The genre of ‘incremental games’ was created in 2002, with the parody game Progress Quest, developed by Eric Fredricksen. Incremental games are defined by their core loop of simple actions such as clicking or ‘idling’ which gradually generate resources, which can then be reinvested in permanent upgrades to accelerate progress. In the decades since Progress Quest, there have been many games in the genre, often increasing in scope, complexity and expected playtime. Nodebuster, developed by Goblobin and released on August 13, 2024, takes things back to the basics in the best way possible.
Nodebuster trades the exaggerated fantasy tropes of games like Clicker Heroes and Cookie Clicker for a minimalist, sci-fi vibe. At the start, there are only two screens – the upgrades skill tree and a ‘breach session’, where you control a reticule that fires at invading red square enemies at regular intervals. As you destroy the enemies, you get ‘bits’, which can be spent to upgrade various skills in a skill tree, such as attack damage, health, and defensive armour.
As the game progresses, more content is slowly unlocked – as is the tradition with incremental games. Blue enemies start to spawn, which drop ‘nodes’ on defeat, which can be used to buy more advanced upgrades. Your experience meter gives you skill points for each level-up. The ‘milestones’ tab is the third unlockable screen in the game, rewarding you with bits or nodes for reaching a certain threshold of enemies defeated.
Breach sessions end when you defeat a large purple boss enemy. This gives you a ‘core’, and the ability to increase your prestige level, which increases enemy stats but also allows for more resources to be gathered and a new boss to fight. Eventually, you unlock the ‘crypto mine’ tab, which allows you to exchange bits for ‘netcoin’ at a reduced conversion rate. Yellow enemies drop processors which speed up the conversion. Eventually, you beat enough bosses and earn enough cores to unlock the final tab, the ‘lab’, where you can deploy the ‘godvirus’ for 1000 netcoins. This marks the end of the game.
If it doesn’t sound like much, that’s because it isn’t; I was done with Nodebuster in just over four hours. But, contrary to what people might expect, that’s what makes it so fun. It’s the epitome of all-killer-no-filler in a genre where grindy monotony is so common. Nothing feels wasted here. The upgrade paths are intuitive and well streamlined, the progression feels natural, and the breach sessions strike a nice balance: they require active input early on, then gradually ease into a more idle-friendly pace as you near the endgame. The look and soundtrack of the game is enjoyable and satisfying, but not overbearing. It’s pure dopamine until you reach the finish line.
I took a chance on this game, given its very reasonable £1.74 price tag on Steam. It paid off. If you want to see a shining example of how to make a quick and polished incremental game, I highly recommend Nodebuster. It might not be a masterpiece, but it’s a lot of fun, and that’s really all you can ask for.
Nodebuster is available on Steam.
