Goblin Nest (PC)

There are games that surprise you with their depth, there are games that surprise you with their absurdities… and then there’s Goblin Nest, which surprises you with how far one idea can go that clearly originated somewhere between “let’s make a strategy” and “let’s be a bit mischievous.” On paper, the concept is simple. You lead a colony of goblins, build your little green empire, and try to expand it. In practice… well, let’s just say the method of expansion isn’t exactly what you’d show your grandma over Sunday lunch.

The game immediately throws you into the role of the chief goblin manager. Your task is to gather resources, expand the nest, and, let’s put it diplomatically, ensure the survival of the species. This includes capturing women from other villages, which is a mechanic that feels more like “uh, okay then…” than “wow, how innovative.” All of this is packaged in a style that tries to be humorous, but often ends up in that zone where you smile more out of disbelief than actual enjoyment.

Gameplay has some interesting elements. There’s a loop where you build, expand, and attack other villages. There are attempts at tactics, resource management, and base development. The problem is that all of this quickly starts to feel repetitive. After a couple of hours, you get the sense that you’ve seen everything already, only now you’re doing it with a slightly larger number of goblins and a bit more chaos.

Visually, the game opts for a simple, somewhat caricatured style. It’s not ugly, but it’s also not something you’ll remember. The animations can be… let’s say “special,” especially when the game tries to be funny in its specific way. This brings us to the main issue - humor. Goblin Nest clearly wants to be cheeky and funny, but often it feels like it’s trying too hard. Like a friend who keeps telling the same jokes, making you laugh the first few times, but later you just nod your head.

What keeps the game above complete chaos is the fact that it actually has some structure. It’s not just shock for the sake of shock. There’s a gameplay loop that works, even if it’s shallow. You can get caught in that “just one more raid” moment, but it comes more from habit than from real excitement. The biggest challenge for Goblin Nest isn’t that it’s “mischievous,” but that it doesn’t go far enough in quality to justify its theme. If the gameplay were deeper, the balance better, and the progression more interesting, maybe it would all come together as some strange but fun whole. As it stands, it leaves the feeling that the game shocks more than it entertains.

At the end of the day, Goblin Nest is like that movie you watch out of curiosity because you heard it’s “a bit crazy.” You watch it, laugh a few times, but you don’t really recommend it to everyone. Except maybe to those friends you know enjoy when games go a little… out of control.

A copy of the game for review purposes was provided by the publisher Shady Corner Games