Goblin Stone

About

"Goblin Stone" is a turn-based roguelite where you lead a party of goblins in their quest for survival against human adventurers. Customize your party with different classes, abilities, and genetics, and experience a unique combat system where positioning determines the order of actions. Manage a thriving goblin colony, build your lair, and breed your goblins to create the perfect party. The game features nostalgic storybook-inspired visuals and an epic soundtrack composed by Peter McConnell.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

63%

Audience ScoreBased on 930 reviews

story84 positive mentions

grinding102 negative mentions

Charming art style and engaging narration that enhances the gameplay experience.
Unique gameplay mechanics that combine turn-based combat with base building and goblin breeding.
Fun and addictive gameplay loop that encourages strategic planning and resource management.

Numerous bugs and glitches that can lead to game-breaking issues and loss of progress.
Clunky and unintuitive user interface that makes navigation and management tedious.
Repetitive gameplay with limited enemy variety and temporary rewards that diminish the sense of progression.

story
340 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
72%
4%
The story of "Goblin Stone" is generally well-received, featuring charming graphics and a unique narrative that flips traditional RPG tropes by focusing on goblins as protagonists. Players appreciate the engaging storytelling and voice acting, though some criticize the execution, noting that the plot can feel simplistic or drag in parts, and the grindy nature of missions can detract from the overall experience. While the narrative is entertaining and offers a heartwarming underdog tale, many feel that the gameplay mechanics and progression systems could be improved to enhance the storytelling experience.
- “Goblin Stone is a turn-based adventure game with roguelike-esque runs, base building, a compelling story, great sense of humor, and fantastic narration.”
- “The art and voice acting are fantastic, the storyline is entertaining, and the use of goblin deaths to propel the game forward was a pretty fun mechanic.”
- “The story reverses the role of goblins and adventurers, telling the tales of the lowly mob in typical RPGs and how greedy and cruel human adventurers are toward the monster folk.”
- “There's no rich story to explore here.”
- “The story is decent albeit a bit on the simple side.”
- “The overall lore/story is quite minimal and I think would benefit from being sped up or introduced in other ways, for example, item/place descriptions that can be explored in the player's own time.”
gameplay
276 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
56%
9%
The gameplay of "Goblin Stone" is characterized by a charming aesthetic and engaging mechanics, but it suffers from repetitiveness and a lack of depth, particularly in late-game scenarios. While the turn-based combat and breeding mechanics offer some fun, many players find the gameplay loop tedious and marred by bugs and shallow mechanics. Overall, the game has potential but requires further refinement and content to maintain long-term player interest.
- “The gameplay is intuitive, and honestly, the goblins are super cute.”
- “This game oozes charm and has a very fun gameplay loop that is supported by fantastic visuals and vibes.”
- “Goblin stone is a neat game that immediately captivates with its charming aesthetic and engaging gameplay.”
- “When the player uncovers the last classes, soon thereafter maxes out their base, the gameplay becomes entirely redundant.”
- “Additionally, the gameplay can become repetitive over time, as players find themselves engaging in similar encounters and tasks with each playthrough.”
- “The mechanics in this game aren't really deep enough for it to be fun for long.”
graphics
168 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
41%
2%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming, hand-drawn art style and beautiful aesthetics, which enhance the overall gameplay experience. Players appreciate the cute visuals and engaging narrative, although some have noted technical issues like memory leaks and a messy UI. Overall, the art style is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal and enjoyment.
- “The game has a charming hand-drawn storybook aesthetic that fits the game well.”
- “This game oozes charm and has a very fun gameplay loop that is supported by fantastic visuals and vibes.”
- “Absolutely beautiful game, great art style and narrative additions.”
- “There is a memory leak in the game; it's the only thing I can think of, as this game will max out my 2090 Ti - even though this game isn't some graphically intensive game.”
- “This happens mostly in the menus, even if I turn the graphics down to low and limit the FPS.”
- “The UI is messy and unintuitive, the graphics are underwhelming, and the music is lackluster.”
grinding
102 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious and repetitive, with players spending a significant amount of time on resource farming and base building without a satisfying sense of progress. Many reviews highlight the lack of variation in gameplay and the unbalanced nature of resource acquisition, making the grind feel unrewarding and frustrating. While some players find enjoyment in the game despite its grindy nature, the overwhelming consensus is that the grinding detracts from the overall experience.
- “The game is slow, grindy, and lacks any feeling of progress.”
- “This game has a lot to offer aesthetically, but otherwise, it is a letdown due to the ridiculous amount of grinding that must be done to accomplish anything.”
- “There is little content and progression is very slow and grindy.”
stability
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been widely criticized for its instability, with players reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and freezes that disrupt gameplay and lead to frustrating experiences. While some users noted improvements after updates, many still encountered significant issues, including a problematic user interface and game-breaking bugs. Overall, the consensus is that the game feels unfinished and requires further patches to enhance stability.
- “Dev's released a buggy and unfinished game.”
- “I'm very disappointed at the moment: have lost progress, have lost weapons, freezes sometimes and the UI is really bad (lots of bugs with it).”
- “There are several game freezes and game-breaking bugs.”
music
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
35%
10%
The music in the game is generally described as relaxing and charming, enhancing the overall atmosphere and complementing the art style. While many players appreciate the chill vibe and the quality of the soundtrack, some find it lacks memorability and can become repetitive over time. Overall, the music contributes positively to the gameplay experience, despite some criticisms regarding its impact and the presence of bugs affecting enjoyment.
- “The music and art style is very relaxing and it saves along the way so you can jump in and play for a while without stressful 'make-it-to-x-to-save' mechanics like Stardew's day-end mechanic.”
- “The music is often matching my mood for encounters and general exploration.”
- “After beating the first boss and unlocking [spoiler]the liar[/spoiler], I am enjoying the game; the narrative is amusing, the gameplay is fun and charming, the art is cute, and the music adds to the overall experience.”
- “The art is nice to look at, the music however isn't that memorable and the narrator has a good voice but gets repetitive after a while.”
- “The UI is messy and unintuitive, the graphics are underwhelming, and the music is lackluster.”
- “The music is chill, but it doesn't leave a lasting impression.”
optimization
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
36%
45%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with many users reporting significant performance issues, bugs, and clunky mechanics that detract from the overall experience. While some players note that the game runs smoothly and has a small download size, the prevalent optimization problems overshadow its potential, making it frustrating to engage with. Despite the promising premise, the poor optimization hampers enjoyment and gameplay depth.
- “- runs smoothly, small download size.”
- “They tend to also be very optimized.”
- “Bugs and performance issues aside, which will be hotfixed eventually.”
- “Normally I would love spending time on a breeding system like this as a sort of management style optimization, but it’s so clunkily done that I dread it as much as I enjoy it.”
- “That being said, there is a good game here but it's buried under bugs and poor optimization.”
- “Unfortunately, Goblin Stone feels very un-optimized.”
humor
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its clever use of humor intertwined with RPG elements, featuring a friendly narrator and a sympathetic portrayal of goblins as underdogs. Reviewers highlight the enjoyable and unpredictable comedic moments, as well as the stellar art, story, and voice acting that contribute to a heartwarming and funny experience. Overall, the humor effectively pokes fun at RPG tropes while enhancing the gameplay loop.
- “I love the humor that sympathizes with the goblins being attacked by everyone else; so playing the underdogs in a fantasy RPG setting is fun.”
- “Art, story, and voice acting is stellar - this is a story that is funny, heartwarming, and totally unexpected!”
- “Embrace the chaos: this game thrives on unpredictable, hilarious, and sometimes irritating outcomes.”
emotional
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
"Goblin Stone" is praised for its heartwarming narrative that follows the last surviving goblins, blending humor and emotion in a unique way. Players appreciate the stellar art, story, and voice acting, which contribute to an unexpectedly wholesome experience, despite some frustrating bugs. Overall, the game is described as addictive and challenging, offering a touching journey that resonates with players.
- “Goblin Stone invites players to embark on a heartwarming journey alongside the last surviving goblins, who are on the brink of extinction thanks to those pesky adventurers.”
- “Art, story, and voice acting is stellar - this is a story that is funny, heartwarming, and totally unexpected!”
- “It's addictive, challenging, and surprisingly heartwarming (in a weird goblin sort of way).”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a colorful and whimsical world that leaves a lasting impression, complemented by relaxing music and charming narration. While the art style is appealing, some players feel that control issues hinder their ability to fully appreciate the visuals. Overall, the pleasant atmosphere and cute elements resonate well with fans of the genre.
- “With its colorful world and whimsical atmosphere, it's a game that is sure to leave a lasting impression, bugs and all.”
- “The game itself is a little simple, but nevertheless the pleasant atmosphere and beautiful style will appeal to fans of the genre.”
- “A charming game that offers great atmosphere, superb narration, and cute gobbos.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
The game's replayability is currently uncertain due to its linear story progression, which may limit exploration of different outcomes. However, some players appreciate the light-hearted turn-based combat and varying paths, suggesting potential for good replayability once the game evolves beyond its current state. Overall, the art style is well-received, adding to the game's appeal.
- “A light-hearted version (so far) of turn-based combat/adventure with varying paths and seems to have good replayability... love the art style!”
- “At this point, the game is definitely in a much more playable state.”
- “At the time of this review, I can't attest to the replayability, but right now, due to the progression-locking of the game, it seems like the game follows a linear story.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Character development is praised for its exceptional design, receiving a perfect score from users. However, there are concerns regarding balance and difficulty issues, unexplained mechanics, and some characters that could benefit from further refinement. Overall, while the character design stands out, gameplay elements detract from the overall experience.
- “Cons: balance and difficulty issues, unexplained game mechanics, repetitive gameplay, some character designs need improvement.”