This Stardew Valley and Terraria mashup wants me to live the goblin lifestyle I was destined for, and I think that's beautiful

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Cleanup on Isle Goblin is the Steam RPG to keep an eye on

A goblin fights a bear in a cute pixel RPG
(Image credit: Kilowatt Games)

Cleanup on Isle Goblin is an upcoming pixel life sim where you restore your goblin homeland to its former glory after an invasion of destructive humans, and it's shaping up to be a banger.

Pitched by developer Kilowatt Games as what you'd get if "Stardew Valley and Terraria had a twisted, disgusting, gobliny love child", you've got all the hallmarks you'd expect - cultivating crops, tending to livestock, spelunking through caves for precious resources, you name it. There's also plenty of combat against those pesky humans out to destroy what you've built – or rebuilt, in this case.

The developer has practically been developing the game in the public eye, with new additions and features being showcased on TikTok, like a development diary. Just a few days ago, they showcased how fishing will work. Like Stardew Valley, it'll be through a mini-game, albeit less tranquil. This time around, you're getting your fish by harpooning them with a spear – all because "goblins don't have the patience for fishing rods". 

I'm especially up for its approach to forging bonds with NPCs. The developer explains that they aren't for Stardew Valley's approach to buying people's affection. As such, here you make goblin friends by asking them to come along and help you thump foes and do chores. If NPCs aren't your thing, you can get your friends to join so you can do "gobliny things" together.

Some details I'm less keen on, mind you. Instead of livestock like sheep or cows, you're getting rats – oh yes – and spiders – oh no. Aside from breeding, you can also get materials through them to use elsewhere.

There's no release date to share yet, though you can wishlist Cleanup on Isle Goblin on Steam.

Here are 10 games like Stardew Valley that’ll keep you working on the farm until the goblins come home.

Iain Harris
Iain Harris
News Editor, Games

I joined GamesRadar+ in May 2022 following stints at PCGamesN and PocketGamer.Biz, with some freelance for Kotaku UK, RockPaperShotgun, and VG24/7 thrown in for good measure. When I'm not running the news team on the games side, you'll find me putting News Editor duties to one side to play the hottest JRPG of 20 years ago or pillaging the depths of Final Fantasy 14 for a swanky new cloak – the more colourful, the better.