EcoGnomix

It's a shame. This game is interesting. I could enjoy it but it's just not balanced. The bats are the thing destroying all the attempts I've made to get to the bottom of this first cave. I have all the upgrades, tried different setups and gnomes. Nothing can complete it. Some caves have no chance of getting more food than the bats are going to take but you can only skip one a go (you have to pick that before going tho) The upgrades can help but the shop only has space for 2 options. I can block 2 upgrades from appearing on a run so far but it's still RNG. I have had some really good upgrades once getting to the end but the bats make sure I can't progress. Game let down by just not caring it feels like. If they did surely it would have been updated to fix these issues by now? I checked the reviews and saw others who've had the same experience. Don't join us and find something fun.

This is such a cute and charming gem. I think the other reviews are overstating how harsh the food system is, as it can easily overcome with the right upgrades and traits. I will say it can be hard to get the ball rolling, but again, its the core obstacle in the game as it effectively acts as your HP. Regardless, dont be scared off! its a relitively short game that's a lot of fun if you enjoy puzzle roguelikes!

It is so refreshing to play a game where the developers have the skill to introduce a player to mechanics in a natural and fun way. This game has a fun vibe, good art style and unique and satifying gameplay loop. Edit: After a few hours, I lean to avoid. It doesn't quite nail the "progression" part of the rogue-lite and can feel a little too RNGish. Bad runs don't really allow you to level anything up significantly enough to improve your chances on the next run... Maybe buy only on DEEP sale. Definitely worth a buy.

The Good: EcoGnomix is what happens when you mash a roguelite RPG with a city builder and sprinkle in some gnomey whimsy. Sending your pint-sized prospectors into mystical caves to loot resources is addictively fun, like directing a team of bearded Indiana Joneses. The strategic depth of upgrading your gnome village and unlocking new abilities keeps you hooked, with each run feeling like a treasure hunt. The quirky aesthetic—think gnomes battling bizarre underground critters—oozes charm. It’s a fresh take on both genres, and the mix of planning your village and surviving cave runs is as satisfying as a well-baked gnome pie. The Bad: Patience is not just a virtue in EcoGnomix; it’s a job requirement. Every cave run demands razor-sharp strategy—pick the wrong gnome or miss a resource, and you’re back to square one with nothing but a sad beard to show for it. The learning curve is steeper than a gnome’s pointy hat, and early runs can feel punishing if you don’t grasp the synergies fast. Balancing village expansion with cave expeditions is like trying to pat your head and rub your belly while riding a unicycle. If you’re not into micromanaging or hate restarting after a failed run, this game will test your gnome-like resolve. The Ugly: EcoGnomix isn’t buggy per se, but its design choices can feel like stepping on a rogue LEGO brick. The interface could use a polish—navigating menus feels like deciphering ancient gnome runes. Some runs drag on, with repetitive encounters that make you wish for a “skip to the loot” button. The lack of user reviews (as of late 2024) suggests it’s flown under the radar, which is a shame but also means limited community feedback to highlight issues. And while the art is cute, the caves can look samey after a dozen runs, like you’re stuck in a gnome’s IKEA showroom. The Verdict: 7/10 Roguelite ...puzzle? City-Builder.?

It's pretty glitchy, especially the last of the three caves, and not terribly well-balanced. There's some good stuff there, but in the end not enough to outweigh the bad.

Jamás pensé que acabaría dirigiendo una ciudad de gnomos, pero aquí estamos. En EcoGnomix empecé diciendo “hoy mando a los gnomos a cavar” y terminé con un ejército diminuto de barbudos que desafían la lógica (y mi paciencia). Este juego mezcla city builder con roguelite por turnos, y el resultado es tan extraño como adictivo. Arriba gestionás tu ciudad: recursos, edificios, producción; abajo explorás cuevas llenas de enemigos, trampas y decisiones tácticas donde cada turno cuenta. Es un equilibrio constante entre prosperar o acabar con todos tus gnomos atrapados en una grieta oscura (true story). Lo mejor es que, aunque pierdas una run, siempre sientes que progresas; cada intento aporta algo a la siguiente expedición. El arte es encantador, los sonidos tienen ese toque acogedor de taller gnómico, y la progresión te deja esa sensación de “una más y ya esta” que todos sabemos que es mentira. Eso sí, a veces me concentré tanto en las cuevas que olvidé revisar mi ciudad (los pobres gnomos murieron de hambre mientras yo perseguía oro, ups). Y aunque los biomas podrían tener más variedad, el conjunto es sólido y muy disfrutable. Ideal para fans de la estrategia, los roguelikes y los juegos donde la gestión importa, pero sin la presión de un Excel disfrazado de videojuego. En resumen: EcoGnomix es como un panecillo recién salido del horno gnómico—pequeño, crujiente, y con más profundidad de la que parece. Le doy 8 gnomos felices de 10, con un extra de brillo en la barba. ¡Si querés algo original, táctico y con alma, bajá a la mina y descubrí por qué los gnomos mandan!

EcoGnomix is a creative blend of city-building, strategy, and roguelite gameplay that manages to feel both familiar and refreshingly different. Developed by Irox Games and published by Untold Tales, Gamersky Games, and Irox Games itself, it places players in charge of a small community of industrious gnomes who must balance life above and below ground. The premise is deceptively simple: you oversee a gnome settlement where resources are scarce and survival depends on daring expeditions into the caverns beneath your home. What begins as a quaint city-management experience soon evolves into a deep and dynamic strategy game that challenges you to weigh risk and reward every step of the way. It’s a clever fusion of two genres that rarely meet so seamlessly—city-building and roguelite exploration—and the end result is a game that feels fresh, engaging, and surprisingly tactical. At its heart, EcoGnomix operates on a satisfying loop of growth and exploration. On the surface, you manage your gnome village by constructing buildings, producing resources, and recruiting new workers. This portion of the game scratches the familiar itch of slow, incremental progress—each upgrade feels meaningful, every new structure adds capability, and your little society gradually transforms from a modest outpost into a thriving settlement. Yet the true soul of the game lies beneath the soil. At regular intervals, you must send expeditions into the underground, where a turn-based system takes over. In these caves, your gnomes venture across hexagonal grids filled with valuable materials, lurking threats, and branching paths that tempt you to go deeper for greater rewards. Every turn feels tense, as you must decide whether to push onward or retreat to the surface before the dangers become overwhelming. This duality—the calm, methodical planning above ground versus the unpredictable challenges below—forms the backbone of EcoGnomix’s appeal. The expeditions themselves are a highlight. Each gnome you send below has unique traits, abilities, and roles, which gives each run a sense of individuality and tactical depth. As you descend, you’ll encounter new cave biomes, each with distinct environmental hazards and creatures that force you to adjust your strategy. There’s a risk-versus-reward element to every decision: venturing deeper increases your potential gains but also your odds of losing the entire team. The tension of these moments captures the essence of what makes roguelites so engaging—every turn could be your last, but success brings a sense of triumph that makes the danger worthwhile. When you finally return to the surface, the resources you’ve gathered allow you to expand your village, unlocking new technologies and buildings that feed into future expeditions. This loop of descent and return creates a rhythm that keeps the game engaging long after the first few hours. Visually, EcoGnomix strikes a perfect balance between charm and clarity. The art style is vibrant and full of personality, with an inviting cartoonish look that keeps the tone light even when the gameplay gets intense. Each gnome is expressive and distinct, giving your growing community a sense of life and individuality. The environments—both the colorful surface world and the shadowy caverns below—are rendered with care, full of small details that make exploration feel rewarding. The interface is clean and easy to read, allowing you to manage resources and plan moves without feeling overwhelmed. The soundtrack, while not groundbreaking, complements the atmosphere with cheerful village tunes and tense underground melodies that help set the mood for both halves of the game. The presentation as a whole captures a sense of warmth and personality that makes the world of EcoGnomix feel alive and endearing. While EcoGnomix succeeds in its creative vision, it isn’t without flaws. The game’s difficulty curve can be uneven, with sudden spikes that catch you off guard even after careful preparation. The roguelite elements—particularly the random generation of cave layouts and resources—add unpredictability that sometimes crosses into frustration. A few unlucky rolls can ruin an otherwise well-planned expedition, making failure feel more like a product of chance than strategy. This reliance on luck may be divisive for players who prefer skill-based progression. Additionally, while the city-building aspect is charming, it lacks the complexity and depth found in dedicated management sims. The surface-level upgrades are functional and rewarding in the short term, but over time, they can feel secondary to the more compelling underground missions. The balance between the two systems occasionally tilts too far toward one side, leaving you wishing for more interplay between the gnomes’ daily lives and their perilous adventures below. Despite these issues, the core gameplay loop remains deeply satisfying. There’s something inherently rewarding about watching your gnome village grow, sending your teams into the unknown, and seeing them return triumphant with the spoils of their labor. Every failure feels like a lesson that pushes you to refine your strategies and experiment with new approaches. The gradual sense of mastery—learning which upgrades to prioritize, which gnomes to send into the caves, and when to cut your losses—creates a natural and engaging sense of progression. The randomization ensures that no two runs feel exactly alike, keeping the experience fresh even after multiple playthroughs. It’s a design philosophy that rewards patience, curiosity, and adaptability, qualities that fit perfectly within the world of hard-working, resilient gnomes. In the end, EcoGnomix stands out as one of those indie games that surprises you with its creativity and depth. It takes familiar elements from different genres and weaves them into something new, charming, and uniquely rewarding. Its combination of base-building and turn-based exploration gives players a constant sense of purpose, while its tone and aesthetic make the entire experience feel approachable and full of character. It’s not a game of endless complexity or precision, but one that thrives on balance, rhythm, and the joy of discovery. For players who enjoy strategy, management, and roguelite mechanics presented with personality and care, EcoGnomix is an easy recommendation. It’s a testament to how innovation doesn’t always come from grand spectacle but from thoughtful design and a genuine sense of fun. Rating: 7/10

《矮人探险公司》以“肉鸽探险+模拟建造”为核心，将地下洞穴的随机探索与地面基地的养成升级相结合，打造出一款节奏舒缓、风格可爱的轻度策略游戏。 游戏的核心循环清晰且易懂，完美契合其轻度定位：玩家带领矮人小队深入随机生成的地下洞穴，收集木材、食物等核心资源，应对洞穴坍塌、蝙蝠骚扰等风险，完成探险后返回地面，用资源升级基地、解锁新职业与永久buff，为下一次更深层的探险做好准备，形成“探险-收集-养成-再探险”的闭环体系。 地下探险是游戏的核心体验环节。每一次探险都会生成全新的洞穴地图，采用六边格布局，玩家需要根据地形与资源分布，合理安置不同职业的矮人——采集型矮人负责砍伐树木获取木材，战斗型矮人则捕捉小鸡获取食物、攻击蝙蝠巢穴与怪物，避免食物耗尽被蝙蝠攻击。安置完毕后按下开始按钮，矮人便会自动开展工作，每回合拥有7次行动机会，而洞穴会随时间推移逐渐坍塌，玩家需要在地块碎裂前及时撤离，否则矮人会被掩埋，探险也可能提前终止。这种“布置后自动运行”的模式，降低了操作门槛，让玩家更专注于策略规划，而非实时操作，即便碎片化时间也能轻松游玩，契合轻度玩家的需求。 地面基地养成则是游戏的长线驱动力。探险收集的资源可用于扩建基地、解锁建筑与矮人职业，例如伐木场可将原木加工为更有价值的材料，厨房能消耗木材生成更多食物补给，军营则可解锁更多的矮人职业。 尽管有着不错的创意框架，但《矮人探险公司》的短板也十分明显，最突出的问题便是策略深度不足。局内探险中，矮人职业的配合十分有限，虽然分为战斗型与采集型，但优劣分明，往往即使解锁了所有的职业，但每个关卡的选择也就那2、3种。另外矮人无法通过战斗与探索自然升级，只能依靠洞穴内的商店随机升级，不仅降低了策略的可控性，也让战斗失去了更多成长乐趣。 而地面基地的养成部分，虽然看似有建筑旋转、道路连接等功能，但这些设计仅影响“能否生产”，不影响生产效率，玩家只需机械地消耗资源购买建筑，无需考虑建筑搭配与布局策略。 游戏仅有三个地城与BOSS可供探索，即便地城会随层数变化环境与怪物，也难以掩盖内容重复的问题，长时间游玩后容易产生枯燥感。同时，游戏的后期数值设计不合理，资源产出不足，玩家成长缓慢，通关过度依赖特定职业与buff，难以感受到肉鸽游戏核心的“多路线探索”乐趣，进一步降低了长线游玩的吸引力。 综合来看，《矮人探险公司》是一款优缺点鲜明的游戏，它的创意值得肯定，但在执行力上存在明显不足。

This is definitely one of those games where I would give it a neutral rating if I could. It is not terrible, but there are things that could definitely be done better. It is a roguelite where you go down into caves with your gnomes, trying to collect resources and defeat bosses. There are three different caves, each with its own unique boss at the end. In between runs, you can build a small settlement where you craft different resources, which you can use to unlock new gnomes, buildings, and upgrades to make your life a bit easier. The main thing that was missing for me in the cave exploration was some way to make runs more difficult after beating each cave, to add more replayability. Once you figure out a good combination of gnomes for each cave, you can create some ridiculously overpowered builds and just demolish everything. As for the city builder, in its current state it feels a bit unnecessary and annoying to deal with (placing buildings, connecting water, and manually collecting resources). There could definitely be more added here in terms of meaningful upgrades for both buildings and your runs. All in all, I still enjoyed my time with it, so I would recommend it in the end. However, I just wish there was more depth, as it felt like something was missing throughout. Works without any issues on Linux with Proton (9.0-4).

Not the best, but entertaining for a bit and short enough to not overstay its welcome. The "supply chain" stuff is window dressing, but there are some fun builds to try with the different gnome upgrades.