Red Art Games’ release of the Gobliiins Collection on the Nintendo Switch is a beautifully handled nostalgia bomb. Compiling all five mainline titles released between 1991 and 2023, this package preserves one of point-and-click history’s weirdest, most experimental, and unapologetically chaotic franchises. For retro gaming enthusiasts and preservation fans, it stands as an exemplary blueprint of how classic PC history should be brought to modern consoles.
Developer: Red Art Games
Publisher: Red Art Games
Release Date:Â 27 May 2026
Review code provided
The Gameplay:Â A Lesson in Cartoon Logic
At its core, the series thrives on screen-by-screen puzzle mechanics involving multiple goblins with distinct skill sets.
- In the original Gobliiins (1991), you manage a trio: Oups casts chaotic magic, Asgard provides physical muscle, and Ignatius interacts with objects.
- Gobliins 2 (1992) sharpens the pacing by focusing on the duo of Fingus and Winkle, while Goblins 3 (1993) expands the storytelling scope with the eccentric reporter Blount.
- The package rounds out with the 3D-styled Gobliiins 4 (2009) and the brilliant return to 2D pixel art form in Gobliiins 5 (2023).
What separates this franchise from standard adventure games is its complete defiance of traditional logic. Solutions run entirely on “cartoon rules.” Success relies heavily on trial and error, encouraging you to stop asking what makes real-world sense and start thinking about what would yield the funniest, most chaotic visual reaction. It can occasionally feel like the game is actively mocking you, but the inclusion of the classic “Joker” hint system helps mitigate the era’s signature puzzle frustration.
Performance & Preservation
Where Red Art Games deserves immense credit is the sheer depth of archival content. The collection includes multiple vintage versions of the first three titles (allowing you to swap between MS-DOS, CD-ROM, and Mac editions). Audio purists can toggle between floppy disk FM Synth and full CD-ROM orchestral tracks, making it a dream digital library for historians.
Visually, the collection spans decades of artistic evolution. The expressive, hand-drawn pixel animations of the 90s entries hold up phenomenally well, exploding with slapstick personality that feels perfectly matched to a handheld screen. The presentation is rounded out with gorgeous 3D digital box models, design document galleries, and an exclusive documentary mini-series interview with series co-creator Pierre Gilhodes.
Minor Control Quirks
While near-instant loading times and standard save anywhere quality-of-life updates make the experience incredibly smooth, translating mouse-driven 90s PC games to a console controller brings expected friction. Navigating menus with the left analog stick acts as a simulated mouse cursor, which can occasionally feel floaty and loose without a toggleable snap-to-option setting.
Thankfully, the touch screen controls serve as the definitive way to play on the Switch, offering precise tapping that feels natural in handheld mode.
Final Thoughts
The Gobliiins Collection is an essential pick for anyone who appreciates the history of adventure game design. Minor controller translation gripes aside, its distinct visual charm, clever cooperative mechanics, and an outstanding suite of historical bonus features make it a masterclass in retro preservation.
