Gobliiins Beginner Tips - Three Goblins, One Puzzle Plan

Gobliiins is the first game in Coktel Vision’s oddball puzzle adventure series, and the spelling matters: this guide is for Gobliiins with three i’s, the 1991 game about three controllable goblins. It is not for Gobliins 2 or Goblins Quest 3, which change the cast and structure.

This is a spoiler-light tips guide. It explains how to approach the game’s single-screen puzzles without listing the full route through all 22 stages. Use it when you want better habits, not a step-by-step answer sheet.

Essential Tips

1. Name the Job Before You Click

Every puzzle starts by asking what kind of action the room wants. If something needs to be picked up, carried, dropped, or used, think Dwayne first. If something needs to be hit, knocked loose, climbed, or pushed through force, think BoBo. If an object looks strange, inert, magical, oversized, undersized, asleep, stuck, or transformable, think Hooter.

That does not mean the first guess will always work. Gobliiins often makes one character prepare the room so another can finish the task. The important habit is to test by role instead of clicking every goblin on every object.

2. Treat Each Screen Like a Small Machine

Most rooms are compact, but they are not simple. A horn can become useful after it falls, a branch can become useful after magic changes it, and a gap can become useful after the right object is placed in it. Read the whole screen before solving the first obvious interaction.

Look for moving parts, reachable ledges, creatures, containers, loose objects, blocked exits, unusual plants, and background details that repeat. Gobliiins likes cause and effect. If one action changes the room, pause and re-read everything before taking the next action.

3. Switch Characters Deliberately

The active goblin matters. Click the character or portrait, confirm who is selected, then choose the right action mode. Dwayne also has pickup and drop behavior to manage, so do not assume he can keep collecting objects forever.

If a puzzle suddenly seems impossible, check whether you are using the wrong goblin or the wrong cursor mode. Many early stalls come from trying to use BoBo like an inventory character, or forgetting that Hooter’s job is to alter objects before anyone else can use them.

4. Use Hooter to Change the Question

Hooter’s magic is not just a generic interact button. It often turns a useless object into a tool, wakes something, moves something, enlarges something, or triggers a surprise reaction. When the room contains an object that looks decorative but oddly placed, consider testing magic before brute force.

Magic can also be misleading, funny, or hazardous. Use it thoughtfully, then watch what changed. The outcome is part of the clue, even when it looks silly.

5. Use BoBo to Create Access

BoBo is the physical problem solver. His punch can knock objects down, shift obstacles, or trigger heavy mechanisms, and his climbing ability can put him where the others cannot go. Before assuming a ledge or hanging object is background art, ask whether BoBo can reach it or affect it.

BoBo is not a substitute for Dwayne. If a knocked-down item needs to be carried, switch away after the impact. The strongest play is sequencing, not overusing the strongest character.

6. Use Dwayne as the Finisher

Dwayne is usually the one who turns a prepared object into progress. He picks up items, drops them in useful places, uses tools, and carries the result of another goblin’s action. Because he has limited carrying behavior, manage his hands carefully.

Drop old items only when you understand why you need the new one. If an item can be placed, ask what shape of problem it solves: gap, creature, door, tool use, distraction, or delivery.

7. Watch Character Placement

Some puzzles care about where a goblin is standing before another goblin acts. A plank, tongue, branch, ledge, ladder, or platform can become a temporary mechanism. Put the right character in position, then trigger the room change with someone else.

This is where Gobliiins feels more like a contraption puzzle than a normal adventure game. If a room has a moving part, try to picture who needs to benefit from that movement before you activate it.

8. Let Wrong Attempts Teach You

The game is full of slapstick failure, but the joke often points toward the answer. If a goblin gets scared, hurt, blocked, or mocked, ask what the failed attempt proved. It may tell you an approach is unsafe, a creature needs distracting, or a different character must prepare the scene first.

Do not repeat the same failed input three times unless something in the room has changed. The comedy is useful only when you convert it into a new plan.

9. Write Down Level Codes

The original structure leans on codes for returning to stages. When a new code appears, record it somewhere outside the game before moving on. This is especially important if you spent health learning the room or if your version does not offer a modern save system.

Codes are also good mental dividers. Treat each code as a fresh puzzle room with its own object logic, not as a place where every previous item assumption still applies.

10. Keep Sequel Advice Separate

The series changes after the first game. The number of i’s in the title is a clue to the number of controllable goblins, and later entries alter party size, structure, and failure pressure. Advice for Fingus, Winkle, or Blount does not belong in this game.

When looking up help, check the title and year before reading. One wrong sequel page can confuse the exact role names, number of characters, and puzzle rules.

Team Roles

Goblin	Main Use	Beginner Habit
Dwayne	Picks up, drops, carries, and uses items	Keep track of what he is holding and why
Hooter	Casts magic on objects and creatures	Test odd objects after observing the room
BoBo	Punches, climbs, and handles force actions	Use him to knock things loose or reach high spots

Think of the trio as a chain. Hooter can change the object, BoBo can move or dislodge it, and Dwayne can carry or apply it. Many rooms need all three links, but not always in that order.

Names can vary by release, so rely on the role as much as the label. The cap-wearing technician is the item handler, the bearded magician handles spells, and the horned warrior handles strength.

Scene Workflow

1. Scan the whole screen - Note exits, creatures, ledges, ladders, hazards, loose objects, moving details, and anything that looks just a little too animated.
2. Sort objects by role - Decide which things look like item work, magic work, or strength work.
3. Test low-risk changes first - Try obvious transformations and object movement before putting a goblin near danger.
4. Re-read after every change - A new object position can make a previously useless character useful.
5. Position before triggering - If a platform or creature moves, place the goblin who needs the result before activating it.
6. Use Dwayne last when possible - Let the room produce or expose an item, then have him collect or apply it.
7. Record the code - When a new stage begins, write down the code before experimenting.
8. Ask for a hint by room, not by game - If you must look up help, stop after the single nudge you needed.

Health and Codes

The first Gobliiins is less forgiving than later entries because mistakes can drain shared health or energy. That does not mean you should fear experimentation. It means you should experiment with a plan.

Before trying a risky interaction, ask three questions. Is the active goblin standing somewhere dangerous? Is another goblin supposed to be positioned first? Has the room already changed in a way that makes this attempt different from the last one?

If you lose too much health while learning, use the stage code to restart cleanly. A clean restart is often faster than limping forward with too little room for another mistake. Keep your notes short: room code, visible goal, useful object, hazard, and the role that seemed promising.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Do not treat Dwayne as a bottomless inventory - Track his current item and drop with purpose.
2. Do not punch everything before reading the scene - BoBo is powerful, but force can be the second step.
3. Do not ignore magic on ordinary-looking objects - Hooter often changes what the room is asking.
4. Do not leave goblins standing in hazard zones - Placement can matter before and after an action.
5. Do not repeat a failed action without a new setup - Change the character, position, item, or timing first.
6. Do not skip level codes - They are your clean restart path when health has been wasted.
7. Do not mix in Gobliins 2 or Goblins Quest 3 answers - Those games use different parties and assumptions.
8. Do not open a complete walkthrough for one stuck object - A single-room nudge preserves the puzzle flow.

Summary

Category	Top Tip
Scope	Use this for the 1991 three-goblin game only
Roles	Match every action to Dwayne, Hooter, or BoBo
Observation	Read the full screen before clicking through objects
Sequencing	Let one goblin prepare the room for another
Health	Restart from a code when learning cost too much
Help	Look up only the current room when truly stuck