Terraria

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the container used for growing plants, see Terrarium.

Terraria
TerrariaLogo2.png
Developer(s)Re-Logic[a]
Publisher(s)505 Games[b]
Producer(s)Whitney Spinks
Designer(s)
  • Andrew Spinks
  • Whitney Spinks
  • Yorai Omer
Programmer(s)
  • Yorai Omer
  • Andrew Spinks
  • Chris Bednarz
Artist(s)
  • Victor Moura
  • James Hayes
  • Jim Kjexrud
Composer(s)Scott Lloyd Shelly
Platform(s)
Microsoft Windows
Release
May 16, 2011
Genre(s)Action-adventure, sandbox
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Terraria is an action-adventure sandbox game developed by Re-Logic. The game was first released for Microsoft Windows on May 16, 2011, and has since been ported to several other platforms. The game features exploration, crafting, building, painting, and combat with a variety of creatures in a procedurally generated 2D world. Terraria received generally positive reviews, with praise given to its sandbox elements. The game had sold over 35 million copies by the end of 2020.

Gameplay[]

In-game screenshot showing the player at the starting area of a newly generated world

Terraria is a 2D sandbox game with gameplay that revolves around exploration, building, crafting, combat, survival, and mining, playable in both single-player and multiplayer modes.[1][2] The game has a 2D sprite tile-based graphical style reminiscent of the 16-bit sprites found on the Super NES.[2] The game is noted for its classic exploration-adventure style of gameplay, similar to games such as the Metroid series and Minecraft.[2][3][4]

The game starts in a procedurally generated world, with players starting out with a few basic tools and a non-player character (NPC) guide to get them started.[1] The game's world is made up of several layers of tiles that the player can interact with and modify.[citation needed] Many resources, such as metal ores, can be found while exploring caves. The player begins with low health and mana, which can be increased by finding certain items.[1] Some resources may only be found in certain areas of the map, stored in common and rare containers, or dropped by certain enemies.[1] The player uses resources to craft new items and equipment at an appropriate crafting station for that recipe. For example, tables or other items can be crafted at a workbench, bars can be smelted from ore at a furnace, and armor can be crafted at an anvil. Several advanced items in Terraria require multiple crafting operations where the product of one recipe is used as an ingredient for another.

The player can encounter many different types of enemies in Terraria, the occurrence of which depends on several factors including time, location, and random events.[1] The player can fight against enemies with swords, flails, bows, guns, magic spells, and summoned minions. The player may also battle bosses that utilize a number of different combat mechanics and can drop rare items. Bosses are summoned by using certain items or when certain criteria are met. The defeat of these bosses is directly tied to in-game progression, save for a few optional bosses.[5] Defeating a certain one advances the game into "hardmode", which adds many new enemies throughout the world, as well as new NPCs and items.[6]

By completing specific goals, such as defeating a boss or obtaining a certain item, players can attract NPCs to occupy structures or rooms they have built, such as a merchant, nurse, or wizard.[1] Some NPCs can be acquired by finding them throughout the world and will then reside in player-created houses after being rescued. Players may then buy or sell items and certain services from NPCs with coins found in the world. The game features many different biomes and areas, which are each home to a unique set of enemies and challenges. Three biomes, specifically the Corruption, Crimson, and the hardmode-exclusive Hallow, will expand by slowly overtaking and converting blocks in adjacent ones.

"Expert" and "Master mode" are difficulty modes that increase the challenge of the game in exchange for some exclusive items. "Journey" mode allows players to duplicate items, adjust the world's difficulty, and control weather and time at will while playing.[7] Terraria has support for mods, which is facilitated by the third-party tModLoader.[8][9][10] It later received official support when it was released as free downloadable content alongside the "Journey's End" update in 2020 on Steam.[11]

Development and release[]

Terraria was developed by Re-Logic beginning in January 2011,[12] and is built on the Microsoft XNA framework[13] and written in C#. Re-Logic was composed of Andrew Spinks, who designed and programmed the game, Finn Brice, who along with Spinks did the graphic design for the game, and Jeremy Guerrette, who was a production assistant at Re-Logic, but left shortly after the game's release.[14] The music was composed by Scott Lloyd Shelly.[15] The game was released for Microsoft Windows on May 16, 2011.[16] In December 2011, the game was updated to version 1.1, adding new monsters, bosses, NPCs, and items. The update also included improvements to the game's world generation technology and lighting system.[17] In February 2012, the developers announced that they would not be continuing active development, but would release a final bug-fix patch.[18] However, development resumed in 2013 with Spinks asking the community for ideas to include in future content updates.[19]

In September 2012, Spinks announced that Engine Software and 505 Games would be porting Terraria to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.[20] The game was released for Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade on March 27, 2013.[21] The PlayStation 3 version was released via the PlayStation Network in North America on March 26, 2013[21] and in Europe and Australia on May 15, 2013.[22] Shortly after the initial console release, 505 Games announced Terraria for PlayStation Vita;[23] it was released in Europe on December 11, 2013, and in North America on December 17, 2013.[24] Spike Chunsoft localized the PlayStation 3 and Vita versions for release in Japan, including exclusive items such as a costume based on Monokuma from their Danganronpa series.[25][26] In May 2013, 505 Games announced a mobile version of Terraria ported by Dutch studio Codeglue for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone.[27] It was released for iOS on August 29, 2013,[28] and for Android on September 13, 2013.[29] The Windows Phone version was released on September 12, 2014.[30]

In October 2013, Re-Logic released version 1.2 for Terraria on Windows. The update added a host of new mechanics, gameplay changes, and graphics adjustments.[31] After the 1.2 update was released the game returned to receiving continuous updates.[32][33] The console and mobile versions received the update in 2014.[34][35] Terraria released on GOG.com on October 2, 2014.[36] A downloadable version of Terraria was released for PlayStation 4 on November 11, 2014, and Xbox One on November 14, 2014,[37][38] with a retail release on December 2, 2014.[39] In September 2014, Re-Logic announced that Terraria would be coming to macOS and Linux.[40] They were both released on August 12, 2015.[41] The Nintendo 3DS version was first released on the Nintendo eShop on December 10, 2015.[42] A Wii U version was released on the eShop in June 2016.[43]

Version 1.3 was released on June 30, 2015, adding even more items, events, enemies, bosses, and gameplay features. The update was released for consoles on December 12, 2017, and was released for mobile on August 27, 2019.[44] In July 2016, 505 Games announced that Engine Software and Codeglue would no longer be working on the console and mobile versions respectively and that a new studio, Pipeworks, would take over the development of those versions.[45] A version for the Nintendo Switch, ported by 505 Games, was released on June 27, 2019.[46] In December 2018, 505 Games announced that development of the 1.3 update for mobile would be taken over by DR Studios to help Pipeworks focus on the Switch port of the game.[47] In August 2020, Re-Logic announced that development of the Console and Switch would be taken over by DR Studios.[48]

The fourth and final major update for the game, Journey's End, was released on May 16, 2020, the ninth anniversary of the game's initial release.[49] As with previous updates, it added new items, enemies, difficulty modes, and gameplay features.[50][51]

In early February 2021, Andrew Spinks announced the cancellation of the Stadia port of Terraria due to the suspension of the Re-Logic/Spinks's Google account without a given reason for over three weeks.[52] He also announced that Re-Logic would not be working with Google again in the future stating, "I will not be involved with a corporation that values their customers and partners so little. Doing business with Google is a liability."[53] He later clarified that existing Android and Google Play versions of the game will not be affected.[54] Later that February, Google reached out to Re-Logic about the account shutdown and provided transparency around the situation and restored their accounts, and subsequently, Re-Logic reaffirmed that they still planned to release the game for Stadia, which it did on March 18, 2021.[55]

A March 2021 update for the Steam version of the game added direct support for resource packs, worlds, and character sharing through the Steam Workshop. TModLoader is still used to help provide and install user-created mods for the game.[56]

Cancelled sequels[]

In October 2013, Spinks announced that he was planning Terraria 2, stating that it would be significantly different from the original game.[57][58] Terraria: Otherworld was another planned game set in the Terraria universe, and was announced in February 2015 to be released later that year.[59] Otherworld tasked the player with trying to purify the world of the Corruption, which was to be achieved mainly by finding and activating "purifying towers" that push back the spread of the Corruption. Otherworld would have included more strategy and role-playing elements, such as a tower defense gameplay element, skill trees, and a plot. In April 2017, Re-Logic announced that the previous partner on the project, Engine Software, would be dropped in favor of a new studio, Pipeworks, due to the game being behind schedule.[60][61] In April 2018, Re-Logic announced that the game had been cancelled due to them not being satisfied with its development and unwilling to rush the release of a non-quality product.[62]

Reception[]

Terraria received generally favorable reviews from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[63][64][65][66][67][68][69] A review for Destructoid included praise for Terraria as "full of depth".[77] Another reviewer praised Terraria's integration of some of Minecraft's concepts into two dimensions.[78] GameSpot praised Terraria's exploration and feeling of accomplishment but criticized its lack of tutorial or explicit directions.[1] IGN praised the game, claiming that Terraria: "expands on the familiar sandbox gameplay with a greater emphasis on combat and adventure."[74] Terraria received the #1 of 2011 Indie of the Year Player Choice on IndieDB.[79] Terraria has been described as a Minecraft clone by various video gaming media outlets.[74][80]

Terraria sold 200,000 copies in just over a week after its release,[81] and over 432,000 within a month.[82] By June 2015, over 12 million copies of Terraria were sold across all platforms,[83] with that number increasing to over 35 million by the end of 2020, with 17.2 million on PC, 8.5 million on consoles, and 9.3 million on mobile platforms.[84]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Ported to mobile platforms by DR Studios, formerly by Codeglue. Also ported to various consoles by Pipeworks Studios, formerly by Engine Software.
  2. ^ The PC versions are self-published by Re-Logic, while a retail Windows version was published by Headup Games in Europe. Japanese version published by Spike Chunsoft.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Mc Shea, Tim (May 31, 2011). "Terraria Review, Terraria PC Review".
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c McWhertor, Michael (May 13, 2011). "Somewhere Between Super Metroid and Minecraft Lies the Intriguing Terraria". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
  3. ^ Devore, Jordan (April 25, 2011). "Minecraft in 2D, you say? Terraria looks legit". Destructoid. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  4. ^ Geere, Duncan (May 18, 2011). "Terraria offers two-dimensional mining, exploring and giant eyeballs". Wired. Condé Nast Publications. Archived from the original on May 21, 2011. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  5. ^ Coles, Jason. "Every boss in Terraria and how to beat them". PC Gamer. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  6. ^ "Terraria patch 1.1 to add new bosses, monsters, NPCs, hard mode and Unreal Megashark | News". PC Gamer. November 28, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  7. ^ Chalk, Andy (May 6, 2020). "Terraria's Journey Mode will let you play with item duplication, God mode and more". PC Gamer. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  8. ^ Tucker, Jake; Joe, Donnelly (January 16, 2017). "The best Terraria mods". PC Gamer. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  9. ^ Skyes, Tom (September 30, 2016). "Super Terraria World mods Re-Logic's game into a full-fledged RPG". PC Gamer. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  10. ^ Tarason, Dominic (April 15, 2019). "Modder Superior: Digging deep into mods for Terraria". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  11. ^ Talbot, Carrie (April 29, 2020). "Major fan-made Terraria mod tool coming to Steam as free DLC with Journey's End". PCGamesN. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  12. ^ Jongewaard, Dana (April 29, 2011). "Minecraft: The Platformer". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  13. ^ Chalk, Andy (February 1, 2013). "Microsoft Confirms the End of XNA". The Escapist. Defy Media. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  14. ^ "Jeremy Guerrette". LinkedIn. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  15. ^ "About". resonancearray.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  16. ^ Senior, Tom (May 16, 2011). "2D Minecraft-alike Terraria is out today". PC Gamer. Future Publishing. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  17. ^ Senior, Tom (November 28, 2011). "Terrraria patch 1.1 to add new bosses, monsters, NPCs, hard mode and Unreal Megashark". PC Gamer. Future Publishing. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  18. ^ Pearson, Craig (February 22, 2012). "Terraria Dev: "Time to move on"; Fans: "Nooooooo!"". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  19. ^ Sykes, Tom (January 26, 2013). "Terraria creator asks what YOU would like to see in a possible update". PC Gamer. Future Publishing. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  20. ^ Purchese, Robert (September 11, 2012). "Terraria heading to PSN and XBLA early next year". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b Devore, Jordan (March 22, 2013). "Terraria hits Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 next week". Destructoid. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  22. ^ Fletcher, JC (April 30, 2013). "Terraria expands to European PSN May 15". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  23. ^ Philips, Tom (March 28, 2013). "Indie darling Terraria announced for PlayStation Vita". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  24. ^ Moriarty, Colin (December 10, 2013). "Terraria (Finally) Gets a Release Date for PS Vita". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  25. ^ Gifford, Kevin (October 2, 2013). "How the PS3 version of Terraria became an unconventional success in Japan". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  26. ^ Spencer (January 15, 2014). "Monomi From Danganronpa 2 And Toro Make Cameos In Terraria In Japan". Siliconera. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  27. ^ Sarkar, Samit (May 31, 2013). "Terraria coming to iOS, Android, Windows Phone 8 this summer (update)". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  28. ^ Sliwinski, Alexander (August 28, 2013). "Terraria iOS out tomorrow". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  29. ^ Suszek, Mike (September 13, 2013). "PSA: Terraria grounded on Android". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  30. ^ Edmonds, Rich (September 12, 2014). "Terraria finally arrives on Windows Phone with Xbox Live support". Windows Central. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  31. ^ Savage, Phil (October 2, 2013). "Terraria 1.2 update released, tweaks almost every part of the game". PC Gamer. Future Publishing. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  32. ^ Vandell, Perry (October 25, 2013). "Terraria offers new treats, no tricks, in Halloween update". PC Gamer. Future Publishing. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  33. ^ Cowan, Danny (December 10, 2013). "Terraria launches Christmas update on iOS, Android". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  34. ^ Philips, Tom (April 15, 2014). "Terraria's massive console update coming Thursday". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  35. ^ "Terraria on Mobile Updated to v1.2". gamershell.com. December 4, 2014. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  36. ^ "Terraria Now Available on GOG!". terraria.org. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  37. ^ Prell, Sam (November 9, 2014). "Terraria hits PS4 on Tuesday — can you dig it?". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  38. ^ Cowan, Danny (November 14, 2014). "Terraria carves out an Xbox One release today". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  39. ^ Tipps, Seth (November 4, 2014). "Terraria PS4 Coming to PSN Next Tuesday". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  40. ^ Farokhmanesh, Megan (September 15, 2014). "Terraria in development for Mac and Linux". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  41. ^ Devore, Jordan (August 12, 2015). "Terraria hits Mac and Linux at long last". Destructoid. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  42. ^ Blake, Vikki. "Terraria Release Date Confirmed for Nintendo 3DS". IGN. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  43. ^ Philips, Tom (June 8, 2014). "Terraria confirmed for 3DS and Wii U". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  44. ^ "Mobile - Terraria Mobile 1.3 Release Date Revealed!". Terraria Community Forums. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  45. ^ "The Path Ahead: Major News Updates for Console & Mobile". terraria.org. July 25, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  46. ^ Devore, Jordan (June 25, 2019). "Terraria lands on Nintendo Switch this week". Destructoid. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  47. ^ 505 Games. "Terraria Mobile Update - Introducing DR Studios". terraria.org. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  48. ^ Re-Logic (August 25, 2020). "Terraria State of the Game - August 2020". terraria.org. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  49. ^ Clayton, Natalie (May 16, 2020). "Terraria's massive final update, Journey's End, is out today". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  50. ^ Bailey, Dustin. "Terraria's fourth and final free expansion launched in May". PCGamesN. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  51. ^ Grubb, Jeff. "Terraria: Journey's End is a massive free update". Venture Beat. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  52. ^ Good, Owen (February 8, 2021). "Terraria canceled on Stadia after developer gets locked out of his Google accounts". Polygon. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  53. ^ @Demilogic (February 8, 2021). "I will not be involved with a..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  54. ^ Kim, Matt (February 8, 2021). "Terraria Devs: Google Boycott Includes Future Games, but Not Existing Ones - IGN". IGN. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  55. ^ Lyles, Taylor (February 26, 2021). "Stadia version of Terraria is back in production after developer reconciles with Google". The Verge. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  56. ^ Clayton, Natalie (March 29, 2021). "Ten years after release, Terraria gets Steam Workshop support". PC Gamer. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  57. ^ Grayson, Nathan (October 3, 2013). "Well Here's A Thing: Redigit Tells RPS There's A Terraria 2". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  58. ^ Pereira, Chris (October 3, 2013). "Terraria 2 Will Have infinite Worlds and be 'Quite Different'". IGN. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  59. ^ Nakamura, Darren (February 16, 2015). "Terraria: Otherworld trailer shows an alternate dimension to the sandbox". Destructoid. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  60. ^ Chalk, Andy. "Terraria: Otherworld update reveals a new 'development partner'". PC Gamer. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  61. ^ Prescott, Shaun. "Terraria: Otherworld is Terraria with 'purpose'". PC Gamer. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  62. ^ Jenni. "Terraria: Otherworld Has Been Canceled". Siliconera. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  63. ^ Jump up to: a b "Terraria for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  64. ^ Jump up to: a b "Terraria for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  65. ^ Jump up to: a b "Terraria for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  66. ^ Jump up to: a b "Terraria for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  67. ^ Jump up to: a b "Terraria for PlayStation Vita Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  68. ^ Jump up to: a b "Terraria for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  69. ^ Jump up to: a b "Terraria for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  70. ^ "Terraria for 3DS Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  71. ^ "Terraria for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  72. ^ Nakamura, Darren (April 17, 2013). "Review: Terraria". Retrieved January 11, 2013.
  73. ^ Sanchez, David. "Terraria Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
  74. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Terraria Review". IGN. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  75. ^ "Terraria Review on PC Gamer". Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  76. ^ deMelo, Jeffrey (September 5, 2013). "'Terraria' Review – A 2D 'Minecraft'-like With a Sense of Adventure". TouchArcade. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  77. ^ Devore, Jordan (May 25, 2011). "Impressions: Terraria". Destructoid. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  78. ^ Castelli, Stefano (May 23, 2011). "Un tris di mini-recensioni". Videogame.it. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  79. ^ "Space Station Room With a View". IndieDB. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  80. ^
  81. ^ Cifaldi, Frank (May 25, 2011). "2D Word-Of-Mouth Hit Terraria Sells 200K In Nine Days". Gamasutra. UBM plc. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  82. ^ Senior, Tom (June 17, 2011). "Terraria sells 432,000 in one month, hardcore mode revealed". PC Gamer. Future Publishing. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  83. ^ "Good. Bad. I'm the Guy with the YoYo: The Terraria 1.3 Official Trailer". YouTube. June 23, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  84. ^ Peppiatt, Dom (March 21, 2021). "Terraria has sold over 35 million copies in its lifetime". VG247. Retrieved March 21, 2021.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""