I legit blind backed this game. They already had a very earlier demo out when they launched the Kickstarter but I just watched their trailer and backed it immediately (#impulsiveShopping). I started regretting it a bit afterward because I wanted to help the devs but I was terrified that I wouldn't like the game since I haven't been able to play any game for long lately ("blame it on the ADD, baby"). But then they announced their demo had been updated and I gave it a try and absolutely loved it! The game is pretty relaxing (the timer doesn't have any negative consequences), chipping away the trinkets and cleaning them was very satisfying and the upcycling was so much fun! I legit could've kept playing it for hours if the demo didn't come to an end at some point. And that just made me extra happy to be a backer. I also really liked the more recent options to customize the space. Also, as someone who is prone to having tendinitis, I am incredibly grateful for the Hover options in the settings - those are a life saver.

Fun game to play and the customer interaction is fun. Chisling away and cleaning the trinckets is done really wel and the ability to add them to each other is great.

The only downside from what i saw is that you get a lot of the same trinkets (got the pot 3 times, the pot handle 2 times and the goblin mask 2 times all while the other pots and masks where still in my stash). Eventually your stash will get full because there is not enough space.

The game is still in Early Access so i am looking forward to what they add more.

I love the concept of this game, but the execution is lacking currently. Yes, it is early access, but based on the demos, it seems like the time since then has more been spent on additional content rather than expanding or fleshing out the core concept (imo).

Up front, The biggest issue is there is not really any "game" to be had here. There are no fail states, no impactful decisions (whether that be time management, conversation or gameplay choices), no true "game". From a gameplay standpoint this is essentially just an extremely low budget, bare bones VN with some busywork thrown in. You might think that this is some sort of puzzle game based on the screenshots and trailer, that you get these objects that you need to figure out how to identify, clean and sell, but not really. That's the busy work. When chiseling a new object, there is no way to fail, no way to do it "correctly", no way for you, the player, to effect anything. All you do is mash the cursor on anything and everything. You can't damage the object, you can't do it wrong, you can't make a wrong decision via your actions. You just keep clicking until it's done. THAT IS IT.

Outside of the chiseling/sponging "minigames", you are clicking through typical text fodder between customers and your shopkeeper. To be frank, these characters are low quality, flat JPGs. I had hoped that some more effort would go into the NPCs after seeing the demo, thinking that these cardboard cut-out looking characters were placeholders, but that doesn't seem to be the case. The conversations between you and NPCs, if it can even be considered conversations, is extremely basic and safe. It is genuinely suitable for a children's book, that's how basic we're talking. I'm not advocating for a complex novel of dialogue here, but something that doesn't feel like it was designed for literal 5 year olds. Maybe that explains the lack of a fail state, or any real gameplay to speak of. It would certainly make sense why this game could be described as little more than a digital fidget toy rather than an actual game.

A good comparison would be Potionomics, which I suspect the devs of this have played and used as some level of inspiration. Potionomics has things like VN style conversations, time management and actual player agency, decisions and interactions. If you spend too much time doing things that are unproductive, you suffer and will fail. If you don't make intelligent, planned decisions in your potion brewing or customer interaction, you will suffer and fail. This is what game design is, and it's where the "fun" comes from in a game. The ability for a player to test their wits and understanding of the games mechanics and suffer or succeed. Without consequences, it's not a game, it's a toy. That's what Trash Goblin is, in its current state at least. On top of those things, Potionomics has quality 3D models and animations for their characters, whilst Trash Goblin...does not. As I said, they are relatively low quality looking jpgs that look distinctly out of place in the 3D modeled environment.

Most worrying on this aspect is I think I've seen others mention this and the dev has responded that this is how they want the game to be and don't have plans to really deviate from this path(?). If that's the case, it's unfortunate. I couldn't recommend this game in any capacity if this is the intended design. I was really hoping this would scratch that 3D Picross itch in SOME capacity, but it doesn't.

Ignoring design issues, there is also the added fun of the game not saving, so twice now I've gone through the mind-numbing tutorial. I'm not going through it again. I don't think this game is ready to be released even in early access, and given the core design of the game, or lack thereof, I don't think it ever will be.