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Terraria is a 2D sandbox survival adventure game based on the Microsoft XNA framework. The gameplay consists of exploring a randomly generated world while building structures and farming resources for said structures as well as equipment and weapons. A survival game at heart with a sandbox base.
Desktop version available on Steam.
SpecsUpdate
Pros
Pro You never run out of things to do, or areas to explore
Terraria has a randomly generated world with all kinds of different areas to explore, items to find and craft, and secrets to unearth. There is a basic introduction to the game, but mostly everything revolves around experimenting and exploring.
Pro Contrasting bright and happy graphics against the suspenseful survival gameplay makes for a game creates a feeling of urgency
Instead of building a deliberate feeling of suspense, Terraria uses bright palettes and arcade action to provide a fun experience outside of the survival elements. When those elements gradually appear one by one, each is all the more shocking, This contrast makes for an ever growing sense of urgency in the game, in order to craft a safe space as well as weapons to protect oneself.
Pro View in full screen with the included immersive mode support
Terraria features immersive mode on any Android device version 4.4+. This way the game can be played full screen on devices that use stock Android and the software navigation bar.
Pro Allows for freedom of expression for all ages, all at your own pacing
The game has all kinds of tools and materials that you can acquire and use to build whatever you can imagine. From housing, furniture, weapons, to any type of structure, the possibilities are almost endless. Which is great for children who enjoy building and problem solving – and for adults who enjoy the same. It also makes for a great objective-less game, where you can do just about anything you want at your own pace.
Pro Fun combat
It starts out simple, with you whacking away at slow moving zombies and flying eyes, gradually shifting to more fierce and fearsome enemies such as flying demons, agile lizardmen, and many more. To survive you'll have to be always on the move, dodge enemy attacks, and be accurate when you retaliate.
There are also plenty of weapons to choose from. Melee weapons such as swords, hammers, lances, and flails. Ranged weapons such as bows, crossbows, rifles, and miniguns. And various items that allow you to cast spells. Whatever you choose, it feels great to destroy hordes of enemies.
Pro Intriguing world
Terraria uses a bright color palette and an upbeat chiptune soundtrack to ease you into its world. However, once you start exploring and spend time in it you'll notice it's not as cozy as it first seemed to be. Blood Moons that rouse the dead from their graves. Goblin armies trying to destroy everything in their wake. Vast and dark cave systems, filled with odd creatures and various dangers. Ancient ruins, teeming with the restless dead and evil spirits. Pockets of decaying land, thriving with misshapen monstrosities. It's really fun to explore and discover something new about the world of Terraria.
Pro Allows for freedom of expression for all ages, all at your own pace
Terraria has all kinds of tools and materials you can use to build whatever you can imagine. From housing, to furniture, to weapons, to types of structure, the possibilities are almost endless. This is great for children who enjoy building and problem solving, and for adults who enjoy the same. It also makes for a great objective-less game, where you can do just about anything you want at your own pace.
Pro Playing with friends allows for endless scenarios
Up to 8 players can join any Terraria world. You can progress through the game normally, build a race course and compete in it, or split into factions and wage war against each other. The scenarios are endless, you just have to let loose your creativity.
Pro Lots of community servers, tutorials, and streams
Terraria has a large community of players on every platform including mobile, desktop, and console. Because of this, there are many servers to play on, as well as tutorials and Let's Plays. Finding content or help getting started is quite easy.
Pro You can easily test the game for free thanks to the free trial version
A trial version of the game can be downloaded on Google Play. A feature of the trial version is that it does have a full game unlock through an in-app-purchase (for those that don't want to lose their games progress by downloading a different version of the game).
Cons
Con Cloud saving is broken
Currently cloud saving is broken so that means you can build your world but it sits in your phone. You cannot back it up, you cannot sync it with other devices, nor even manually backup unless your device is rooted. There is also a bug where the game that was saved in a previous version in cloud save (when it was working) will not load into the new updated game.
Recommendations
Comments
Flagged Pros + Cons
Con Lost all characters 1 at a time
All characters were lost over and over. Neither cloud save or local works, which broke the game.