Plot: What’s it about?
As always, when a game proves to be a breakout success, similar titles flood the market. Terraria is obviously inspired by the smash Minecraft, but is it able to stand on its own? This game takes the elements you know and love from Minecraft, throws them into a side scrolling world, and puts a little more emphasis on action. As expected, you can avoid a lot of combat and just wander around the maps, but you’d miss out on what makes Terraria so special. You can stick close to the spawn and reap some minor rewards, but the real good stuff lies deep within the ground. You can upgrade your health, grab new weapons, and discover new items to populate your creations with, all via exploration and combat. The game keeps an eye on your progress and ensures enemies are scaled, so unless you really push hard, you have a fair chance at survival. Terraria is tough however, so the laid back Minecraft vibe isn’t so much a part of the experience here. Even so, you can focus on light exploration and construction if you so choose but again, you’d miss out on Terraria’s finest elements.
Video: How does it look?
The game features throwback visuals that take you back to the days of 16 bit graphics. The visuals are of course simple and crude compared to modern fare, but the game still looks quite good for the design choice. The elements have good detail and the visuals never seemed muddled or hard to navigate. So while the resolution is lower than we’re used to, there is ample detail and depth within the visuals here.
Audio: How does it sound?
The soundtrack is simple, but catchy and most importantly, never annoys. The music is fun and doesn’t grate, while combat has a solid presence as well. You won’t mistake this for a layered, full on surround sound experience, but the game sounds good. The audio also falls in line with the visuals, so the elements combine to bolster the old school texture. So all in all, the audio in this one is rock solid and quite fun at times.
