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The dungeon crawler genre, popularized by titles like Darkest Dungeon and Slay the Spire, has seen a resurgence in recent years. Goblin Stone, developed by Orc Chop Games, is the latest entry, offering a unique blend of tactical turn-based combat and rogue-like elements. But does it live up to the legacy of its predecessors? Let’s delve into this Goblin Stone review to find out.

The Rise of the Green Horde

Goblin Stone puts you in command of a band of goblins on a quest to rebuild their shattered homeland. Echoing the gameplay of Darkest Dungeon, you’ll manage your goblin squad, sending them on missions to gather resources and battle enemies. However, Goblin Stone boasts a more approachable difficulty curve and a lighthearted tone, making it accessible to a wider audience. The game’s whimsical art style further enhances this accessibility.

The narrative follows a group of goblins hunted by ruthless adventurers. A mystical artifact, the Goblin Stone, grants them newfound power, setting the stage for their resurgence. You’ll guide your goblin tribe, expanding their base and venturing into the world to aid other oppressed races.

Goblin Stone Gameplay

One of Goblin Stone‘s compelling features is its dynamic goblin roster. Instead of fixed characters, your goblins can perish permanently in battle, emphasizing the rogue-like nature of the game. To replenish your ranks, you can recruit new goblins or breed them within your base. This breeding mechanic allows you to strengthen your tribe over subsequent playthroughs.

Goblin Stone Breeding

While this system offers engaging progression, it’s hampered by the limited availability of new genes and the randomness of stat inheritance. Building a powerful goblin squad can feel grindy and unpredictable.

Goblin Stone features a variety of goblin classes, starting with Raider, Guard, and Shaman. Additional classes unlock as you progress through the game. Each class has a unique set of card-based abilities. While the skill system isn’t revolutionary, it’s well-designed and encourages synergistic play between classes. For example, you can stun enemies with Shaman or Guard abilities and then capitalize on the vulnerability with a Raider’s “Wakey-wakey” attack.

Goblin Stone Classes

Assigning classes is straightforward. Once you’ve built the corresponding guild hall, you can assign any goblin to a class, provided they meet the stat requirements. This flexibility allows you to adapt your squad composition on the fly.

A Lack of Cohesion

Despite its promising premise, Goblin Stone‘s execution falls short due to inconsistent design choices. The resource system is a prime example. Gathering resources is tedious, with limited variety and repetitive mission objectives. Some missions even replace resource rewards with healing items, further hindering progression.

Goblin Stone Resource Management

While you can purchase resources in the shop, their availability is random and limited, exacerbating the grind.

Goblin Stone Shop

The overreliance on temporary items further diminishes the sense of progression. Most items are consumed after a single mission, forcing you to constantly replenish your inventory. While you retain currency between missions, it’s only usable at your base, not during missions, creating unnecessary logistical hurdles.

Goblin Stone Temporary Items

The random level generation also leads to frustrating scenarios. Shops and upgrade stations can appear at the beginning of a level, rendering them useless. Forced encounters can pit you against overwhelmingly powerful enemies, creating artificial difficulty spikes.

This pervasive randomness extends to character progression and gameplay mechanics, undermining the sense of consistency and strategic planning.

Goblin Stone Random Encounters

Technical Hiccups

Goblin Stone suffers from numerous technical issues. Rapid inputs can cause the game to freeze, and the Guard’s “Charge” ability frequently triggers temporary freezes. The PC controls are clunky, particularly when managing goblins in the War Room or Quarters. Performance issues, including significant frame rate drops, further detract from the experience.

Conclusion

Goblin Stone shows flashes of brilliance with its engaging combat and dynamic goblin management. However, its inconsistent design, frustrating randomness, and technical flaws hold it back from realizing its full potential. While the core gameplay loop is enjoyable, the surrounding elements create a disjointed and often frustrating experience. With some much-needed refinement, Goblin Stone could become a truly compelling dungeon crawler.