I just finished Terra Nil today and it's a pretty great game. It's a weird hybrid between a building game and a puzzle game, with a super fun premise and an equally good aesthetic. It still has a few issues, but overall I really enjoyed my time playing this!
The game is, as the game's own description puts it, a Reverse city builder.The premise is very simple: You're in a barren, lifeless planet and after finding a guide on how to create intricate machines to bring it back to life, it's now your task to transform it into a beautiful landscape full of biodiversity (So yes, it's Factorio but backwards).
The game's presentation nails the feeling of reclaiming a wasteland perfectly. Everything starts so boring, gray and lifeless, but as you keep playing things slowly start becoming more vibrant and lively. Completing sidequests will give you so many little details that all show up in the world, and the fact that some of this will randomly happen during the course of the game (like auroras and rainstorms) just make the game feel much more alive, which is definitely what the developers are going for so great job! The soundtrack is also a perfect fit for this game. It's not very noticeable, but it doesn't have to be for a game like this. Just a nice, relaxing loop is all you need.
The game is basically a puzzle city builder with a simple, three-phase structure. First, you place toxin scrubbers and irrigators to turn the wastelind into simple grasslands. Next, you turn specific parts of the landscape into different kinds of biomes using specialized buildings. And finally, you recycle every building you made and exit the area without leaving a trace.
Your objective is to fully restore the environment while keeping track of your currency so that you don't end up running out and losing. All the while you try and keep certain levels of temperature, humidity and other factors that can give you certain bonuses. Unlike other city builders, the combination of these two systems give the game a bit of a puzzle feeling and I really like that.
While I really like both the three-phase structure and the puzzle aspect of the game, I honestly dont think these two fit together. Yes they are both nice, but they don't compliment each other at all. It feels super restrictive when you might lose a sidequest because a structure requires a specific temperature level to operate, and the fact that some of the structure and animal requirements aren't revealed to you until you reach certain parts of the level makes it hard to plan accordingly.
The biggest problem with the game is its length. The developers went for quality over quantity. And even though that's usually a good thing, I strangely feel like that wasn't the correct choice in the case of this game? Every level is unique, and tailor-made for the tools that they've given you. However, when there's only 8 of them (half of them being special, challenge levels), you really feel like the game's missing something.
Yes, the 4 main levels are all great and unique and especially the last one has so much going on and I love it. But there are so many buildings that feel superfluous. So many combinations of biomes that weren't utilized at all. So many weird interactions between buildings that are programmed in, yet are only used once in the entire game. The sidequests all feel the same throughout the entire game. I really hope the devs eventually add workshop support to it, because I just know there's so much more to be done with this game.
Finally, the story. There is none. I mean there are some implications with the intro cutscene and the final level, but they don't do anything with it. And honestly the game is perfectly fine without one so who cares.
In conclusion: It's a fun and charming city-building game with a really unique and perfectly executed premise. I loved what I played of the game, but it's over before you know it and I just wish there was more of it. And while every level of the game feels like a unique, meticulously crafted experience, you still feel like there could be more variation for it. 8/10
