Reclaim a barren wasteland from the clutches of toxic ruin on Terra Nile. From the temperate river valley to the volcanic glacier, restoring the natural environment has never been so relaxing.
The exam is based on the PC version.
From South African indie developer Free Lives, creator of action games like Broforce and Gorn, comes a very different kind of game, Terra Nil. The game has virtually no action, unless you count the start of controlled burns. Terra Nil focuses on slow and relaxing gameplay that requires careful strategy and thinking.
BENEFITS:
- Attractive and relaxing game;
- Beautiful visuals and stellar sound;
- Encourages creative thinking.
AGAINST :
- Difficult to find the magic of the initial game;
- relatively short base game;
- The slow pace is not for everyone.
Based on classic real-time strategy games like StarCraft or Age of Empires, Terra Nil flips the concept and puts the player in charge of revitalizing a wasteland instead of commanding battalions of troops in a destructive war. This could be the perfect game to unwind after more stressful games, literally undoing the damage done to the environment..
Players will need to use advanced technology to restore plant and animal life, and once the area is stable, recycle everything and leave without a trace. From temperate forests and grasslands to a volcanic glacier, Terra Nil spans the globe.
the four biomes
Terra Nil has four unique biomes to restore, starting with River Valley and eventually unlocking more difficult biomes like Tropical Island and Volcanic Glacier. Restoring these biomes for the first time is full of discovery and experimentation, which, unfortunately, is something hard to come by in a second game.
Terra Nile, published by Devolver Digital
Terra Nil is therefore extremely fun in the early game, and certainly worth returning to any time for a calm and relaxing experience. But once the initial shock of playing for the first time begins to wear off, it doesn’t have the same impact. It’s still a great game, but it would have been even better if there had been more replayability..
VERDICT:
Terra Nil offers a great break from the usual fast-paced, action-packed video games. Although it’s short (the main game only provides less than ten hours of playtime), the randomly generated maps can make it a great game to come back to once in a while to relax. It’s a game that rewards careful planning, patience, and consideration, and it’s good to see more of it not just in video games, but in the world as a whole.
Fortunately, after restoring the four main biomes, there is another alternate challenge to complete in each biome. These manage to push the game a few extra hours, but that’s about it. What would have been really amazing to see is a mode with a much larger map that could even combine multiple biomes. Naturally, this can be a tall order, but at least a few more biomes beyond base four would have been great.
A sonic and visual delight
Fortunately, all is not gloomy. The soundscapes and landscapes of Terra Nil are combined in a beautiful tapestry. Even basic moves in Terra Nil, like placing the arboretum that grows the forest or simply purifying the ground with a detox, result in satisfying incremental growth from the get-go. This not only does the logic of the game good, but also adds to the overall atmosphere of growth and restoration that the game cultivates.
Terra Nile, published by Devolver Digital
Throughout the restoration process, various optional objectives will be achieved depending on the climate of the region. These lenses will slowly introduce things like migratory birds returning to the area, flying in a V-shape across the screen, or crabs returning to the beaches of a tropical island. A great moment in all regions is the return of rain or snow. Patches of land sprout on their own, dry riverbeds fill with water, and the whole ecosystem seems to slowly come together. As the game progresses, the environment seems more and more alive.
Not only that, but audio grows and grows with everything. From the quiet, desolate wasteland finally emerges a forest full of songbirds and a crackling thunderstorm that brings real relief after a long process of restoration. The audio also changes to focus on where the cursor is pointing, meaning if the player builds something on a beach, they’ll hear waves crashing or frogs croaking in a wetland. This little touch can be so immersive and natural that it almost goes unnoticed.
From gardener to ecologist to engineer
Any player familiar with strategy games will be able to choose Terra Nil with ease. You can practically play this game one-handed with just a mouse, but the keyboard can make things a little less complicated. The challenge in Terra Nil doesn’t come from manipulating controls or quick reactions. But it requires resource management and the ability to plan ahead.
Terra Nile, published by Devolver Digital
Terra Nil offers three difficulty levels, Gardener, Ecologist and Environmental Engineer. The first two will have tutorials that walk the player through the game’s basic controls and movement, with Gardener being the most forgiving of them all. The Environment Engineer, on the other hand, expects a certain level of experience with strategy games and increases the difficulty while removing any kind of tutorial. Still, Terra Nil is a very forgiving game, with an undo button for the most recent action and the ability to reset the map at any time without consequence.
zero point You don’t want to punish the player for their mistakes, you want them to learn from those mistakes and make better decisions next time.. The game rewards players who plan carefully ahead during construction, ensuring that whatever is built can eventually be recycled, leaving no trace behind.
Change environment
Within each biome, Terra Nil gameplay focuses on three stages. First, the player must establish a solid foundation of healthy soil and simple plants. The player can then start to build on this with more complex habitats, from forests to coral reefs.
Finally, once the biome is stable, the third step is to remove any remaining structures and let the biome thrive on its own. This three-step process cannot change. A forest cannot grow without a solid foundation of healthy soil.
Terra Nile, published by Devolver Digital
Participating in this methodical process is relaxing.. Not to mention the satisfaction of seeing how different the biome looks once completed. Knowing this, the game even offers players a chance to “enjoy” their work. Instead of just continuing to the next challenge, players also have the option to watch a video of their newly restored biome. It literally gives the player a moment to breathe and reflect on what they’ve accomplished.
final thoughts
Terra Nil is an amazing experience from start to finish. The biggest problem with the game is that the end comes too soon. It might sound like a compliment, and it mostly is, but what would make this game perfect is if it were a little more replayable.
Terra Nil would greatly benefit from some DLC or an expansion that adds new biomes. For example, it would be fun to explore a harsh and unforgiving biome like a desert. Perhaps the habitats the player should create in the biome are dunes, scrubland, and an oasis, while being very careful with a limited amount of water. Camels could possibly roam the dunes while fennec foxes hunt in the bushes and vultures fly overhead. There’s a lot of potential to expand on this concept and it would be great to see what other creative biomes could come into play.
In the end, Terra Nil delivers on its promises. An incredibly fluid and relaxing strategy game focused on transforming a barren desert into a thriving ecosystem. Being the force behind such positive change is satisfying on its own, but the slow pace, great visuals, and audio really drives it home.
Terra Nil is coming to PC via Steam and mobile via Netflix on March 28, 2023.
Matt Buckley | Juegopresion.com