Trash Goblin Out Now in Early Access

One of the games that stood out to me in the recent Wholesome Direct was Trash Goblin, with the mechanics of polishing up old trinkets and being able to sell them appearing to be a delightful cozy game. There’s just something about busywork in video games that seems to be way more appealing than busywork in real life, and Trash Goblin made its gameplay look especially relaxing. Spilt Milk Studios’ track record is a mix of JRPGs, farming simulators, and puzzle games with little attention, so with this title getting proper marketing and attention, it appears to be their most significant effort yet.

Unfortunately, Trash Goblin is off to a rocky start. One day removed from release, it’s fluctuating between a “Mixed” and a “Mostly Positive” approval rating in this early juncture. The common complaints from players are not being able to bargain, repetition in the gameplay loop, and conversations making up more of the game than the cleaning/tinkering. Not every game is going to hit it out of the park from the get-go, and with Early Access being a vessel of user input and feedback, there’s ample opportunity for improvements and that rating to soar to “Very Positive.”

I have high hopes for Trash Goblin, as I could sink hours into a game that lets me whittle away at items and negotiate prices with customers as a neat little departure from other serious games with a higher stress level. What is essentially a minigame in other games makes up the entirety of Trash Goblin, and if it can get some polish and user feedback in, it could be a triumph for Spilt Milk Studios. At present, that’s not the case, but that’s the point of Early Access, and time will tell if Trash Goblin can win the hearts of wholesome gamers in the future.