Terraria (PlayStation 3) Review

It's difficult not to mention the likes of Minecraft when understanding what exactly Terraria is. Using retro pixelated graphics and the same general gameplay motive, anyone familiar with Markus Persson's sandbox title will have a good idea what to expect with this game.

The basic gist of this open world title is to craft and build whatever comes to mind using materials gathered from exploring the island the player character is plonked upon. Essentially starting out with nothing but a pick-axe and sword, where players go from the moment of control is completely up to them. Being a side-scrolling game (unlike Minecraft's 3D world), that doesn't necessarily mean left or right; downwards and upwards are also necessary options.

Whilst there is a tutorial to set things up, it's still a little basic, and people that may not have delved into this type of craft and exploration simulation before may feel rather overwhelmed once the main game begins. Where exactly is the next point of call? What needs to be built? Where are certain materials found? What is the purpose? With no concise goal laid out in front of players' eyes, it's very possible that the lack of explanation could deter people from really ever venturing far into Terraria's actually deep and creative innards at all.

However, on the very opposite side of the coin, that is the very beauty of it all. The randomly-generated world is huge, and it is completely free to explore; it is there to conquer. Though, it isn't as simple as venturing to the ends of the world from the get-go. It's entirely possible, of course, but the further and deeper the land that is explored, the tougher and deadlier the monsters become… and if night time falls, well, a safe house better have been built to cower in till sunrise. It might be very tempting to dig right down into the very undergrounds of the land, too, since this is where some of the rarer and stronger materials lie, but the enemies here are a menace. Therefore, crafting and forging becomes a primary focus in order to safely traverse the more extreme terrains.

With ores mined, trees chopped down and land dug up, bolstering the defence and offense of the player character is important. Whilst the little man or woman can be customised prior to starting the game, they are very basic in their appearance. It's not until armour is crafted and accessories are found that get-ups begin to look much more stylish, with outfits that resemble warriors and a mage. After swords and bows have been boosted, also, then it is time to get to the more exciting parts of Terraria - defeating bosses.

There are a number of large, ferocious boss monsters that exist in the world, and overcoming them is a monumental task in itself at times. The only problem is that it isn't clear how to get them to appear. Some will appear at night and in specific locations, but others require more precise conditions for them to spawn. Since it isn't very obvious what the conditions are, it's really left up to players to check out the Terraria Wiki website to avoid endless running around. Needless to say, though, for RPG fans, the gearing up and tackling the bosses of Terraria is one of the central objectives of the game, and one boss in particular is exclusive to the console edition.

What is there after that, though? It really depends how far players want to go with it. Once all the bosses have been defeated, there isn't really anything to drive for, except maybe being extremely creative. Building fancy towers that reach up into the skies and digging to the bottom of the earth and flooding underground caves is just part of its curious side, if only to see what is possible. Non-playable characters will appear in the game world, but just like the bosses, these guys only show up once certain requirements are met, usually in the form of players having built a house with specific standards for them. These NPCs are mainly vendors, offering items in exchange for coins, however.

As a single-player experience, Terraria can tend to be a rather lonely adventure, so it is best to try to make the most out of exploring others' worlds online. While there is the chance that other adventurers will steal items that have been stored in chests (due to the limited inventory space), playing in multiplayer worlds grants the opportunity to not only explore the tunnels and hidden depths others have mined for rarer materials, but also to get ideas for crafts and buildings to take back and apply to their own world. Teamwork is always a major benefit, too, so hooking up with some more experienced players to help learn a few tricks is well-advised.

The console version of Terraria obviously uses a controller, and this instantly makes it a little more difficult to pick up and play when compared to the keyboard and mouse method of the PC game. A click of the right analogue stick can switch between general aiming and a more precise option to accurately place and select specific blocks and the like, and the shoulder buttons can scroll through items set to the hot bar. It does the job as best it can, but the PC controls seem to be more comfortable and essential when building.