I can't think of many games I've had as many late nights with friends as Terraria. Since March 2013, this game has been with me throughout vastly different periods of my life, and with the 1.4 Journey's End update, that adventure finally comes to a close. While it's sad to see the book closed on Terraria, the final state of the game is a masterful entry to the crafting/exploration genre with an absolutely insane amount of content.
Early into Terraria, it is easy to draw comparisons to Minecraft; the game begins with the players chopping trees, mining iron and fighting zombies at night. However, as the game progresses, it quickly unfolds into a unique experience all its own. Throughout a whole run of Terreria, the game continuously surprises with new ways to interact with the world, or by turning previously established parts of the world into something new. Terraria as a world is not comfortable with settling into a fixed condition; instead evolving and changing, frequently reminding the player that the world isn't theirs to control, but is a living being separate to the player.
More than any other crafting/exploration game, Terraria really nails the exploration aspect. There is so much to see and experience in this game; so many areas to visit, items to try and creatures to meet. While the sheer amount of content in the game is staggering, it does have a bit of trouble explaining itself. The game tries to give you resources to find your own way, resources in The Guide - an NPC who explains crafting recipes and gives basic advice, as well as The Bestiary as of the most recent update. Some other NPCs will also deliver cryptic words of wisdom on how to progress. While it is possible for a new player with enough curiosity to make it through the game's progression on their own (and I encourage and new players to go in blind, at least for a while!) it is far more manageable to open up the Terraria Wiki on a smart phone or Steam overlay, and allow it to guide progress. It's not the most elegant design, but is pretty much par for the course in this genre.
While the exploration aspect of the game is impeccable, if a little flawed, the combat is also fantastic. Throughout the progression of Terraria, a player is presented with an absolutely wild array of combat options and playstyles and, especially by late game, the player is given a wild number of movement options to take into combat. It's a good thing too, as Terraria contains enormous boss fights that require serious firepower to take down. At it's best, the game feels like a high energy platformer, combined with a tight bullet-hell, with boss fights representing a close intersection between preparation and skill. That said, especially on Expert of Master mode, the boss fights can get so difficult as to require spending lots of time to build arenas, prepare potions and equipment and research boss tactics, that the fight itself almost feels secondary. In this sense, at times Terraria can almost feel like an MMO more than anything, which could be a good or bad things depending on your perspective.
Overall, this decade's old game is an absolutely legendary entry into the genre. With the game in its final state, my partner and I took a week to fully complete the game, from start to finish on Expert mode. It was an incredible experience to finally see the game to the end (which I've never done before!) and to give the game the honorable send-off it deserved. If, at this point, you still haven't played Terraria, I encourage you to find one or two friends (who preferable also haven't played it!) and give it a shot! If you like boss fights, crafting and exploration, and you don't mind researching convoluted recipes, this game is for you!
Also, it's like, three dollars on sale, what are you doing??
