14 DAY TRIAL // 
I have a decent supply of iron, with two goblins working in the mine, supplying my blacksmith, giving me the option to start construction on some higher-level buildings. Stone mining is going equally well and the goblins living in my many warrens have enough to eat. After a short period of struggle, I have also secured the very important frog supply.
My big problem is small rocks. I can’t get enough of them and they never get exactly where they are needed. I access the job menu and put another few peons to work exclusively on picking up and moving this one resource. I also get a few to focus on firewood, because the long winter is moving in, and order a couple to only pick up loads that other goblins dropped when dying or fleeing. A Skeleton King really did a number on my defenses.
Once spring hits, I will use the traveling merchant to get some of the stuff I am missing, using my extensive bone supply to also get some extra gold. I already have an inn and one hero out leading scouting parties. My next hire will be a capable warlord and my plan for him is to continuously raid the elves that live nearby, as revenge for their constant attempts to steal my stuff.
Goblins of Elderstone is developed by Outerdawn and Lost Goblin, with publishing duties handled by Outerdawn. I played on the PC using Steam. The title mixes a range of ideas, with a core of city building augmented real-time strategy and tower defense.
The game’s world is a pretty classic fantasy one, with the big difference that goblins, best known as enemies and general miscreants, are not the protagonists. Players will start every campaign choosing their people’s origin and general approach to life, as well as the enemy they will face. I chose to mess with the elves but the game is not too focused on warfare.
Goblins of Elderstone does have narrative events that present players with choices. They are decently written but lack variety. Gamers can also create their own narratives by following goblins around, tracking their happiness, seeing what events they took part in, and evaluating their needs and quirks.
But that’s a luxury rarely afforded by a game that constantly throws in a new problem or opportunity to engage with. Village development starts off easy, with goblins picking twigs and small rocks to make rudimentary tools and weapons, as they pout down burrows and worry about gathering food and wood for the winter months.
Their needs grow pretty quickly and players will soon be worrying about the reasons for low beer production and why the supply of iron keeps getting disrupted. Specialized buildings will enhance warfare capabilities, will boost faith, acquire the favor of the gods (their blessings are pretty solid bonuses), and will give the goblins access to well-crafted weapons or wagons.
While putting together resource-gathering and processing chains, players should also keep enough peons to move stuff around and make sure that the economy does not choke. It’s easy to see what every goblin in the village is doing and then tweak their job requirements. Keep the birth rate as high as possible and expand with extra burrows at every opportunity.
Freezing in winter and or failing to find frogs are the biggest problems early on. Careful building placement will not, by itself, solve supply issues. Each goblin has three core numerical attributes and personality traits. Gamers need to match them to their jobs and tasks to maximize efficiency and alleviate create the best possible village.
This includes keeping the inhabitants as happy as possible to avoid the danger of a riot. It’s impossible to keep tabs on everyone but goblins with high trade stats I found to be especially precious. There never seem to be enough of them to keep all production buildings close to full efficiency. Try to introduce positive traits into the population by carefully using the breeders.
A visiting merchant can provide some goods, as long as the goblins have other resources to sell for gold. But a better source is the wider world around the village, which features temples, dungeons, and other settlements. Goblins can raid with the best of them but make sure to scout before engaging in battle and consider that peaceful interactions can also be profitable.
Goblins of Elderstone is a good fit for gamers looking for an intricate city builder that uses an unusual setting. The development team should have done more with the fantasy elements, introducing more weirdness and new ideas to the genre. Extra narrative variety would also have elevated the entire experience.
But despite these issues the game quickly becomes engrossing. I spent more than half an hour trying to decide the best placement for my third brewery. I am still investigating the best peon-to-population ratio. And there’s always the satisfaction of showing the humans and elves how a goblin civilization can defeat them in raid after raid,
Goblins of Elderstone struggles to break free of its fantasy theme but otherwise has a solid look. Players can zoom in to take a close look at their goblins and their village, while the interface is good at offering information while offering easy access to character details and job info. The music feels a little generic but I like the sounds the world itself makes and the made-up language that goblins speak.
The Good
- City building mechanics
- World interactions
- Goblin management options
The Bad
- Classic fantasy tropes
- Some ambiguous messages
- Limited narrative events
Conclusion
The strategic layer, with its raids and trade elements, adds an interesting dimension to the game but could be enhanced to make it more interesting. The narrative elements also need more variety. But otherwise, Goblins of Elderstone has solid mechanics and will satisfy any player who loves developing a city and running an economy in a fantasy universe.
A review key was provided by the publisher.
