If there was a game that could be called a phenomenon, it would definitely be Minecraft. Made by a small team and sold incredibly well, Minecraft reached out to more than just the hardcore gamers. It became what I would like to call 'a playground of construction creativity'. I predicted it wouldn't take long for others to try to emulate Minecraft, and now we have Terraria.
Terraria isn't exactly a direct Minecraft clone. If you thought this was just Minecraft in 2D, you'd be a little inaccurate. Instead, Terraria emphasises more on combat a lot more than Minecraft does. Which makes it a more 'game' like game rather than just a construction sand box.
In Terraria, you start off with a wooden sword, axe, a pick axe and a hammer. You wont have to struggle to make these basic tools. You'll need them too as you'll be attacked by green slimes... lots of em' right from the get go. That crappy wooden sword will be your life line in the beginning of Terraria.
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| This is my humble house in Terraria. It's going to be converted into a castle |
If you've played Minecraft, you'll know exactly what you need to do. You'll want to chop wood from trees(you can plant trees with acorns that a dropped from threes that are fell). Using the wood, you'll need to make a work bench and build your house up. You'll need to make a table, chair and a light source in your house if you want to stop that tutorial NPC to wander outside the house at night(leaving the door open for the beasties to enter your humble abode).
NPC's are also a unique feature in Terraria. If you've built up a room correctly(with a table, chair, light source & what not), you might just get a visitor. The merchant sells you stuff, allowing you to buy items when you're in a bind. There's even a nurse that you can get. She heals you up for a bit of coin. With the latest update, these NPC's can get attacked and die if they are attacked, so you need to make sure your home is secure and have lights to keep NPC's in their respective rooms.
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| Defend yourself against slimes... lots of em' |
Because Terraria is in 2D, there's some weird dimensional funkiness that'll you'll need to look into. More specifically the background of the world of Terraria. If you're building your home, building a wall on the left, right and the ceiling wont be enough to make it a safe place. You'll need to cover the background in your house with wood or stone(or gold if you're freaking insane!). You use the hammer to remove backgrounds and this can get a little finicky. Not my favourite aspect of the game(tiling the background and removing old background).
Unlike Minecraft, Terraria on the combat. Some have described it as a little Metroid'ish. There'll always be enemies. Even when the sun is up, you'll be attacked by slimes. When night comes, zombies & demon eyes make an appearance(there are also some monsters that are location specific). As you venture deep into the caves & mine away, you'll discover new enemy types and even new locations.
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| Oh lookey here! Vultures are a new addition. New content is constantly being added. |
The one issue I have with enemies is where they can spawn. Unlike Minecraft which spawns enemies in dark corners, Terraria will spawn enemies on backgrounds off screen that are not wood or stone. For example, if you ventured deep into an underground cavern, you will not be able to board up the background with wood. What this means is that you'll find in many occasions, enemies will spawn from above you.
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| Back into hell... bat out of hell. Damn Bats! |
Which makes Terraria a much better coop game than a solo one. If you're playing single player it's going to be hectic trying to defend yourself and mine for valuable stuff. If you're playing with a friend, you can have one person defending you against the enemies while you mine away(you can even enable PvP if you feel like you want to be mean and grief someone).
Regardless of this, I think Terraria is great value for money. It's just USD$9.99 and you get a tonne of content with more being added constantly. It's incredibly challenging with many different type of items to craft, and might occupy your time for quite a while. It's a game that is built on solid foundations and is constantly being updated and improved. Thumbs up!
Pros:
- A tonne of new content with many new updates
- Emphasis on combat and collecting drops from enemies to make cooler gear
- NPC's make your house a more socially relevant thing. It has meaning, it has a purpose.
- Lot's of different monster types
- You can make a friggin' grappling hook!
Cons:
- Monsters that spawn above you. It's more of a problem in caves. Annoying.
- Not quite as full fleshed as Minecraft in the building stuff bit.
- A better coop game than a solo game
- Some would complain that some creatures are over powered or way to strong. Stuff like these will change as the devs continue to rebalance the game and the monsters.
Verdict: Lot's of content & good value for money! Definite buy if you like games like these.
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