- Publisher: Devolver Digital
- Release Date: Mar 28, 2023
- Also On: iPhone/iPad, Switch
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
- Unscored
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Apr 6, 2023Terra Nil has no ambitions to be the next big city-builder game, nor to set off a revolution in the genre, but it is concise and focused enough in its mission to be considered successful. Above all, and contrary to what is usual, it does not want to lock players in an endless cycle of expansion and construction, but rather to show how easy and necessary it is to let go of our creations and let nature take its course.
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Mar 27, 2023Terra Nil is a wonderfully relaxing strategy game. Its unique approach to the strategy genre is refreshing when compared to its peers, and although its scope is a little limited, players will still want to revisit to get the optimum outcome of each level.
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Edge MagazineApr 20, 2023Yes, the planet looks prettier than it did before we arrived, but this is a rare act of beautification that leaves a bitter aftertaste. [Issue#384, p.114]
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Apr 20, 2023A beautiful and relaxing game that is over too soon, and is too bare bones to encourage replaying.
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Mar 27, 2023In Terra Nil, the player must rescue and restore life in a desert scenario by creating biomes for the restoration of life on a desolate planet. With an incredible graphic style and relaxing music, the game presents addictive challenges and mechanics. It’s sad that such an enjoyable game to play has so little content - I wish it had more stages to play. Even so, I recommend that you spend hours and hours with this game.
| This publication does not provide a score for their reviews. | |
| This publication has not posted a final review score yet. | |
| These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation. | |
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Mar 27, 2023The reverse city builder is trickier than it appears, but utterly committed to its environmental vision, taking the genre - and every level - to new places. [Eurogamer Recommended]
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Mar 27, 2023But as someone prone to bouts of climate doom every time I read anything about carbon levels and ice sheets, Terra Nil was the ultimate form of video game escapism. A little diversion, no matter how unrealistic it is, that rather than asking us to live through the planet’s destruction let us try and recover from one instead.
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Mar 27, 2023As I played, I kept thinking, Let me love you, as I built so many pylons and tramway poles just to complete a scenario. I played the demo over and over again when it was first released last year, excited for what would come. Even if some of the gameplay feels unnecessarily rigid, I still have a lot of respect for the way this game emphasizes environmental stewardship, especially within a genre that tends to focus on the exact opposite. Despite the roadblocks, that sense of wonder is enough to bring me back into the game’s world.
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Mar 27, 2023By the time I launched my final rocket from Terra Nil, I was happy to leave it behind. It certainly feels refreshing in the citybuilding genre, which is so often focused on creating infinite growth and bustling metropolises, nature be damned, but ultimately, it's still a game about chasing numbers, and filling meters that allow you to progress. That alone could be comforting, some much needed calm in a busy world as you create a lush landscape, but I found its repetitive nature was more frustrating than relaxing. Topped off with a level that shifts the focus from its previously hopeful tone to one of somber silence as you suck away the radiation, Terra Nil struggles to cement its identity as the calm, meditative puzzler that it seems on the surface.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 12 out of 20
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Mixed: 3 out of 20
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Negative: 5 out of 20
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Mar 30, 2023
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Jul 25, 2023Great concept, beautiful art direction. This game is really relaxing and rewarding, the only downside is that it is short!
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Apr 2, 2023