Trimps

Trimps is among the games that unfold from a simple concept into a surprisingly complex system. The player commands an army of cute furry creatures called trimps, sending them to gather resources, build a camp, and gradually push ever deeper into procedurally generated dungeons. This 2015 game was created by a developer going by the name Greensatellite, and at first it was a fairly modest project that, thanks to the depth of its systems, quickly built up a loyal community.

At first glance, Trimps looks like just another "clicker" – you click on resources, hire units, send them into battle. But once the player advances a few levels further, an elaborate prestige system unlocks, in which the entire progress can be "reset" in exchange for permanent upgrades, which make the next round of the game faster and let you get further. There are several layers of this prestige system stacked on top of each other in the game, which makes it one of the deepest idle games out there – experienced players can spend hundreds of hours optimizing individual builds and figuring out the most efficient ways to progress.

The graphics remain deliberately simple, with practically no animation or music distracting from the numbers and graphs that form the core of the experience. It is precisely this pure focus on system and mathematics that made Trimps a cult favorite among fans of idle and incremental games, who still mention it today as one of the genre's high points in terms of mechanical depth.

Why play it: An ideal choice for players who look for genuine strategic depth in idle games and don't mind spending time calculating the most efficient path forward through dozens of prestige layers.