Terraria (Video Game Review)

Terraria recently released for PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE Arcade following hot in the footsteps of the highly successful Minecraft on Xbox LIVE Arcade that the game is so often compared with. Terraria is an open world, sandbox game that starts players off with little more than a sword, pickaxe and axe. The adventure is set in a 2D world that only allows players to fight enemies, mine resources or construct buildings above, below or to either side of the game's protagonist. Despite some very noticeable similarities with Minecraft and other similar titles, Terraria offers much more excitement in both solo play and multiplayer sessions as players battle with ever increasingly difficult enemies, go head-to-head with with tough boss enemies and build up an entire settlement that will draw in various NPC characters that will offer players anything from friendly advice to wares for sale in their shops. Terraria is a magical adventure that truly holds far more than what one can experience during the first few hours of gameplay.

Terraria doesn't feature much of a storyline, nor does it need to. Terraria is all about discovery and learning how to create various items and equipment from raw resources. Other characters will join with the game's hero, and if that character dies, they will respawn again in the morning. Deaths are frequent when starting up a game of Terraria for the first time, since the first night will see flying eyeballs and zombies attacking players relentlessly. It's imperative to quickly build a shelter to survive the night and begin scavenging the resources necessary to become more powerful and make the game far more interesting. Items available to players at the beginning of the game are pretty ordinary, but the slow start to the game soon gives way to epic items such as lightsabers and jet boots, and the world itself continues to evolve with the appearance of tougher enemies and dungeons that house great treasures and the toughest bosses in the game. The gameplay becomes more interesting as you spend more time with Terraria and build your own storylines with friends in couch co-op on online multiplayer sessions.

Not a lot has changed with the new release of Terraria from its PC version. The controls of the game have been awkwardly transferred to console controllers that give a pretty big learning curve for new and veteran players alike. A tutorial mode is included with the new release that will net players two Trophies/Achievements and help ease players in the adjustments however. Another big change, and the biggest selling point for the game on consoles, is the inclusion of local cooperative play for up to four players. The core of the game is still the same starting with building a simple house and fighting ooze monsters to constructing giant skyscrapers and battling demons and gargantuan skeletons. Terraria always throws something new at the player, and you'll easily find yourself throwing 50+ hours into the game just to experience everything there is to see in the game. Terraria constructs randomly generated worlds of various sizes with each new game players begin, and there are various difficultly settings included in the game to give plenty of replay value and new challenges as well, and since characters retain their current equipment across all worlds, players can take the same character into a single player session, friend's game or online match with random players and keep everything they own with no problems.

The music featured in Terraria hasn't changed, and that's a good thing. The charming overworld theme still greets you every morning and allows players to breathe a sigh of relief for surviving another night or after emerging from another dungeon crawl, and other themes sustain the right tones for the given situation. The graphics of Terraria are just as colorful this time around as well, even if the game does have some poorly designed sprites for some characters. Terraria has changed and been updated very often over the years, and the new version for Xbox LIVE Arcade and PlayStation Network comes packed with all of the newest content, though it remains to be seen how often the game will be updated in the future on consoles. $14.99 is a steep asking price for players who already own the game on PC with very few differences included in the new release aside from local multiplayer. Still, Terraria is a fun game that every gamer should pick up and play, and if you're not comfortable with keyboard and mouse or are just looking for a fun new game, you can't go wrong with the new release of Terraria.

Terraria is now available for PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE Arcade and can be purchased for $14.99 or 1200 Microsoft Points respectively. Terraria is rated T by the ESRB for Violence, Blood, Suggestive Themes & Use of Alcohol. For more information on the game, check out the official Terraria website.

Game Features:

Online Multiplayer 2-4

Randomly Generated Worlds

Tutorial Mode

Online Leaderboards

Trophy/Achievement Support

Game Information:
Developer: Re-logic
Publisher: 505 Games
Platforms: PlayStation Network, Xbox LIVE Arcade (reviewed) & PC
Release Date: March 27, 2013

Score: 9 out of 10