“Gnomes with knives” is a sick pitch as standalone, but when you combine it with goblin wars over gardens, and a neat CRT-style aesthetic, DYSTOPIAN’s Gnomes really stands out. This upcoming tower defence game may have flown under your radar so far – there’s a small Australian team working away behind the scenes – but it’s certainly worth watching.
There’s plenty striking about Gnomes, but it’s the game’s unique and nostalgic aesthetic that hits first. In this sim, you’re controlling an ever-growing flock of garden gnomes as they defend a patch of land in turn-based battles. The entire thing brings to mind Loop Hero, which brings to mind classic adventures in the vein of Zelda.
With a limited colour palette and a hazy glow, it’s got a very retro feel that serves it well. Even if you’re just spending time marvelling at little pixel-ly trees or the detail in tiny gravestones, rocks, and hedges, Gnomes is a treat.
Then you get to its snappy, stylish skirmishes, and there’s even more reasons to pore over all the details. In your role as the gnome lord, you will need to place your warriors strategically, determining where their abilities can be deployed for the most coverage and defence of your garden. In rogue-like fashion, you’ll be able to purchase an array of weaponry and special tools for your gnomes, with each creating different synergies.
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You’ll need to survive many nights to progress in Gnomes, and your reward? A complex fight against the goblin king, whose armies plague you and your beautiful gardens. In each run, the goblin king will be your far-distant goal, functioning as a taunting enemy who tests your mettle, as well as your garden fortifications.
Per DYSTOPIAN, every path to the goblin king will be different, thanks to procedural generation, and “a carefully crafted combination of bespoke content.” Each new dawn brings new hope and new weapons, and then the dance of the gnomes and goblins will begin again.
After several months of player testing and tweaks, Gnomes is heading for launch on 5 April 2025. If you’re looking to check out a novel spin on the tower defence genre, or to support a new Australian-made game, you can now head to Steam to learn more.
