Goblin Stone
- March 12, 2024
- Orc Chop Games
- 15h median play time
Get on Steam"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.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Charming art style and engaging narration that enhances the overall 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 user interface that makes navigation and management tedious.
- Repetitive gameplay and lack of meaningful progression can lead to a feeling of grind.
- story324 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is characterized by its charming, hand-drawn aesthetic and engaging narration, presenting a lighthearted yet occasionally repetitive narrative that challenges traditional fantasy tropes. While many players appreciate the unique perspective of playing as goblins and the emotional undertones of the plot, some criticize the execution, noting that the story can drag and lacks depth, particularly in later stages. Overall, the story is seen as enjoyable but could benefit from more complexity and less grindy gameplay mechanics.
“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.”
“Every choice feels impactful as you progress through the story.”
“Art, story, and voice acting is stellar - this is a story that is funny, heartwarming, and totally unexpected!”
“There's no rich story to explore here.”
“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.”
“I think it's a terrible way to have a game played, as I have no real 'reason' to want to go through these adventure locations, other than to move the story forward.”
- gameplay243 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a charming aesthetic and engaging mechanics, blending turn-based strategy with base-building elements reminiscent of titles like Darkest Dungeon and XCOM. However, many players note that the gameplay can become repetitive and lacks depth, particularly in the late game, with some mechanics feeling underdeveloped or buggy. While the core loop is enjoyable and visually appealing, there are calls for more variety and polish to enhance the overall experience.
“Amazing art and animation, fun gameplay.”
“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.”
“The ponderous and repetitive nature of the late game gameplay gives players a lot of time to consider what works great and where the devs went wrong.”
“Besides the bugs everybody else is mentioning, the overall gameplay loop is simply too based on random numbers to feel productive, and too slow and cumbersome to work as a roguelike.”
- graphics160 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming hand-drawn storybook aesthetic, beautiful artwork, and engaging visuals that enhance the overall gameplay experience. Many players appreciate the cute and whimsical art style, particularly the creative designs of goblins and other characters, which contribute to the game's endearing atmosphere. However, some users have noted technical issues, such as memory leaks and a messy UI, which can detract from the visual 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.”
“There is a lot to love about this game: the beautiful art style, the combat mechanics, and the story.”
“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.”
- grinding96 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious and unbalanced, with players spending a significant amount of time on repetitive tasks that yield minimal progress. Many reviews highlight the slow pace of advancement, the lack of meaningful rewards, and the frustration caused by bugs and resource scarcity, making the overall experience feel like a chore rather than an engaging gameplay loop. While some players find enjoyment in the aesthetic and story, the overwhelming consensus is that the grinding detracts from the game's potential.
“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.”
“This game gives you very little diversity and very little opportunity to make stronger teams of goblins, essentially making the game very grind heavy and tedious.”
- stability58 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its instability, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and frequent freezes that significantly hinder gameplay. While some players have noted improvements following updates, many still experience frustrating issues that require restarts or lead to lost progress. Overall, the game's stability is a major concern, overshadowing its enjoyable aspects.
“I'm very disappointed at the moment: I've lost progress, lost weapons, and the game freezes sometimes. The user interface is really bad with lots of bugs.”
“There are several game freezes and game-breaking bugs.”
“From cutscenes that don't trigger at the start of the game to occasional black screens, soft locks, and random slowdowns where it seems like it freezes for 10-15 seconds. This is on a system that can run most games at ultra-high resolution with no lag.”
- music40 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as relaxing and charming, enhancing the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. While many players appreciate the chill soundtrack and its ability to match the mood of encounters, some find it less memorable and repetitive over time. Overall, the music, alongside the art and narration, contributes positively to the game's appeal, despite some criticisms regarding its lack of variety and occasional bugs.
“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.”
“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 often matching my mood for encounters and general exploration.”
- optimization22 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 45 % negative mentions
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 underlying problems with optimization and user interface hinder enjoyment and gameplay depth. Despite these issues, there is potential for a good game, but it is currently overshadowed by its technical shortcomings.
“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 sort of management style optimization, but it’s so clunkily done that I dread it as much as 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 unoptimized.”
- humor12 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its cleverness and charm, particularly in its sympathetic portrayal of goblins as underdogs in a fantasy RPG setting. Players appreciate the unpredictable and chaotic comedic elements, which effectively poke fun at traditional RPG tropes while maintaining a heartwarming narrative. Overall, the combination of stellar art, engaging storytelling, and enjoyable voice acting enhances the game's humorous appeal.
“To start, the style, narration, and overall humor has been very enjoyable.”
“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.”
- emotional10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its emotional depth, featuring a heartwarming and unexpectedly funny story complemented by stellar art and voice acting. Players find it addictive and challenging, with a unique charm that evokes a sense of wholesomeness, despite some minor bugs. Overall, it delivers a surprisingly touching experience in a whimsical setting.
“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).”
“A wholesome game with amazing graphics!”
- replayability6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is currently uncertain due to its linear story progression, but some players note that it offers varying paths and a light-hearted turn-based combat experience, suggesting potential for enjoyable replayability. The art style is also positively highlighted, adding to the game's appeal.
“A light-hearted version 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 development4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Character development is highly 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 visual aspect is outstanding, gameplay elements detract from the overall experience.
“Cons: balance and difficulty issues, unexplained game mechanics, repetitive gameplay, some character designs need improvement.”
“Cons: balance and difficulty issues, unexplained game mechanics, repetitive gameplay, some character designs need improvement.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its relaxing music and pleasant ambiance, creating a charming experience enhanced by superb narration and adorable goblins. Overall, players find the atmosphere to be a significant highlight of the game.
“A charming game that offers great atmosphere, superb narration, and cute goblins.”
“Music is relaxing, and the atmosphere is very pleasant.”
