Terra Lander (PC) Review

Terra Lander has probably been inspired by a very old - and forgotten - arcade classic called Lunar Lander. Apart from the similar title, and the use of the strangely beautiful simplicity of vector graphics, both of them put the player in control of a landing pod that uses small engine bursts to change direction, while gravity keeps on doing what it does best… and no, that's not making theoretical physicists scratch their heads. The similarity is superficial, though, because this little indie creation is a different thing altogether.

On the outside this looks just like any other space pod landing simulator, but that's only a tiny part of the action - in fact that is only needed in the end of each level, and it's not exactly rocket science (or is it?); just position the landing module accordingly, lower its speed, land, and that's it. The rest is all about flying around and blasting various things while avoiding enemy fire, crashing onto a wall, or running out of fuel.

The catch is the existence of some basic physics that the player must always be aware of, but luckily, it all feels very natural, thus it's very easy to get the hang of the controls after the first couple of levels, especially when, unlike what happens in most games of this kind, the vehicle here doesn't rotate. Therefore, it's only a matter of moving the left analogue stick towards the desired direction, paying attention to the velocity, and all will be fine.

In the few available levels, the goal will be to reach a landing pad. Along the way, fuel tanks can be destroyed, and double the fuel capacity for the next level if they are all wiped out, while enemies, in the form of cannons, will try and shoot the pod down. Shooting is also very easy, and it's done with the right analogue stick. Wait, though, is that all there is to do here? Just shoot at stuff before reaching the end?

All levels are extremely similar, but they do get progressively harder, with more enemies, and less available space to fly. However, and although one hit equals death, the biggest threat here is, surprisingly, the graphics! The bullets, the engine fire, and the explosions, are all made out of small dots, and the problem with this becomes obvious the moment someone hits a couple of objects, filling the view with tiny garbage and making it extremely hard to see enemy bullets, despite their distinctive red colour.

In conclusion, not only is this very simple, but it's also very annoying, and even if the annoying part was gone, there's nothing really exciting here - it feels the same from beginning to end, despite the constant increase in difficulty. Some videogames keep it simple, yet they can be very addictive, like the vector classic Asteroids. Terra Lander, however, is just mediocre, and that's putting it mildly.