With me spending the last week or so suffering in bed from an unknown illness, I was pleased to have Gnomes to keep me company.
Diving into a fast-paced action RPG might have been a comforting thought at the time, but my whole world felt like it was spinning once I had a controller in my hand. I needed a change of pace.
Gnomes, with its turn-based tower defense gameplay, offered short, snappy 16-round runs that felt perfect for my foggy state of mind.
For keeping me distracted during that rough patch alone, Gnomes receives my personal stamp of approval.
What is Gnomes?
Developed by two Australian developers with not a single penny in their production budget, Gnomes is a turn-based tower defense game that features deep roguish progression. During each run, players have 16 days to defend their home base against attacking hordes of goblins. Hearts are lost for each goblin that enters your home and once this figure hits 0, it’s time to start over once again.
Things start simple with the goblins traveling in a straight path to come and rough you up. They get steadily more complicated though as the map expands each turn and goblins advance from multiple bases. The enemies you face are also randomised and present their own challenges. Goblins on horseback act as two enemies in one, and the smaller bug-like goblins can quickly sneak between attacks.
Gold is an extremely scarce resource in Gnomes, making it essential to manage carefully. You’re responsible for generating your own gold each turn by growing crops or harvesting nearby resources such as trees with the saw mill. It can be tricky to get the right balance here; if you spend too much on raising an army in the early stages, you’ll soon run out of gold and it will take multiple turns to regenerate.
From the Forest to the Wasteland
Before starting a run, you can select between eight different biomes and each comes with its own environmental hazards. The swamp, for example, features waterlogged patches where your troops are unable to stand, and the forest is filled with trees that can block your line of sight.
Not only do these biomes provide a fun twist on gameplay, but they also give players something exciting to work towards. To unlock the next biome in the list you’ll need to reach Day 15 on the previous.
There are also 16 guilds (or character classes) for you to choose between and these are also unlocked over time. Each guild has its own specific gnome troop, a permanent buff, and their own method of harvesting gold. I enjoyed experimenting with all these groups, as they all come with their own strengths and limitations and some of them perform better than others on different terrain.
The Verdict
Gnomes cleverly blends tower defense with roguelike elements, making for a fun, mentally stimulating experience that is perfect for quick play sessions.
Its minimalist pixelated visuals are charming, and I was hooked on how all my decisions had a definite sense of weight and importance. Be sure to check it out if you’re looking for something varied and strategically challenging that you can play in short bursts.
Gnomes is out now on PC via Steam. Thank you to DYSTOPIAN for providing us with a code for review.
