Серия игр-головоломок Gobliiins

Puzzle adventure video game series

Gobliiins is a puzzle adventure video game series, consisting of five entries, released by Coktel Vision (and later Sierra On Line) for the Amiga, Atari ST, DOS, and Macintosh (and later iOS and Windows) platforms. The first three titles were released in the early 1990s, the fourth in 2009. The visual look of the series and its characters were created by French artist Pierre Gilhodes, whose style was used in another game from Coktel Vision: Woodruff and the Schnibble of Azimuth.

The games mix elements of adventure and puzzle gaming. In essence, the player must find the solution to each area (or level), consisting of one or more screens, in order to progress to the next. An original aspect of the series is that the player usually controls multiple goblins as player characters, each of whom has a unique set of abilities. In the title, the number of letters 'i' in the word "Goblin" indicates the number of characters that the player may control: Gobliiins for the first release (1992), Gobliins 2 for the second (1992), Goblins Quest 3 for the third (1993) and Gobliiins 4 for the fourth (2009). The player may only control one character at a time but, depending on the specific scene, may switch characters at will. The original Gobliiins features a shared health system for all three characters, which means that leaving characters in the wrong place can be detrimental, though this feature is absent in the sequels. All games are available in CD format. The first three include voices instead of the "goblinish" talk that feature on the floppy disk versions. The CD version also censors the nudity present in the original game. The platinum edition of Gobliiins 4 contains all previous titles with a modification of ScummVM for newer Windows systems. All older games on the DVD were also translated from the original English and French language into Spanish, German, Italian, Russian, Polish, Czech and Hungarian.

In 1992's Gobliins 2 the player controls two characters: Fingus (who is well mannered, intelligent, and shy) and Winkle (who is strong, obnoxious, but dimwitted). They have been sent to rescue the King's son, the Prince Buffoon, who has been kidnapped by the evil Amoniak. Both goblins can pick up and use items, and both generally use an item in different ways. Unlike its predecessor, Gobliins 2 allows (and requires) the player to travel back and forth between rooms. Also, both goblins can be given an order simultaneously, allowing for the inclusion of timing puzzles. A significant difference between this game and its predecessor is that in Gobliins 2 neither playable character can die.

Gobliins 2 received generally good reviews, with most game magazines giving it a rating of between 70% and 90%, though CU Amiga scored it at just 40%. Computer Gaming World in August 1993 praised its "challenging puzzles, sharp witted entertainment, and enhanced ease of use". In April 1994 the magazine said that the sequel was "no less entertaining than the original", and that the CD version added "much more sound and digitized voice acting than in the enhanced version of the first game". but gets assistance from a number of sidekicks throughout the game including Chump the parrot, Ooya the magician, and Fulbert the snake. Blount is also bitten by a wolf early in the game and, after escaping from the afterlife, must contend with semi frequent metamorphoses into a super strong but uncouth werewolf alter ego. Most areas in Goblins 3 are larger than the screen and therefore scroll. The game features 18 different levels, and like Gobliins 2: The Prince Buffoon, some are interconnected to each other (e. g., walking from the countryside to the inn) whilst others cannot be exited until the player has finished that specific level. Later in the game, the player discovers that the main protagonist, Blount, was in fact the little prince that was kidnapped in Gobliins 2: The Prince Buffoon.

The gaming press awarded broadly positive reviews, with scores ranging from around 75% to 85%, though—as it did with its predecessor Gobliins 2—CU Amiga awarded a lower score of just 53%. Computer Gaming World said in June 1994 that like the previous games, "Goblins Quest 3 is designed to thoroughly amuse Puzzle lovers are guaranteed an enjoyably bizarre experience". The magazine rated the game 3.5 stars out of five in July, stating that unlike the earlier games it had plot twists and other adventure game like elements, and "bright, expressive" VGA graphics, but shared their humor. Computer Gaming World concluded that it would be a good game for new adventurers, and all players would enjoy the "charming characters and goofy plot elements". In 1994, PC Gamer US named Goblin's Quest 3 the 42nd best computer game ever. The following year, the magazine presented Goblins Quest 3 with its 1994 "Best Puzzle Game" award, writing that its puzzles "will challenge and delight even the most experienced gamers. A terrific package!"

Gobliiins 4 was released in March 2009 and stars the same trio of characters as the original Gobliiins. The game was designed by Pierre Gilhodes and Muriel Tramis and developed by Société Pollene. Compared to the previous games it boasts 3D graphics, but the game mechanics have not changed by much. The game received a slightly mixed reception, with an average of 56.5% on GameRankings. IT Reviews said it was entertaining, but "the puzzle solutions can be annoyingly strait jacketed at times". Adventure Gamers rated it 80% and called it "one of the most likeable titles this year".

A new game in the series has been officially announced by Pierre Gilhodes via two successful crowdfunding campaigns on French crowdfunding site Ulule and Kickstarter in March 2023. The game has been initially released in May 2023 on Itch. io and in July 2023 on Steam. It features the original three goblins from the first episode Oups, Asgard and Ignatius on a mission to find out the source of a mysterious magic ray that turns people in to anthropomorphic potatoes. The game was developed using Adventure Game Studio. While the game features a return to a more level based format consisting of 16 levels, with usually the action being restricted on a single screen at a time, it continues the tradition of no game over.

On Playtoons 1: Uncle Archibald, the little dragon from Goblins Quest 3 appeared in the story mode and in the creative mode.