second part was a lot harder because of it. I ended up aiming down and timing my shots since that seemed to not bug out as often.”