The multi-billion dollar video game industry is growing exponentially with global revenues from video games expected to hit 93.18 billion US dollars in 2019. Game producers are trying to make better and more interactive games, preferably ones that go beyond just one niche. Terraria from the game studio 505 Games SRL, is one such game that includes combat, construction, crafting and exploration in its gameplay making it a big hit with gamers worldwide. It is for this reason that the game had sold over 12 million copies by mid 2015.
Terraria Overview
Terraria is an open-world, that is procedurally generated, 2D game whose gameplay consists of exploration, combat and construction. At the start of the game, a player gets three basic tools: an axe, pickaxe and shortsword and 100 health or lives which increase as they find special items during their exploration. The game builds on itself where exploration, mining, woodcutting or combat enables a player to acquire resources, the most important of which is ore, which they then use to craft items they may require for a given recipe. The end-product of one recipe will in due course be used as an ingredient in another. To start off, a player builds a basic shelter and then with the tools accorded them, they dig for ore and other resources such as weapons or which can help the player in crafting weapons to fight off their enemies. These weapons fall under the classes of melee, consumable, magic, ranged and summon which can be used to fight off enemies, other players during multiplayer games and bosses. The multiplayer mode was streamlined in the 1.3 version making it easier to play with or against friends without needing to share IPs or port-forwarding. The version also introduced new backgrounds and sprites with better graphics and making it more interactive.
Progression through the game will allow the player to meet and vanquish various enemies, gain entry to the zones that have unique items, summon and defeat more powerful bosses and attract NPCs (non-player characters) to their living bases who occupy the houses players have built. As the player progresses in level, they get more coins which they can be used to make transactions with the NPCs, pay other players in multiplayer mode or ammunition in the crafty coin guns. Progression also allows a player to collect tools which are essential for crafting, woodcutting or harvesting, destroy background walls or be used as weapons in a fix. After defeating the Wall of Flesh, the player then enters the Hardmode which is a more advanced and difficult version of the initial Terraria world which contains new Biomes, enemies as well as making new weapons, accessories and armor.
To add to the fun, the game also has a difficulty level; expert mode that is enabled when a player is creating a world which increases the difficulty and challenge of the game by increasing the bosses, monsters and enemies’ strength. Terraria becomes more interactive as a player progresses in the gameplay and caters to gamers interested in combat, exploration or construction and as witnessed by the developments in the 1.3 version, it can only get better.
