Trollheim: Gnomes, a new survival crafting game for PC based on Nordic folklore that IGN announced as part of IGN Fan Fest, comes from a team of ex-Mojang developers who all grew up playing in the Nordic woods and hearing folk tales of Sprýg Gnomes and other creatures and want to make a game about it. I got an early look at it, and there's one key thing that might set it apart in a very, very crowded genre: combat is optional.

You'll gather building materials and as you level up, you'll be able to not only craft more and more intricate and complex structures, but you'll able to do so higher and higher up in the trees. It might be best thought of like living in a dark-forest version of a condo high-rise: the best unit is the penthouse. And you will run into opposition in the form of the Väsen, who are signficantly larger than your three-inch-tall gnome. All of that sounds pretty run-of-the-mill, right? But that's where the combat-optional hook comes in. The Väsen won't attack you on sight. They will if you antagonize them, but intriguingly, you can also befriend them by bringing them food or other items they need.

"If you want to hang out and make it cozy, that's up to you, said game director Jojje Dalunde. " Added studio founder Bjorne Larson, "We want combat to feel intentional. It's an opt-in. You will always know that you're stepping into something you might not be able to handle.

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